How to Contact a Vet During a Hurricane: 5 Tips for Immediate Support

If you find yourself on the direct path of a hurricane and are simultaneously making decisions about your furry family members who may need veterinary assistance, we are here to help.

These types of storms often require evacuation or taking refuge in interior rooms within your house, but to make this process easier on you, we’ll explore five ways to ensure your pets can continue to be taken care of if you find yourself hunkering down in the middle of one of these storms.

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Top 5 Tips on How You Can Talk With a Vet During a Hurricane

1. Evacuate to a Safe Region Where You Can Access Vet Assistance

If there are evacuation orders in place, it is in your and your furry friends' best interest to take these seriously and evacuate to a safe region of your country.

This is especially true should your pet be elderly, chronically ill, or suffer from severe anxiety in storms.

In preparation for evacuation, pack:

• your pet’s crate
• two weeks to one month’s worth of food
• several gallons of water
• a first aid kit
• your pet’s collar ID
• leash and collar
• their paperwork and vaccine information
• any medication your pet is on
• a recent photo of your pet (in case they get lost)

There are pet-friendly hotels and hosted accommodation options across the world, and during hurricanes, you can check with your local civil defense website or helpline for designated shelters outside the hurricane strike zone.

From there, go ahead with the following instructions as best as you can:

2. Discuss Options With Your Vet Before Taking Refuge

In the scenario where you are taking refuge at home rather than evacuating, you can always contact your vet prior to the hurricane making landfall to discuss options.

Your vet should have a well-prepared communication plan in place to keep you informed about the clinic’s status, emergency contacts, and any changes in service availability. Most vets will utilize a diverse range of communication strategies during these times such as social media, text messaging, or phone calls to ensure there are regular updates.

Many vets now have access to patient clinical notes in a cloud-based system and should continue to have access to your pet’s notes during this time so long as internet and power access remain intact.

Your regular vet can provide the most personalized advice and broadest remote medical care possible in these situations. Ask if they have a telehealth platform for phone or video calls and who you can call if they aren’t available. You can create a dependable action plan for emergencies by discussing your upcoming circumstances.

3. Contact a TeleVet Service

If you have access to cell service or the internet but can’t contact your regular vet in a hurricane situation, a trusted TeleVet service is a fantastic option to speak with a professional and get personalized help when you need it, without having to travel again in the storm.

TeleVets, also known as veterinary telehealth services, provide professional help and discuss your pet’s needs via text messages, photos, and video. They can continue to give medical advice during this time on injuries, allergy relief, sickness, controlling anxiety, and other issues.

Along with professional advice, they can then teach you how to take care of your pet during this time and recommend products or techniques to alleviate symptoms until you have access to a hands-on professional again.

4. Portable Satellite Internet

Portable Satellite WiFi Internet Hotspots are a fantastic solution whether you are evacuating or taking refuge. These small devices can travel with you and keep you connected to WiFi via satellites on your phone or laptop should cellular connectivity be inaccessible during the hurricane.

This option will allow you to continue to access the range of online TeleVet services outlined above and through your portable satellite internet, you will continue to have access to phone and video calls or messaging with a professional should you need it. Video calling may be particularly crucial because when you and your vet can exchange visual information, they can better understand the issue, provide more appropriate advice, and guide you as you treat your pet.

5. Get a Satellite Phone

Although a satellite phone might not be the most cost-effective option, they are a fantastic way to connect with your vet or a televet during a hurricane should you need to. The Garmin inReach Mini 2 is one of the top-rated ones available.

Satellite phones allow you to make calls from anywhere on the planet, in fact, sailors use them from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and if they are good enough to make a call out there, they will almost certainly hold up during a hurricane.

However, they don’t come cheap, and buying one will set you back over a thousand dollars alongside the additional cost of calling minutes. Because hurricanes are finite situations, a better option may be to rent one from a company in your area. Companies across America and the world rent out satellite phones for as little as $65 USD per week with same-day delivery. This may well be an avenue worth exploring prior to landfall to ensure reliable communication remains available throughout the hurricane.

Conclusion

You never know if you’ll find yourself in the firing line of the next hurricane or not, so we recommend that if you live near water, ensure you have a plan, communicate with your vet should your pet have a chronic illness, allergies, or severe anxiety, and know your communication strategy should the internet or phone capacities in your area be unavailable.

Most importantly, if there is an evacuation order in place for your area, act early, and take your pets with you if at all possible.

Remember, TeleVets are a click away, and with the magic of modern technology, you and your furry friends should be in a great position to ride out any storm with ongoing support from professionals should you need it.

• If you want to read more about disaster preparedness for you and your dog, you can learn more about it here.