Don't let Rover Blow Over: Prepare for a hurricane
While other residents are buying batteries and calculating escape routes, pet owners are most concerned with their precious charges. One of the most common concerns at this time of year is what will happen to our pets if a hurricane strikes.

If your home is in a vulnerable area, it may become necessary to leave during the threat of a major hurricane. In this situation, the welfare of a pet becomes a real problem. While it may be possible and ideal to take your pet with you to the safe home of a family member or friend, some residents may not have this option.

If it becomes necessary to evacuate your home you may need to spend some time in a Red Cross Shelter. Unfortunately, due to health reasons Red Cross Shelters will not accept pets. Some people have chosen to stay in an unsafe home with their pets rather than go to shelters without them.

There is no need to risk your life to save your pet. There is a network of specially designated Red Cross Pet Hurricane Shelters.

Harmony Animal Hospital was instrumental in working with the Red Cross even before Hurricane Andrew to set up this network of pet shelters. Harmony Animal Hospital is designated as one of the safe havens, as are many other veterinary hospitals in Palm Beach County. To receive a complete list either come in ask us for a brochure, or call the Red Cross at 833-7711.

Plan ahead.
It is always important to plan ahead and even make advance reservations if necessary. You may have to bring your pet into the Pet Hurricane Shelter eight or more hours in advance of the hurricane. The shelter personnel will secure all of their charges and then make their own plans to be sure their homes and families are safe. Most shelters will not be able to accommodate you or your pet at the last minute so make your plans early.

Keep medical records on hand
Be sure your pet is up to date on all vaccinations and have proof available. Pet Hurricane Shelters will not accept unvaccinated animals. Dogs should be up-to-date on the distemper/parvovirus/corona combination vaccine, and rabies within the last year. A bordetella vaccine (also called kennel cough) is necessary within the last six months. For cats, they should have had their yearly panleukopenia (also known as distemper) combo vaccine (with chlamydia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus), as well as rabies. In addition, they should be up-to-date on the feline leukemia vaccine, or have had a recent negative test for this disease.

Stock plenty of your pet's medications
Keep on hand those medications that your pet needs to take on a routine basis including heartworm pills. If you're taking your pet to a shelter, it is also a good idea to bring your pet's food and enough bottled water to last your pet for at least three days. If the power goes out water may not be available.

Have a roomy crate available
Since the Pet Hurricane Shelters will fill up their facility over their usual capacity in order to accommodate as many pets as possible, it is a good idea to have a roomy crate available so the shelter can house your pet. They may have more pets needing care than there are kennels or runs available. You may also want to use this crate at home, since frightened animals may exhibit behavior changes. Familiarize your pet with the crate until he or she feels comfortable and secure in it. Place identification on the crate as well as your pet (see below).

Call ahead
Not all Pet Hurricane Shelters are equipped or knowledgeable enough to handle your bird and exotic pets. Call ahead to find out which shelter would be most appropriate and what requirements you might have to meet. For example, here at Harmony Animal Hospital we test pet birds for Chlamydia (Psittacosis), a disease that can be transmitted to people, and do a gram stain to ascertain the general health of the bird, before boarding. The same requirements will hold true to stay at our Pet Hurricane Shelter as well, so test your bird before hurricane season begins. Have an appropriate cage or enclosure for your bird or exotic pet, as most shelters (including ours) cannot guarantee the availability of enough space to house these critters. Also have plenty of your pet's normal diet on hand, as well as enough bottled water to last at least three days.

The choice of using a Pet Hurricane Shelter should always be the last choice. There are many more pets than there are spaces in shelters. Use one of the shelters if no other choice is available. If you are able to keep your pet in a safe home, it is often advisable to have pet tranquilizers available. Contact your veterinarian well in advance of the problem to discuss this possibility. Hurricanes are tremendously frightening to animals and they may be difficult to control and calm.

Horses and livestock
Large animals, of course, cannot be brought to Pet Hurricane Shelters. They should be boarded in barns that are strong enough to withstand the full storm surge. Sometimes it is better to leave them in a fenced pasture. Be sure your horses and other livestock are wearing identification so they can be reunited with you if they get loose and wander or become injured during the storm. Of course, secure all objects that may become deadly missiles during the storm. Horses should have a negative Coggins test, as well as their yearly vaccines (including Eastern and Western Encephalomyelitis, and tetanus). In addition, many horse veterinarians are recommending vaccinating your horse for rabies. This is a particularly good idea in the case of a hurricane when your horse may get loose and come in contact with many displaced domestic and wild animals.

Make sure pets wear identification
Identification is important whether your boarding your pet or keeping your pet at home. When the storm is over be careful about letting your pets outside. There are many hazards to pets (and people) after a severe storm including broken glass, downed power lines, and dangerous debris. Your pet may become confused by the change to his normal environment and wander off and become lost. All pets should always wear identification in the form of a collar and tag, and a permanent identification microchip. We advise that you have your pets implanted with a microchip now, instead of waiting until a threat is imminent. Microchip implantation is a safe, and painless procedure that does not require anesthesia and only requires a few minutes. This tiny device is injected under the skin and becomes a permanent means of identifying your pet. Most animal rescue agencies can scan lost pets for microchips. If a hurricane strikes, the surroundings may appear unfamiliar to your pet and he or she may become disoriented or confused. Proper identification will increase the chances of a safe return home. Keep current photos of your pet as well. After Hurricane Andrew a huge undertaking was reuniting lost pets with their owners. In all too many cases, that never occurred and new homes had to be found for the storm orphans. (See the Note below for info about the Pet Finder voicemail i.d. system.)

In addition, after the storm you will need to be sure that your pet does not consume any contaminated food or water since garbage pickup may be non-existent for a while.

The chance of an injury occurring is a possibility, as we saw when we worked in the makeshift clinics treating often severely hurt pets in Dade County (Miami area) after Hurricane Andrew. It may not be easy to get to a veterinarian after the storm has passed due to roads being blocked and phone lines down.

Take a first aid class
One of our strongest recommendations is to be ready for this possibility. Sign up for the Red Cross Pet CPR/First Aid class that Dr. Cox teaches a couple of times a year. In that one-evening class you will learn how to deal with many types of emergency injuries such as bleeding, broken bones, electrocution and suffocation. You will also be taught CPR on a realistic dog CPR mannequin. Give us a call for the date of the next class.

Prepare a first aid kit
You can also be ready by having a first aid kit handy for your pet. You can find one here.

For any further information on how your four-legged loved ones can weather a hurricane please call your veterinarian, or the local (in Palm Beach County) Red Cross at (561) 833-7711.

Note: Click on the link to find out more about the Finder System. During a hurricane, you and your pet can become separated. Speak for your lost pet and learn more about the Finder System voicemail pet ID tag.

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Dog Daze of Summer
It's a quick ten minutes change from panting, to a dazed and confused expression, to coma, brain damage, and even death. This is what quickly occurs when your pet is left in the car, even with the windows down a little. The temperature inside the car can quickly climb to 160° and cause heat stroke in your pet. At this point it is imperative to lower the body temperature by immersing in cool water and then quickly getting to your veterinarian.

If you can't take your pet with you into a cool place, leave her at home, either inside with the air conditioner on, or outside with plenty of shade and cool, fresh water. It's a small thing to do for a friend!

Your dog's exercise should be restricted during the hottest parts of the day. If you want to go jogging, or toss a Frisbee at the beach, remember all athletes need conditioning. Work up to our pet's exercise program gradually and avoid strenuous activity between the hours of 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Overweight dogs should be put on a supervised restricted, low fat diet. And if your pet hasn't had a nose to tail examination in a while, schedule that now. Strenuous exercise can be deadly to a pet with a serious underlying health problem such as heart disease, which in its early stages is often symptom-free.

Resist the temptation to shave your pet's coat during the summer. Your pet's fur acts as protection against the summer sun. Brush your pet regularly to remove any dense undercoat. Some dogs also appreciate a kiddy pool to cool off their tootsies-this is one important area for heat exchange and sweating in the dog.

Lastly, watch out for the hazards of electric fans. Your curious cat may get his tail caught in the blades, or your bird may accidentally fly into your ceiling fan.

With a little caution and planning, your pet's summer can turn into the calm, and languid "dog days" of summer, which is vastly preferable any day to "dog daze"!

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Pretty Poisons
Anyone who has ever mowed a lawn in South Florida in the summer and walked out four days later to find it lapping at the knees, knows what a profuse growing season this is. The other downside to all that cutting, pruning, and weeding becoming a full-time job is the large variety of pretty but poisonous plants that can be found in the garden. Not only that, but the many chemicals and pesticides we use to control the growth can also be extremely deadly.

These are just some of the hazards awaiting your pet. For others, please read the article Plants, Foods and Substances Toxic to Pets to learn more.

Heartworm Disease
If you're just moving down to this area, or are just now getting your first dog or cat, you need to know about heartworm disease and prevention. In South Florida all dogs and cats should be on preventative all year long (in your local area, please check with your veterinarian for instructions). Heartworms, a potentially deadly problem, are spread by the pesky mosquito, and you know we have plenty of those! You have a choice of either a daily medication (Filaribits), or a monthly such as Heartgard and Interceptor. There're even products that combine monthly heartworm prevention with monthly flea prevention (Sentinel, a tablet; or Revolution, a topical). Ask us to test your pet today and then start on prevention right away. It's the least you can do for a friend.

What is Heartworm?

• Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis or D. immitis) is transmitted by mosquitoes
• It can be found in most areas of the country where mosquitoes breed
• When a mosquito bites an infected animal, the heartworm larvae are ingested along with the blood
• Larvae mature to the infective stage within the body of the mosquito then are transmitted to a dog or cat through another mosquito bite
• Once inside the host animal, heartworms travel to the lungs and the right side of the heart, where they can grow and mate for several years
• Adult heartworms reside in the pulmonary arteries, or right heart if large amount of worms are present and can grow to a length of 5-to-12 inches in dogs and 5-to-8 inches in cats.

The early signs of heartworm disease in dogs:

• Fatigue
• Nonproductive cough
• Difficulty breathing
• Exercise intolerance
• Weight loss

The signs of heartworm disease in cats:

• Difficulty breathing
• Coughing and chronic vomiting
• Occasional collapse
• Weight loss
• Lethargy
• Rapid heart rate
• Convulsions
• Sudden death

Learn more about heartworm disease in cats.

Find more articles about dogs.

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Bufo Toads
Bufo toads are six to nine inches in length, brown to a grayish brown with a creamy white belly. In response to squeezing or threats, they secrete a toxic substance from special glands along the toad's back. If your dog is unfortunate enough to grab one of these guys you may notice him shaking his head, drooling, or even rubbing his head along the floor. This is just the start of symptoms that can progress to seizures, heartbeat irregularities, and even death. Quick thinking and actions are key. Wash your pet's mouth, especially along the gums, using a hose. Then alert your veterinarian you're coming and get him in right away. (While almost any toad may cause salivation - I guess they all taste pretty bad!- it can't hurt to wash your pet's mouth out, and it may even save his life!) For more info on this and other problems, call, e-mail, or click to read the complete article on Bufo toads.

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Those Pesky Fleas
Whew! Fleas hate the heat and intense sunlight as much as we do. Why they practically wilt this time of year. Which means your pet will get a small break. But don't stop your preventative flea control because they'll be back with a vengeance in the mild Fall. (Of course, now you have the ticks to contend with. Ugh!) We recommend that you keep using one of the monthly flea control products for your pet.

PROGRAM is a safe oral medication that sterilizes the flea and breaks the flea life cycle - no more babies, no more adults.

ADVANTAGE and FRONTLINE are applied to the skin on the back of the pet and work by killing and repelling the flea. Right now you may want to think about using Frontline, which is the only one of the monthly treatments just mentioned that is also labeled for killing ticks.

For continuous flea control, some people find that giving their pet the PROGRAM all year long and then adding either ADVANTAGE or FRONTLINE during the worst flea seasons, takes care of their problems. PROGRAM now also comes in a single tablet combined with a monthly heartworm preventative; it's called SENTINEL.

The newest flea and heartworm combination drug is REVOLUTION. This is a topical product for dogs and cats that is applied to the skin once a month. This is a totally new route for heartworm protection. It's easy and it's effective. It also controls hookworms and roundworms in cats, as well as ear mites and mange mites. Ask us for more complete information about Revolution.

Don't forget to treat the house (use a product with an insect growth regulator - IGR - to kill the immature stages for long periods of time), the yard (pay close attention to spraying the shady areas of your yard for fleas (spray for ticks now too); and even the car. Still confused? Call us, that's what we're here for!