Hurricane season affects several kinds of people, including those with pets.
State emergency shelters will not accept pets not current and up-to-date on their vaccinations. Two BBB accredited veterinarians and the Commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry speak about the importance of pet vaccinations during this hurricane season.
Dr. Holly Gaines, veterinarian at Maurice Veterinary Clinic, says, “You have to be prepared because you’re going to have to leave very quickly, so having them up to date will help prevent basically exposure to infectious diseases. If there’s a chance that they’re going to be in a group of, a population of dogs— a great number of them, to protect them against those things.”
According to Dr. Ashley LeMaire, veterinarian at Maurice Veterinary Clinic, these are the vaccinations considered of upmost importance for pets:
- Rabies
- Bordetella (kennel cough)
- Distemper/Parvo combo
Dr. Mike Strain, Louisiana Commissioner Agriculture and Forestry says you should have your pets vaccinated ahead of time even before hurricane season so that you’re prepared.
Dr. Strain says, “You should as a routine have your animals vaccinated ahead of time because it takes 5 to 7 days for a vaccine to take effect and so the vaccine is to protect your animals but also to protect all the other animals.. Get that done it’s very important.”
Dr. LeMaire says keeping our pets up-to-date is the best way we can protect them.
“Keeping them up-to-date is the best way we can protect them and be prepared in the case of an emergency,” Dr. LeMaire adds.
Maurice Vet Clinic & Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry offers recommendations for you and your pets to be prepared this hurricane season:
- Keep your vet and vaccine records in Ziploc bags or waterproof containers.
- Have ID registration papers to identify the pet is yours.
- Have a kennel ready for transportation.
Now again as Dr. Mike Strain said, it takes five to seven days for a vaccine to take effect, so be sure to be prepared and have your pet up-to-date on vaccinations so you can bring them with you in the event of an emergency evacuation.
