Hurricane Resources for Brevard County Pet Owners

Here are some useful resources Island Animal Hospital has put together for pet owners in Brevard County.

Plan Ahead an Keep Pets Safe in Case of a Hurricane [Video]

Find a Pet-Friendly Hotel or Boarding Facility. Look ahead of time for areas you may evacuate to, and check with hotels to see who is pet-friendly and who is not.  If you are traveling to an area that doesn’t have a pet-friendly hotel, look for boarding facilities in the area. These places fill up quickly inland when storms are coming, so having the phone number ready for reservations can help assure that you get a spot for your pets.

Click to View Pet Friendly Shelters in Brevard County

Keep a Supply of Medications/Supplements. If your pet is on a particular medication or supplement, make sure to have enough in reserve in case of evacuation or hospital closure. This also goes for food, especially prescription diets. An abrupt change in diet can cause upset stomach and cause diarrhea.

Request Sedatives Ahead of Time. If your pet doesn’t travel well and needs a sedative prior to evacuating, request a prescription ahead of time. If pets have a history of seizures, this needs to be addressed before any sedatives are prescribed.

Get Your Pets Microchipped. Having pets microchipped is important, and very helpful if they escape. Another important part of this is assuring that the microchip has been registered and has up-to-date information associated with it.

Make Sure Pets are Up-to-Date on Vaccines.  It’s a good idea to have a printed copy of vaccine records (and any other important medical records), to show potential boarding facilities, or hotels that your family may be evacuated to.

Have Up-to-Date Tags. We recommend having the owner’s information on one side, and Island Animal Hospital’s phone number on the other side. We will take in pets that have been lost and have our number on their tags until the owner can be found or reaches out to us.

Have Adequate Pet Carriers for Small Animals. It’s very important to have safe, secure carriers for cats, small dogs, snakes, rabbits, and other exotic pets.

Make a List of Evacuation Items. It’s a good idea for pet parents to have a list of items ahead of time that they will bring with them if they evacuate (or even better, a box ready to go).
The list could include:
1. Food
2. Treats
3. Collar and leash
4. Medications/supplements
5. A special toy or blanket
6. Pet first-aid kit
7.Travel litter box with litter and scoop (cats)
8. Waste pick-up bags (dogs)
9. A current printed photo of each pet, in case they get lost and a flyer needs to be made