PRESS RELEASE

PET OWNERS IN MIDDLE TENNESSEE ENCOURAGED TO FACTOR COMPANIONS INTO THEIR DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLANS

Microchip Identification Seen as Best Chance for Recovery Should Pets and Owners Become Separated During Disasters

Nashville, TN – Nashboro Animal Hospital would like to offer the following tips for pet owners in Middle Tennessee regard the safety of their companion animals in mind when they think about household disaster preparedness. Preparing pets in advance for natural disasters relieves stress on owners and their animals, as well.

More than 40,000 lost pets were expected in Florida during the 2004 hurricane season alone. However, earthquakes, tornados and other disasters also result in large numbers of misplaced pets. With that in mind, if pet owners do one thing to prepare their animals for disasters, it should be to get their pets microchipped with the HomeAgain® Pet Recovery Service, which provides permanent, unalterable identification.

Before any disaster strikes, pet owners should plan to take their animals with them in case of evacuation. However, to be prepared in the event that pet and owner become separated during a disaster, Nashboro Animal Hospital offers the following disaster preparedness tips for pet owners:

Make sure pet vaccinations are updated yearly or as recommended by a veterinarian.
Keep all pet medical records in an easily accessible area.
A current rabies tag should be attached to the pet’s collar where it can be easily spotted by a rescue agency or shelter worker.
An identification tag with name, current address, and emergency phone numbers (the owner's or the veterinarian's) should also be worn by the pet.
A portable dog crate with dishes, or a leash and harness or head collar, should be readily accessible. Neck collars can easily slip off during rushed evacuations, and are therefore less desirable for attaching leashes.
If a pet is on medications that must be given daily, the medication containers or a list of the medications and doses should also be easy to pack and carry.
Consider keeping a pet's medical records, medications, special feeding instructions, a current photo, and a leash all in one area so they can be gathered quickly.
Compile lists of local and regional animal-friendly hotels and boarding facilities.
If you are considering riding out a storm with a pet, stockpile food and water for both pet and owner. Dry pet food should be placed in waterproof containers off the floor in case of flooding. Dogs and cats will need about a quart of water a day for each 30 pounds of body weight.
Stockpile water at a gallon/person/day for the humans in the family for drinking and cooking purposes. City water supplies that become contaminated during or after disasters are undrinkable for both people and pets.
A portable litter box, with a supply of litter stored in a waterproof container, will be needed for cats.

About HomeAgain

HomeAgain is an advanced pet identification and retrieval system. A microchip with a unique identification code is implanted under the skin between the shoulders of the pet. The pet is enrolled in the HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service, which maintains a national database and is available 24-hours daily, 365 days a year. When a lost pet is found, it can be scanned at an animal shelter or the clinic of a participating veterinarian. The animal’s identification number is called into HomeAgain, and the pet owner is notified immediately.

Currently, more than three million pets microchipped with HomeAgain are enrolled in the recovery program. Today, as a result of the HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service, a successful pet recovery occurs approximately every six (6) minutes. The HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service has reunited 35,357 pets with their families.

The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and you cannot see the microchip after it is implanted in the dog or cat. The procedure is simple and similar to administering a vaccine. The microchip comes preloaded in a sterile applicator and is injected under the skin between the shoulder blades. Extensive testing and long-term studies have shown the HomeAgain microchip is safe for pets.

Veterinary clinics and animal shelters in Middle Tennessee realize that with microchip identification, a pet that is lost can be shown the way home. The case for having pets implanted with a microchip is a strong one, as the statistics show that microchipping is the best, most reliable method of permanently identifying pets.

The facts do not lie:

More than 40,000 lost pets were expected in Florida during the 2004 hurricane season.
30-60% of lost pets in shelters are euthanized because they cannot be properly identified and returned to their owner. Only about 14% of dogs and 4% of cats who end up in shelters are returned to their rightful owners.
Collar tags are a great way to identify lost pets and reunite them with their owners, but they can easily come off or be removed.
Tattoos are difficult to remove from an animal, but they are still not 100% reliable. Tattoos can be altered, fade, or blur, and are not always easy to read.
Reading a microchip is far easier than trying to read the tattoo of a frightened animal.
Microchipping is permanent, completely unalterable, and does not change or harm the appearance of the animal in any way. The procedure is safe, inexpensive, fast and virtually painless for the animal.
There are over 50,000 microchip scanners currently in use by shelters, veterinarians, and municipal organizations in the U.S.

For more information about the HomeAgain Pet Recovery Service, please contact Nashboro Animal Hospital 615-360-9222