ANIMAL DISASTER PREPAREDNESS...(Part 3)

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR BEFORE & AFTER DISASTERS

EARTHQUAKE WARNING BEHAVIOR IN ANIMALS
In addition to traditional monitoring and other human predictions of earthquakes animals also can give us clues to impending earth activity. Warning signs before quake activity are not always present in all animals. It seems to be more common in rural and wild animals. The more desensitized or exposed the animal is to various conditions and noises the less the animal seems to react. Signs are present most commonly between 24 to 48 hours prior to earth activity but have been observed for up to 30 days in advance! Unfortunately they do not clue us into how large the activity will be.

CATS: Cats will be jumpy. You may see warning signs such as hiding, running around frantically trying to escape to the outside, hanging on screens and meowing, or behavior unusual for your pet. Many times they will be aggressive, or will want to stick close to or be on top of you. Pacing, hissing, or growling can also be symptoms. Most cats will hide, so check their favorite hiding places and behind cupboards, refrigerators, sofas, beds, in closets, in the backs of washers and dryers, and on top of cupboards, shelves and behind the water heater. Check small spaces in the backs of any appliance since they will often seek out dark and small areas.

DOGS: Dogs will usually not hide. Behavior exhibited before quake activity includes howling, whining, barking, restlessness, aggression, and increased devotion to owners. They will usually run around, and can bolt through gates, windows, or doors, and whine or stick to you like glue. Some dogs will become more protective or aggressive while others will be fearful or act dejected. Pay attention to their personalities and individual needs and you will be able to avoid trouble. Drastic differences in the number of advertised lost dogs and the animal shelter loads can precede quake activity in a specific area. Large increases in these numbers could give you a clue to upcoming earth activity.

POST DISASTER ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
Animals react differently depending on the disaster. Each type of animal and disaster will present it's unique challenges. Most animals will panic, while some will turn to you for security, much the same as people. Toileting, eating, and other habits will sometimes change for the worse, and physical problems such as obsessive chewing, licking, or excessive shedding can be symptoms of high stress.

CATS: It is normal for cats to disappear. Usually they will be hiding nearby or in their favorite hiding places. In earthquake activity it is normal for them to disappear for a minimum of 24 to 72 hours. If there is more quake activity the time will be lengthened. If cats are stranded in flood areas or somewhere in the house, they will cry incessantly and will often loose their voices. Most often they will be visible at dusk or very early in the morning.

Litterbox problems are normal at this time, it is okay to move their box to where they feel secure, at least until things settle down more. They may not want to eat due to stress, and that is normal. Most pets have enough extra weight to carry them through this safely. Some animals will be aggressive and bite or scratch. They will often try to escape during this time, so it is extremely important to be careful when exiting or entering. Sometimes this is complicated by building collapse or window breakage so your animals should be tagged or have some sort of identification on them. Carriers for cats are a must. Collapsible wire cages allow for better air circulation and can be covered with a blanket or towel to block noise and create a more secluded environment. They should easily hold a disposable litterbox too.

In the case of fire, leave an escape route but they are probably out before you are anyway! You should have an EVAC-SAC (See ACES under resources) to put cats into for safe transport. If you are on a second story you can safely lower your animals down in these. You should also have a rope ladder for yourself!

DOGS: Dogs will not usually hide. Behavior exhibited after a quake or another disaster are similar to those exhibited before. Unlike cats, dogs will usually run blindly out of their home territory. Unfortunately a fallen gate, collapsed door, or a broken window often provide escape routes. Dogs may be hit by a vehicle and killed or severely injured. Again, it is important that your animal be tagged or marked for identification. A tie out or collapsible wire crate are the best ways to secure your pet.

POST DISASTER PROBLEMS
If you find a dead animal after a disaster do not dispose of the body - it is important for pet/animal owners to know what happened to their beloved pet. Often shelters or other rescue groups have books of deceased animal pictures to help pet owners find out for sure. If you have a health hazard developing, take a photo, remove any ID collars, tags, note special scars or markings and then dispose of the carcass.

One of the other big problems dogs present is a behavior pattern of running in a pack. These packs often prey on other animals, raid storage areas, disperse garbage (creating health hazards) and cause other disconcerting problems. There are still packs of dogs running loose from the 1971 earthquake in California and it is very disconcerting to have them surround you. Trust me. Also still at large in the hills around Sylmar, California are feral cats. The traditional method of dealing with these animals causing problems is to eliminate them on the spot. So it is very important to show concern for your animal and to take action by being prepared. Simple steps that you take, and help your neighbors or community to take, go a long way in preventing further trauma and the future problems encountered from lack of preparation.

Remember that human shelters will not allow you to take your pet inside with you. It is critical that you have a way to keep your dog/cat under control with either a crate or a tie out cable. Some animal shelters will be able to help you if you provide the needed restraint devices. Keep your animal with you if you do have to evacuate. Dogs left tied in flood zones will probably drown, even if they can swim they probably won't reach a safe spot before they exhaust themselves. Anywhere there is an increase in water deposits will result in an increase of fleas, mosquitos, and later heartworm.

HAZARDS
All disasters have unique problems not only due to the type of disaster but also due to the location and population. Problems found include cuts and bruises, as well as shock and dehydration. Confine your animal during and after a disaster to prevent escape and further injury.

In earthquakes, most problems animals face are cuts from glass, broken bones, injuries from falling objects, injury by being hit by a car, or dehydration. Hurricanes and tornadoes leave animals with broken bones, and severe injuries from being hit and cut open by flying objects. Floods and storms also contribute to surges in flea, tick, and mosquito populations which may result in an increase of heartworm. Contaminated water, injury from floating or moving objects, and exhaustion can create other problems.

In the case of a fire, burns, eye irritation, and smoke inhalation are only a few of the problems. Panicked animals, such as horses, can hurt themselves on fencing and can later ingest toxic substances if the area where they are housed is not cleaned up. Remember that your water pipes may be melted and other sources to obtain water will be needed.

ALWAYS TAKE YOUR ANIMALS WITH YOU!
Animals will become disoriented and panicked. You can place them at a location if you have made prior arrangements and have carriers for them. If left alone, they could be crushed in aftershock activity, or run off and eaten by predators. In flood zones they will drown if left confined or tied down. In fires, they may panic and hurt themselves by running into or through fences. Common problems are burns or broken limbs in horses, colic, and eye irritations. Fatalities are often from smoke inhalation and any ingestion of chemicals on metal corrals brought to the surface from the heat.

DESENSITIZATION & OTHER TRAINING
This is best done before any disaster. You can train your pet or other animals to come with a word, noise, or whistle by rewarding them with food everytime you present the specific sound. Horses kept out in a pasture should be trained to pen or trailer. They will be extremely stressed if they have to be penned or housed in a stall environment if they are not. If you take some precautions and spend small increments of time training then later, if your animals are lost or hiding, this will allow you or someone else to retrieve them and relocate them into a safe area.

You can use a similar method to crate train smaller animals by feeding them in the crate and leaving the door off at first. Once they are comfortable with the crate you can add a cue (word, whistle, noise) and have them enter the crate for food. This creates a good association. Another way is to use the crate as a bedding or den area for dogs or cats.

Once the animal is comfortable with the crate you can add the door and close it, gradually leaving it shut for longer periods of time. To start this training, have the animal get comfortable with the crate for up to a two week period. When you first add the door, shut it and immediately open it when the animal is in. If the animal becomes frightened you probably proceeded too fast. If that happens, go back to the last point of success and proceed again slowly.

If you do this training right the animals will have good associations with the crate. Eventually dogs can use the crate as a den area to sleep in (cats too). Birds with a nest box attached to the outside of the cage can also be confined in the next box and transported in an emergency.

Be sure not to use this training technique before going to the veterinarian or groomer since some animals often have negative associations with those places and it may undo all your efforts.

A similar technique of using a food association with a cue and a distracting behavior (this comes from Operant Conditioning methods) can be used to help calm traumatized animals. Association with something else besides an aftershock, for instance, is possible; This is called desensitization.

One dog, who panicked, ran around and barked during the hundreds of aftershocks following the Big Bear Valley California earthquake. Since he had a strong food drive, to change his association, the owner called him as he was running around, asked him if he wanted a bone (distraction), then asked for a behavior (sit) and rewarded him when he responded. Soon he had a good association to aftershocks and quit panicking! The owner could not sleep from all the quake activity so it distracted her as well.