Tampa Bay Regional Disaster Symposium Small Animal Disaster Medicine:
Centralpascovetcare@hotmail.com
Common emergencies and how to prepare for these at your practice
Changes to plan ahead for.
Tips to practice within these limitations.
Common injuries and conditions.
Re-open your practice as soon as possible.
Changes: Power Failure
phone number to a cell phone.
Purchase a hand crank rechargeable
lantern that has an outlet to plug
in your cell phone car charger.
($19.99 at Home Depot)
Limited storage of perishable supplies when power fails
Emergency care to patients may deplete supplies quickly
Be familiar with sampling programs from your preventative care product representatives. Many have programs for disaster aid.
Ocular
- Part # 710168-501
- $16.98 - $19.99
Ocular Supplies
Eye Wash
Eye Stain
Medicated Ointments
Sterile Lube
Collapsable crates.
Drinking and eating sources.
GI Supplies
Replacement Fluids – Normosol R
Integument
Lost pets/found pets
Diagnostics
the refrigerator and have a 90 day shelf life
Felv/FIV Tests
ACT Tubes
Reference Laboratories – driver may have difficulty reaching your practice.
Air card and lap-top computer may allow access to on line results if fax machine is out of order.
Disaster relief sites may have federal response VMAT that have in house diagnostic machines.
If you have a generator, you may have enough power to use a microscope for fecal and blood film examination.
Most centrifuges will work from generators for manual HCT/TP, UA sedimentation and sample preparation.
Diagnostics
Most X-ray machines draw too much power load to work with a portable generator.
Establish relationships with other practices in the surrounding areas that may have power for in-house diagnostic machines - Hematology and Chemistry – or they may have a working radiology suite.
Surgical Injuries/ Monitoring
Battery Powered Doppler
One 9v battery
New Jorgensen
Refurbished Medfurbish
F air canisters to attach to your anesthetic machine, if your powered scavenger systems is not operational.
Battery SPO2/HR Monitor.
Merritt Vet Supplies
Chest tube set-up
Surgery
Lac-Packs
Individually wrapped mini packs of instruments to save major packs for abdominal surgeries.
Olsen Hegar, Brown Adson, Towel clamps, Metzenbaums, curved forceps, blade handle, 4 x 4’s
Consider Hemoclips for efficient ligation and skin staplers for efficient closure
Rica Instruments via Merritt Veterinary Supplies
Rep. Fred VanNorman 813-477-0955
Dial-up drip sets (5 ml/hr – 250 ml/hr Abbott $5.97)
Create a chart for macro and micro drip sets in your treatment area to indicate ml/hours rate conversions to drops per ml.
Irrigation saline.
Heat Stroke
Heat Stroke
Client Education
Encourage clients to purchase a rectal digital thermometer and demonstrate its proper use
Board pets until their houses are powered again
Collapsable crates with fan if clients have their own generator at home
Discourage use of walled kennels that offer minimal air circulation
Ask clients to evacuate early so they are not stuck in long traffic jams with their pets in a hot car.
Blood products
Packed rbc’s, fresh frozen plasma, frozen plasma
If you generator supports a mini-fridge/freezer, stock plasma for heat stroke and snake bite victims
Whole blood products for traumatic injury, Packed Rbc’s also available for canine and feline patients.
Have blood collection sets on hand.
Blood typing cards from Rapid Vet do not need to be refrigerated
Other Supplies
Cardboard Carriers – inexpensive and easy to store
Jorgensen product
($4.75 each)
Other Supplies
Keep the shipping coolers and ice packs that your vaccines arrive in. They make great temporary housing for vaccines and perishable medications and products during brown outs.
Spare scrubs for a quick change after examining a contagious patient.
Staff care items – non perishable snacks and drinks, hand sanitizers, baby wipes for hygiene
Extra biohazard boxes in case your pick up service is unavailable.
Other Supplies
Disposable paper food bowls/trays
Less dishes to wash if your don’t have running water
Jorgensen J-974
Shed supplies
Duct tape
Record Keeping
Paperless practice – need pink and blue hand written medical records.
All practices need pre-printed prescription labels so directions can be hand written below hospital information.
Patterson Office Supplies 1-800-637-1140 Item 073-2594
Treatment Flow Sheets
Digital Camera
Record Keeping
Portable external hard drive.
Call merchant services company and order a manual imprinter. ($22.00-$24.00)
Utilize cell phones to
authorization requests – you may not have access
to the web applications.
Keep records of any products used and services performed during disaster aid for your end of year accounting.
Insurances
Building damage
Do you have wind insurance
Contents Insurance
Professional Overhead
www.avmaplit.com
Hospital Policies
Create a Severe Weather Guidelines chapter to your employee manual. Have each member of your staff read and sign these policies.
Create a flexible schedule so staff can rotate duties to allow time for them to get home for their own pets.
Discuss job responsibilities with staff for before, during and after disaster events.
Do not offer boarding to clients if you are in an evacuation or flood zone.
Choose one media representative from your practice. Use caution with interviews.
Staff Education
Schedule a staff meeting to go over disaster guidelines and client education.
Provide staff with resources
Educate staff of universal precautions and for isolation protocols.
Prevent contamination of your hospital by limiting one staff member to interact with isolated patients during a shift.
Client Education
portion of this guide.
Familiarize your clients with your boarding policies.
Brochures and practice handouts.
www.petfriendlytravel.com
Write an article for your local paper.
Offer first aid classes at your practice.
Client Education
Discuss proper identification for all pets
Scan all patients on very visit to assess microchip function, inquire if registration is current and demonstrate to clients what we would look for if their pet was micro-chipped and lost.
Res Q Universal Scanner
Include name,
Reopen as soon as it is safe to
Follow local emergency service coordinators directions for safe return to the practice.
GPS Coordinates of your practice forwarded to the FVMA and AVMA – street signs are gone
Go to http://maps.google.com/
Type in your practice address, city, state and zip
Right click over your exact location and scroll down to ‘center map here.’ Coordinates will appear in location box.
Resources
Attend your local VMA and regional FVMA meetings to introduce yourself to fellow veterinarians and establish a network of resources.
Discuss disaster plans with other hospital owners and managers to see if resources can be consolidated.
Know the emergency hospital policies in your area so you can educate your clients accordingly.
The American Veterinary Medical Foundation accepts applications for disaster relief funding.
Disaster Relief Sites