Pet First Aid Twitter Party

Happy Wednesday Everyone!! :-D

I'm opting out of the regularly scheduled Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop today due to the unforeseen yet amazing information that I received last night on my very first Twitter party! :-) I saw a couple of you tweeting, but just in case you missed any and all of the crazy tips let me catch you up!

First up, let me tell you, those Twitter parties sure are confusing to begin with! Holy cannoli, I haven't concentrated that hard in a really long time! ;-) 

We spent quite a bit of the event discussing tips and suggestions to do with evacuations and natural disasters. Since I live in California, the possibility of earthquakes is always on my mind (especially after being in the 1989 quake...haha, not me, but Domeek), but we received a ton of information on tornadoes, hurricanes, snow storms, and earthquakes!

Here are a few general key points that the attendees brought up:

• Familiarize a friend/neighbor/relative with your pets in case of a sudden absence or inability to return home during a disaster.
• Designate a room or closet as a "safe room" and put all of your evacuation/pet first aid/supplies there!
• Set aside an old duffel bag or suitcase and place all supplies inside, for quick and safe evacuation (I have three: 1 small for the car, 1 small for the house, and a large evacuation kit...anally retentive much? Haha).
• If you evacuate, do so early. Natural disasters are frightening, so this will appease your pets and minimize stress.
• Make a list of all pet-friendly shelters and hotels, that are outside of the disaster zone, and their requirements.
• If you don't have a kennel available in a pinch, zip tie together two laundry baskets for makeshift kennel.
• Keep all pets in sight and be calm, animals read their humans' energies! 
• Have an evacuation plan prepared ahead of time and Practice, Practice, Practice!

I've always been petrified of tornadoes, so I was incredibly interested to hear these tips!

• Have a kennel at the ready; many animals have been found (after a tornado) safely inside their kennel!
• If caught unaware, place kennels underneath heavy furniture and away from windows.
• Make sure that you and your pet practice listening and responding to a tornado warning, especially since the warning signals can be very frightening to hear.
• Consider training your dog or cat to go to a specific "safe" zone when they hear a tornado warning siren.

Of course, there were a lot of discussions regarding general pet first aid as well! Since Dr. Emmo was the sponsor of the party, I learned quite a bit about their first aid products that sound amazing! 

• I always forget, but a great reminder about keeping hydrogen peroxide on hand and in your first aid kit: 1 tablespoon per 25 pounds of pet, repeated every 10 minutes, in case they ingest something bad!
• Put toxic chemicals and household products away from pets, if you live in a high wind or earthquake area, consider using childproof locks on cabinets as well (we do!).
• If you are traveling with your pets, remember to keep up-to-date photos on hand (either hard copy or on your cell phone) in case of an escape! 
• Never pull a string out of the mouth (or the tush) of a pet, it can cause internal injuries...this goes for Christmas tinsel as well!
• To easy your pet's anxiety, make sure to place a personal item with your scent on it, inside of their crate/carrier.

Overall, this was an incredibly interesting and time worthy event, so I'm glad that Domeek was able to attend! If you're interested in hearing more, just search #Pet1stAid in Twitter and read all about it! :-D 

Dr. Emmo is giving away their First Aid Travel Packs to everyone interested, including: 2 oz travel containers of both wound care wash and wound care gel, all you have to do is pay $3 in shipping charges. They are also offering 30% off all orders between now and September 30th, with the coupon code: pet1staid at checkout. :-D It's never too early to get an evacuation or emergency kit together...this might be a great start! 

I was so impressed with the doxies from You Did What With Your Weiner and their car emergency kit...you might want to check their list out too! :-D

So, do you have any tips or suggestions to add and do you have an emergency plan prepared?! 

Have a great day everyone!! :-)

PS. Just in case you forgot what I looked like! ;-)