Earthquake: are you Pet Ready?

Over the last several weeks, earthquakes have remained very much in the news. Our neighbor, Mexico, had a quake. Then there was the day with the four large earthquakes around the ring of fire (an old school term, before the relationship between volcanoes and tectonic plates was understood). One of the earthquakes set a record as the most powerful strike-slip quake in recorded history, coming in at a M8.6. Then, of course the M6.8 off of Baja California in the Gulf of California. 

We're not geologists. We don't know whether the earthquakes are related, any more than we could opine on the Mayan calendar. We're animal people: veterinarians, RVTs and animal-loving support staff.
 
We do make a hobby of disaster preparedness, particularly as it relates to animals. Like many here in the Bay Area, we consider pets as family, and as such, we consider them in our disaster preparedness planning. We'd like to include you too! To this end, first, we at Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital are co-sponsoring an event, with Adobe, to help you get pet ready for a disaster, such as an earthquake. The event is free!  Sat. April 28, from 1pm to 4pm at Foothill College.
 
You can learn how to plan for your pet, apply first aid, bandage a broken limb and make a first aid kit. Peter Gross, a search dog handler from FEMA, who led the search-and-rescue teams after Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 will demonstrate search and rescue dogs in action.
 
The Foothill College student vet tech club is organizing and hosting the event. More information is available at www.foothillscnavta.com>. You don't have to pre-register; just come on by!
 
In addition, starting soon, we will post a series of Earthquake Prep articles here on the blog. If you want to be notified when a new article is posted, you can follow @midpen on twitter.