(A322) Animals in Emergency Management: Veterinary Medical Triage and Treatment

Abstract

Veterinarians have been engaged in emergency preparedness and response activities for many years. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) founded in 1863 and representing approximately 83% of United States veterinarians, and the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, established by the AVMA in 1963, have been active in emergency preparedness and response, including the development of a world class veterinary disaster response program (VMAT) since 1993. Animals and humans share a special bond in the United States. According to the 2007 AVMA US Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook, there are 72 million dogs, 81.7 million cats, 11.2 million birds and 7.3 million horses in US households. Approximately 60% of all US households own at least one pet, and 64% own more than one pet. Additionally, nearly 60% of pet owners consider their pets to be members of the family, and nearly 50% of pet owners consider their pets to be companions. Few US pet owners consider their pet to be property (approximately 2%). Following Hurricane Katrina, the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act of 2006 (PETS Act) became US law to ensure that state and local emergency preparedness plans address the needs of individuals with household pets and service animals following a major disaster or emergency. Recently a US effort to identify best practices in disaster veterinary care was sponsored by the US Department of Agriculture and the National Alliance of State Animal Agriculture Emergency Programs and chaired by members of the AVMA. Best practices were identified, including physical examination and triage, vaccination and parasite treatment and prophylaxis, decontamination, euthanasia, medical care of search and rescue dogs, field diagnostics, and components of a disaster veterinary medical equipment cache.