10 Ways to help you pet when you and pet returns home after an evacuation

Home sweet home after an evacuation.

1. When returning home, make sure the housing environment is as calm as possible. Animals gather their information not just from words spoken since they have a limited vocabulary understanding. They pick up signals from the sounds around them. So the more calm the setting the better for the adjustment.
2. Ensure that your pet is safe and unable to escape your home when you are unloading the car or bring in bags of groceries. Pets are going to be very excitable and may dart from the home and into danger on the street or not be able to be found.
3. Place your pet in a small safe room to help your pet acclimate them back to the home. Pets are very stressed in a disaster evacuation situation and may behave a bit unlike themselves when they return home. Keeping them in a limited area that they can freely explore safely will help to ground them before you let them have their usual and larger area to live in. This restrained location can be for an hour to a day depending on the stress condition of the pet.
4. Restrict their food intake for the first couple of hours. They are going to be excitable and this may upset their digestive system. So to prevent any discomfort or upset, limit the food until they have adjusted better to their home setting again.
5. Remember they don’t know what has happened or could have happened. The smells of the home and outdoors may be very different than what the yare use to so they will need so adjustment time.
6. Some pets may have a bit of separation anxiety after the evacuation experience. This can be especially true when they were kenneled in a different location than ou. Be prepared for that and if possible leave a dirty / used a very smelly shirt, sock etc that will give comfort to them should you have to leave etc. It’s a good idea to have the item in the safe adjustment room as well.
7. If the water has been very different at the evacuation site you were at compared to what you have now then you may want to reintroduce the different water gradually. Hopefully were you were able to bring some of the local water back with you. An example of this may be that you live in the city and have chlorinated water while you were staying in the country and the water there was from a well. If this is the case and your pet has a sensitive digestive system then start with 25% of the new water to 75% of he water you have brought back. Then over the course of the day gradually ad more of your water to the water bowl mix so over the next day or two the water becomes back to the ‘home formula’.
8. Hopefully you have a regular schedule of your pet as to times for meals, walks etc. Try to re-establish that schedule as quickly as possible. A schedule is very important to maintain stability in your pet’s life. That way your pet can predict what is going to happen and when it will end. Follow your daily routine as pre-evacuation. That means if you play with your pet and take them to the dog park at 5:30pm every weekday, then continue to do the same routine, provided the area your go to is safe form emergency hazards. It is also good for you to stick with the schedule as well. It will be harmony to every one in the home.
9. Before walking your pet or allowing it to go in the fenced back yard. Inspect the location for any dangerous items that may have resulted due to the emergency. There may be broken glass or nails or other ‘stuff’ that could harm your pet. Also double check that the area has no holes in the fencing or that the gates have been left open etc. Start with a short period of time for the pet to be outside. Be there with the pet at the beginning as a form of support. Then incrementally increase the amount of time that is allowed until they have built back up to their normal amount of outdoor time.
10. Have some quite time with your pet the first evening back home before bedtime. This is a calming opportunity that settles the stress and strain of the evacuation event and helps re-bond you and your pet to the home setting again. Enjoy and relax, knowing all is well in your world of home.

WELCOME BACK HOME!

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Be Safe

Terrie

www.trainforahurricane.com