LAFAYETTE, La. — When a storm pops up in the Gulf, pet owners face the question of whether to stay or go.
For those evacuating, veterinarian Dusty Andressen with Lafayette Veterinary Care Center said pet owners should avoid a common mistake.
"A lot of people like to switch a diet if they're not at home," Andressen said. "That switch in diet can cause diarrhea, so we'd want to be ahead of time to make sure you're bringing the regular diet they're used to. Just the stress of traveling can cause diarrhea, so changing diet on top of that can be a big deal."
Andressen said it's smart to have sedatives on hand for travel anxiety. Pet owners should make sure all prescriptions are up to date in advance.
"It may be impossible to refill those medications when it's getting close to the hurricane or during hurricane time, so get those ahead of time," Andressen said. "If you do travel and you're having to see a different vet, you cannot prescribe meds without having an exam and a relationship, so it's going to be hard to get those meds if you don't have them ahead of time."
For those staying home during a storm, Andressen said it's important to limit outside time afterward. Flood water can contain unknown contaminants, and foreign objects can end up in yards.
"Most of the time, what we're gonna see there's either just an upset tummy or an obstruction if they're eating objects," Andressen said. "Anybody that's got trash cans tipping over and there's chemicals or whatnot in there, that's gonna potentially be really toxic to your pet. We think of things like antifreeze and such that can get mixed up in these situations, and can all be dangerous."
