Saving Pets After Katrina

A few days after Hurricane Katrina struck in late August, a terrified Harlequin Great Dane named Baby was found wandering aimlessly in Louisiana. The dog was well cared for, so it was obvious that she had an owner who loved her. Baby was brought into a shelter, where her relieved owner found her several days later. The storm surge had apparently swept Baby 30 miles north of her home. Miraculously, she was unhurt.

Working Together
When Hurricane Katrina tore through the Gulf Coast, owners and pets in the path of the storm were washed out of their homes and left to fend for themselves. The flooding left countless pets without homes, as even those owners who desperately wanted to stay with their pets were forced to leave them behind during evacuation. With limited space in the shelters, rescue workers sometimes had to abandon those animals that seemed unhealthy or neglected in favor of healthier animals that appeared to have a better chance of surviving to be reunited with their owners. Thanks to the efforts of volunteers, rescue organizations, and veterinary and animal welfare groups from around the country, many pets did survive, and the lucky ones, like Baby, have been reunited with their owners.

With the help of numerous state and local agencies, the American Humane Society, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

(ASPCA), the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Noah’s Wish, North Shore Animal League America, and United Animal Nations worked together to find stranded pets, transport them to shelters, and provide them with medical care, food, and water.

In addition, people concerned with the welfare of the stranded animals did what they could. Some traveled to Louisiana and Mississippi to offer their assistance. Many donated money or supplies. One man even chartered a bus and drove it into New Orleans to pick up owners who would not leave their pets behind.

Despite all this help, there is still much left to be done. Many animals fortunate enough to survive are still waiting to find their owners or new families to adopt them. While these homeless pets wait, the shelters that are housing them need all the support they can get in the form of supplies, monetary donations, and volunteers.

VMATs Heed the Call
The federal government deployed four Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams (VMATs) to the hardest-hit areas. Made up of veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and others, VMATs help coordinate animal relief efforts and deliver medical assistance to injured animals after manmade and natural disasters. They work as part of FEMA’s National Disaster Medical System.

Dr. Jon-Paul Carew, a volunteering veterinarian from Imperial Point Animal Hospital, Fort Lauderdale, and several other veterinarians and technicians from Florida flew to Gonzales, Louisiana, to do what they could. “It was so hard to sit back and watch the endless footage of the animals left behind without food, water, shelter, or medical care,” Dr. Carew says.

When they arrived, the VMATs put Dr. Carew and the rest of his team in charge of triage. Most animals they saw were stable but dehydrated and malnourished. Triage included checking the animals to determine whether they were healthy enough to be moved to shelters and to rule out any contagious diseases. “Many of them were starving and had been living in poor conditions, such as flooded houses and tied outside in yards,” he remembers. The pets with the best chances of survival were vaccinated, photographed, and microchipped for identification purposes, and then moved to temporary shelters.

Pets lucky enough to remain with their owners fared better. Dr. Cathy Theisen, a veterinarian with VMAT-1, was assigned to help triage and care for the pets of evacuees at New Orleans International Airport. “Many of these animals were in surprisingly good shape,” recalls Dr. Theisen, “and it was heartwarming to see them being allowed to stay with their owners as they left town. People clutched their pets like life itself, many of them having lost everything else. I had tears in my eyes many times as I witnessed the importance of the human–animal bond, and I felt honored to have been able to help them out in some way.”

Ongoing Efforts
Getting back to normal in many of the areas affected by the hurricane will take years. Experts expect the relief and restoration efforts to continue well into the future. As a result, rescue organizations are gearing up for the long haul.

The ASPCA and HSUS have set up a fund to rebuild animal shelters that were destroyed or damaged by the hurricane. Together, they are donating $5 million and are seeking contributions of $10 million to $15 million from the government and pet-friendly organizations. “The amount of devastation in the affected region is unprecedented, and the public has been extremely generous in donating to animal welfare disaster relief funds,” says Edwin Sayres, president and CEO of the ASPCA. “Once the rescue and recovery efforts have been completed, it will take months, if not years, to restore the organizations.”

The PetFinder.com Foundation has set up a comprehensive Animal Emergency Response Network to help reunite animals with their owners. They are also maintaining an ongoing disaster fund to help victims of Hurricane Katrina and other disasters.

Numerous pet-friendly corporations such as Bayer Animal Health, Merial, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Pfizer Animal Health, and VPI Pet Insurance have shown their generosity by donating food, medicine, supplies, and millions of dollars to care for rescued animals, help reunite them with their owners or find them good homes, and help offset the costs of caring for pets affected by the hurricane.

Planning for the Future
Hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating natural disasters to ever hit the United States. Fortunately, those left homeless were not left without hope. Immediately following the storm, Americans began to do what they always do—pull together to help out those in need. People have given their time and money; some have taken in families and pets looking for a place to stay. Dr. Carew even took home one of the dogs he treated, a 4-year-old Jack Russell terrier.

After her experience in Louisiana, Dr. Theisen wholeheartedly supports the need for pet-friendly shelters and evacuations that include pets. “To be made to leave a member of your family in harm’s way only adds to the emotional toll of the whole event,” she says. “The humane organizations are doing a superb job, but the task is huge.” The good news is that groups such as HSUS are looking into ways to help pets stay with their families in crisis situations.

Looking ahead, however, it is obvious that help will be needed well into the future. “The trip was rewarding and extremely upsetting at the same time,” Dr. Carew says. “Nothing was more difficult than leaving when there was so much work to be done and so many animals in need of care.” Although the rescue missions are over and some lucky pets were reunited with their families, hundreds more wait in limbo in shelters around the country. If the owners are not located, the shelters hope to find the pets good adoptive homes. Anyone interested in taking in one of these pets can contact any of the animal rescue organizations for more information.

In the end, this ordeal showed just how much pets mean to their owners. Hopefully, it will also be a reminder that thinking ahead and keeping pets as healthy as possible will give them the best chance for survival in case of a disaster.

What to Do When Disaster Strikes
In the aftermath of recent natural disasters, pet owners want to know what they can do to protect their pets should disaster strike where they live. Below are suggestions for keeping pets safe during an emergency.

Safety Guidelines

• Arrange for accommodations for your entire family—including pets.
• Have your pets microchipped and equipped with ID tags that include contact information of someone outside the immediate area.
• Before disaster strikes, arrange for a trusted neighbor to rescue your animal if you are not home at the time of evacuation.
• Try to leave before the mandatory evacuation order.
• Do not leave pets behind! Take them with you when you evacuate.

Items to Include in a “Disaster Kit”

• Any medications and pet medical records (in a waterproof container)
• Leashes, harnesses, and/or carriers to transport pets safely
• Current photos, descriptions, and proof of ownership of your pets
• A 5-day supply of water and food for each pet
• Cat litter and a litterbox
• Information on feeding schedules and medical conditions
• The name and number of your veterinarian

More information is available at www.avma.org/disaster and www.hsus.org/hsus_field/hsus_disaster_center/disaster_preparedness_brochures.html.