Prepare clients for the unexpected

The likelihood that your clients and their pets will survive an emergency, such as a fire or flood, tornado or terrorist attack, depends largely on the emergency planning done today, states a bulletin from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. To assist in that planning, the department is making a new brochure available: "Preparing Your Pets for Emergencies Makes Sense. Get Ready Now." Use this brochure and other tools to make sure clients are doing all they can to keep their pets safe. Among the recommendations that you can pass on:

• Put together a pet emergency supply kit. "Consider two kits. In one, put everything you and your pets will need to stay where you are. The other should be a lightweight, smaller version you can take if you and your pets have to get away." The brochure specifies the recommended contents, such as the appropriate amount of food, a first aid kit, a collar, a harness, a leash, and an ID tag,

• Think about pet friendly lodgings. The brochure points out that pets may not be allowed inside a public shelter. Among the listed lodging options: "a boarding facility, such as a kennel or veterinary hospital that is near an evacuation facility or your family's meeting place."

• Stay informed. The brochure encourages pet owners to think about the types of emergencies that are likely to affect their region and learn about emergency plans established by state and local governments.

Want more? Download the brochure from the Homeland Security Web site, www.ready.gov, or call (800) 237-3239.

Bob Levoy

Veterinary Economics Editorial Advisory Board member Bob Levoy is a seminar speaker based in Roslyn, N.Y., who focuses on profitability and practice growth, and the author of 101 Secrets of a High-Performance Veterinary Practice (Veterinary Medicine Publishing Co., 1996).