PREP YOUR PUP

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 36.5 percent of U.S. households have dogs — that’s a little over 43 million. With the recent natural disasters in Houston, Puerto Rico, and California, it’s crucial to keep your pets in mind when making your bug-out/in plans. Our furry friends do have a few special needs, and may also require a specific type of care in emergency situations. Movies and video games often show large well-trained purebreds as the ideal survival companion in post-apocalyptic settings, but even a small mutt can be a real asset for its alertness and companionship. Either way, our pets are our family, and we need to be ready to support them.

We spoke with Dr. Emily Garrett, DVM, a veterinarian who specializes in large animal medicine, surgery, and orthopedics. Garrett reinforced the importance of preparing to care for your four-legged friend in emergency scenarios.

“Dogs have been known to step up to the plate in all kinds of situations: warning their owners of intruders, sensing danger before it happens, and a variety of different jobs that dogs have been trained for. These can include sensing blood sugar in diabetics, alerting owners of seizure activity before it happens, and finding lost people. Their acute senses and