Pet Emergency Kit

WEEK 3

In celebration of National Disaster Preparedness Month, Companions For Life is continuing our series of short weekly articles to guide you through preparing your pets - and your family - for a disaster.

WEEK 3 -Pet Emergency kit

One of the most important things you can do to prepare your pet for an emergency is to make a Pet Emergency Kit. Keep your kit in a safe place where it is easily accessible in a crisis. Should an evacuation be ordered, you’ll have everything you need in one handy place. You can just grab it and go.

So what should you include in your kit? Start with a medium size contained, waterproof is best, and include the following:

-Pet Food. Dry food, canned, food, and supplements. For dry food, free sample packs from pet supply stores work well. If you feed your pet canned food, don’t forget to include a spare can opener. It is also a good idea to include some paper plates or disposable bowls.

-Water. In a disaster, bottled water may be all there is and our pets, like us, need water to survive.

-Cat litter. Cats must have litter. You can store extra in a large storage bag inside a shoe box in your kit. The shoe box can double as a disposable litter box.

-Leashes. An extra leash can come in handy. A harness is a good idea, too. Even the best behaved pet may be frightened during a disaster and a harness can provide extra safety.

-Collars and Identification. Your pet should wear a collar with rabies tag and identification at all times, but if your pet is prone to losing his collar or has allergies that prevent him from wearing it, an extra collar with duplicate identification tags should be included in your kit.

-Medicines. If your pet take prescription medicines, make sure you have a supply of those drugs in your kit, along with the basics – flea treatment and heartworm preventative.

-First Aid Kit. Be sure to include a first aid kit for your pet. Specially designed first aid kits for pets are available online from a variety of sources, or from your area Red Cross.

-A photo of your pet along with current vaccination records, information on any medical conditions, and microchip registration papers. These should be stored in a waterproof baggie inside your kit. Be sure you have your pet’s name, your name, and your contact information, as well as a description of any unusual identifying marks on your pet, written on the back of the photo.

-Your vet’s name and phone number, as well as a list of boarding facilities and kennels in the area.

Preparing an emergency kit for your pet takes only minutes, but in a crisis it will make all the difference!

Look for our 4th and last installment shortly. Well discuss a few final tips for preparing not just your pet, but your family as well!

PetSmart Recalls More Dog Treats...

PetSmart Pulls Pet N’ Shape
Chik ‘N Rings Dog Treats
From Shelves

Last week, PetSmart pulled various Smokehouse brand chicken and duck dog treats from their shelves as a precautionary measure. The company pulled these treats in response to American Veterinary Medical Association’s warning about various treat products from China due to complaints from pet owners about ill dogs.

PetSmart has also pulled Pet n’ Shape Chik n’ Rings dog treats from their shelves as a precaution. When we spoke to PetSmart last week, there was no word about a Pet n’ Shape treat being pulled off shelves last week.

In a Sun-Sentinel article dated September 20, it was mentioned that Pet n’ Shape treats were pulled off shelves also.

We spoke to a Pet n’ Shape spokesperson, and he confirmed that PetSmart did pull Pet n’ Shape Chik n’ Rings off shelves. He said the California-based company wasn’t actually aware of PetSmart’s move until they read the Sun-Sentinel article from yesterday. He was uncertain when PetSmart pulled their product off of their shelves.

http://www.itchmo.com/petsmart-pulls-pet-n-shape-chik-n-rings-dog-treats-from-shelves-3002

http://www.petnshape.com/index.html

Be Aware!

PETAPALOOZA – September 29 – 1:00 to 5:00

PETAPALOOZA – September 29 – 1:00 to 5:00

Just across from City Veterinary Center – 2727 Oak Lawn Ave.

On Saturday, September 29th, City Pet Companies will host Petapalooza, a community event for pets and their owners. Petapalooza is now in its 2nd year and will be bigger and better than ever. Please join us for an afternoon of fun with the animals.

Activities planned to include: stupid dog tricks, best dressed contest, Mr. and Ms. K9 Dallas. Ricochet K9 presents tricks, stunts and entertainment as seen on Letterman and Leno. Also, on-site micro-chipping and behavioral advice from City Vet staff will be offered.

Metroplex Animal Coalition and Companions for Life will present information regarding spay/neuter programs. These programs are vital to the reduction of the unwanted pet population and offer an alternative to the termination of dogs and cats in municipal animal shelters and humane societies.

All-Natural pet food vendors including: Big Bark Bakery, Chilly Dawgs, Innova , California Naturals, Solid Gold, Canidae, Nature’s Variety, Merrick , Natural Balance and Eagle Pack.

Adoptions: Dog and cat adoptions will be available through Paws In the City

Silent Auction benefiting:

Metroplex Animal Coalition www.metroplexanimalcoalition.com

Auction items include box seats to the Cowboys and Stars, gift baskets from All natural pet food companies, art, prizes and more.

PLEASE MAKE PLANS TO JOIN US.

Bravo Recalls Dog and Cat Poultry Products...

Bravo! Issues Nationwide Recall of Select Poultry Products for Dogs and Cats

Bravo! announces a voluntary recall of select tubes of three of its poultry products for cats and dogs. The pet food is being recalled because two of the products have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, while the other product has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

Recalled Pet Food:
Product: Bravo Original Formula Chicken Blend frozen raw food
Product Numbers: 21-102, 21-105, 21-110
Sizes: 2 pound, 5 pound and 10 pound tubes
Batch ID code (on hang tag): 236
Reason for Recall: Salmonella, Listeria

Product: Bravo Original Formula Turkey Blend frozen raw food
Product Numbers: 31-102, 31-105, 31-110
Sizes: 2 pound, 5 pound and 10 pound tubes
Batch ID code (on hang tag): 236
Reason for Recall: Listeria

Product: Bravo Basic Formula Finely Ground Chicken frozen raw food
Product Number: 21-212
Size: 2 pound tube
Batch ID Code (on hang tag): 226
Reason for Recall: Salmonella, Listeria

http://www.bravorawdiet.com/recallinfo.html

PetSmart Recalls Dog Treats...

As of this morning, PetSmart has pulled various Smokehouse Brand dog treats off of their shelves. There have been reports of pets becoming ill after eating the treats, and as a precaution, PetSmart has removed the products. There has been no formal recall as of yet.

Here is what the PetSmart corporate office released to the PetSmart stores:

“Today the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) issued a media alert warning some treat products from China may be a potential threat to pets due to ’several complaints from pet owners and veterinarians of illness in dogs.’ No deaths have been reported at this time. The symptoms of pets reported sick were vomiting, lethargy and anorexia. To date, testing by the FDA and PetSmart Techinical Services has ruled out melamine contamination that might be making pets sick.

For now, we’re going to take the precautionary measure to pull this product from the shelves and contain it in the backroom. Our experts will continue to monitor the situation, analyze samples for a variety of possible problems and ask the vendor to test additonal product. Because of the relatively small number of complaints at this point, we’re not issuing a recall. We’ll provide timely updates as more information becomes available.”

Here is the SKU list of the Smokehouse Brand dog treats that have been pulled off of PetSmart shelves:

7856525052 5108696 Chicken Chips 1lb.
7856525053 5108692 Chicken Chips 8oz.
7856525092 5108693 Chicken Poppers 8oz.
7856525093 5108698 Chicken Poppers 1lb.
7856525134 5108691 Chicken Tenders 8oz.
7856525137 5126536 Chicken *** Tender Snacks 1lb.
7856525138 5126535 Chicken Tenders 2lb.
7856584255 5126702 Duck *** Tenders 8oz.
7856584256 5126534 Duck *** Tenders 1lb.
7856584257 5126532 Duck Chips 1lb.
7856584258 5126531 Duck and Sweet Potato 1lb.
7856585808 5108695 Chicken Tenders 1lb.




















http://www.itchmo.com/smokehouse-brand-dog-treats-pulled-from-petsmart-shelves-2869
http://www.avma.org/press/media_alerts/070914_jerky_treats.asp

Be Aware!

Preparing Your Pet For Disaster, Installment #2

In celebration of National Disaster Preparedness Month, Companions For Life is continuing our series of short weekly articles to guide you through preparing your pets - and your family - for a disaster.

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Week #2 – Identifying Available Resources

Now that you have your family plan and know where your personal meeting places will be and who is responsible for children and pets, you need to put together a list of phone numbers and resources you’ll need. You don’t want to waste time trying to find a phone book or searching the web in the event of a disaster. You need to know what city/county/state officials are what precautions to take, whether to shelter in place or prepare for evacuation, where the local shelters are, and you need to be able to let others know where you are.

Start by making a list of phone number of people and agencies that you would want to communicate with in the event of an emergency. Be sure to include family, close friends and neighbors, family doctor, banks, employers, schools, as well as police, fire, ambulance, and poison control. Don’t forget your vet, a list of area emergency animal clinics (if you live in the Dallas area, the Metroplex Animal Coalition website has already prepared a list - http://www.metroplexanimalcoalition.com/helpfulInfo/emergencyInfo.html), the animal poison control center, local boarding facilities and kennels, and your area animal control agencies (in the Metroplex, you can find a complete list on the C+C Pets Magazine website at http://www.ccpets.com/shelters.htm.

Find out which local TV and Radio station you will turn to and pre-program them into a battery operated radio or television if possible (radio news and talk stations are usually great resources as disasters develop). Get a weather radio – many now alert not only to weather related warnings, but also for Amber alerts, law enforcement warnings, nuclear and radiological hazard warnings, earthquakes, and civil dangers.

Take the time now to find and bookmark the websites for your city and county emergency operations centers and your state office of emergency management. Familiarize yourself with your state’s evacuation plan, find out if your state has a SART (State Animal Resource Team), check your State Veterinary Medical Association website, and don’t forget to bookmark national emergency websites, too.

Below are some links to get you started -

Dallas disaster resources:

Dallas County Office of Emergency Management:
http://www.dallascounty.org/department/osem/osem_intro.html
City of Dallas Office of Emergency Management
http://www.dallascityhall.com/oem/index.html
Red Cross Dallas Chapter
http://www.redcrossdallas.org/

Texas disaster resources:

Texas Governor’s Division of Emergency Management - http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/pages/index.htm
Texas Evacuation Plan - http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/dem/pages/downloadableforms.htm
Texas Extension Disaster Education Network – http://texashelp.tamu.edu/
Texas State Animal Resource Team - http://www.txsart.org/
Texas Veterinary Medical Association http://www.tvma.org/

National disaster resources:

FEMA – http://www.fema.gov/
Department of Homeland Security - http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm
National Weather Service - http://www.nws.noaa.gov/

Be informed – in knowledge is power.

Next week - Preparing Your Pet Emergency Kit

Preparing Your Pets For Disaster, Installment #1

In celebration of National Disaster Preparedness Month, Companions For Life has created a series of short weekly articles to guide you through preparing your pets - and your family - for a disaster.

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Week #1 - Developing An Evacuation Plan.

Prepare an evacuation plan now. Don’t wait until you need one. Take a few minutes now to decide where you will go should you need to evacuate.

Disasters can strike at any time. Where will you be? At work? School? Who will get your pets out?

If you’re away from home when an evacuation is ordered, you likely won’t be allowed back in. Be sure your family knows where to meet if they can’t get home, and make sure a trusted neighbor or friend has access to what they need to get into your home and can get your pets – and knows where to go to meet you.

Will you meet your family members at your place of employment or your spouses? A local hotel? A family member’s home? What if the evacuation order encompasses those places also? Have a secondary location to fall back on. Keep in mind, communication is limited during a disaster. You may not be able to reach your family members by phone. That's when having an evacuation plan in place will really pay off!

Think through all the possibilities, put your plan in writing, and be sure each member of the family knows and understands where to go and who is responsible for the animals. It will only take a few moments, but will be invaluable in a crisis.

Don't think you need a plan? Even an inland area like the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex can be threatened - by fires, floods, biological weapons, nuclear power plant malfunctions, toxic train derailments, tornadoes, and more.

Next week - Identifying available resources.