There are some health related concerns that oftentimes get unnoticed. It is easy to overlook the condition of your dog’s nose, paws or mental state during a crisis especially if you have to travel with your precious. How to travel long distance with a dog in an effective manner is paramount to keeping your dog safe.
Yet, like the trench foot suffered by many military soldiers during war (which caused serious injury or even death), these potentially dangerous medical issues need to be identified and discussed.
Therefore, you as the loving dog owner has a treatment plan to reduce or eliminate these threats even before they have a chance to materialize .
These conditions are not so apparent as noticing your dog dehydrating, getting a flesh wound or having a broken bone.
Yet these seemingly minor nuisances can lead to very serious health complications. Moreover, in a disaster event, your dog might not have the convenience of medical services readily available or even existent to treat these problems. So my message is be prepared!
Because you and your dog might be forced to flee a disaster by car or foot, the likelihood that your dog will face these problems are very high. This is why I present this discussion as A Dog Survival Skill to learn and understand effective treatments or solutions.
I present the following dog products that help alleviate the above mentioned medical issues.
Once purchased it is suggested that you keep these items in your Dog First Aid Kit and then stored safely away in your dogs’s Bug Out Bag.
I have reviewed dog first aid kits and bug out bags and are linked here for your convenience.
After reviewing these highly rated selected products from Amazon shown below, I urge you to continue reading further as I cover in more detail dog snout, paw and mental health information that will I believe help you in understanding and effectively dealing with these concerns.
My Dog Nose It act as barrier between your dog’s nose, sun and environment.
This product is designed to moisturize and prevent nose discoloration.
Mushers Secret is a wax based cream that helps protect your dog’s paws against both cold and hot walking surfaces.
Mushers Secret forms a semi permeable barrier around the surface of the paw.
Rescue Remedy is a veterinarian recommended product to help support your dog’s calming behavior.
Rescue Remedy has been endorsed by such notables as Dr. Oz, Dr Phil, Jennifer Aniston and Selma Hayek.
However, it is a old wives tale that a dog with dry noses is an automatic sign of illness. Dogs can be sick and still have wet nostrils. It is consistent dryness, chapping or peeling of the nose that you want to take notice.
Cover areas prone to sunburn with a safe sunblock product that also moisturizes (see My Dog Nose It above) before exposing your dog to the sun.
According to emergency expert Joel Skousen, one must be ready and prepared to walk away in the midst of a disaster because the situation may warrant it.
So with that in mind, you must prepare yourself and your dog to walk to safety.
Hopefully, you will be in charge of evacuating your family and pet to a pre-determined Bug Out location that you expect to reach in an emergency and not forced to a designated site the authorities have set up for you!
But even if you do go to a local shelter, your family dog will most likely not be welcome due to restrictions on housing of any pet (except for service animals with proper documentation).
Therefore, you might be forced to hit the road in search of a suitable place that would accept him. In my Dog Bug Out Bag Guide Bonus material, I discuss accommodation options available to you and pet to contact. Always plan ahead since your options become limited to closer to a pending crisis.
A disaster can happen any time and thus any season. Since one can never really know when the next shoe will drop, you have to pre-plan and prepare your dog for the possibility of the long trek ahead. This is why paw care is such an important issue, unless you are considering carrying your dog.
Periodically clean off paws, check and remove obstructions if any, then reapply balm before walking again.
All of these alternatives are backup solutions just in case. These may be purchased conveniently at Amazon.
Believe it or not, Dogs can suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) just like humans. This has been noticed with canine soldiers serving in combat or living through a crisis event.
A case in point, rescue workers who found dog survivors from the disastrous Hurricane Katrina noticed many suffering from this serious mental condition. Being aware that your dog may be susceptible to this mental trauna can give you the upper hand in effectively helping your dog overcome this illness.
It would be advisable to use a variety of these approaches to help your dog cope to readjusting to life after the disaster.
I know that it will be difficult enough just to keep your sanity during a time of crisis to think about your dog’s well-being . That is why it is so important right now to contemplate your emergency preparation plans and actions you will need to take before time runs out. Remember your family and beloved dog are counting on you.