INC NEWS - Hurricane Katrina Pet Rescue

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Forwarded from a friend
RWP Forest Hills



PLEASE FORWARD ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, SO THAT IT CAN BE FORWARDED TO PEOPLE
AFFECTED BY KATRINA. THANKS, CATHY


Pets & Animals in Distress  - Sept 3, 2005

PAW e-Newsletter Hurricane Katrina Rescue Update


Hurricane Katrina has dealt a devastating blow to the Gulf Coast that has

left people and animals in trying and frightening conditions that will take
years

for the region to recover.


Pets & Animals in Distress volunteers have been of the phones contacting
shelters in the disaster areas that are taking in animals to offer our

immediate assistance to help with food and supplies that are needed. This is
a massive

relief undertaking that will require relief organizations, animal shelters,

rescue groups and government agencies to coordinate and network together to

help in the relief efforts for the animals. Pets & Animals in Distress is
also in

direct contact and working with our friends at The Meow Mix Company along

with Purina Foods to arrange to get food and supplies donated and
delivered to

those disaster area shelters and communities that need help.


Pets & Animals in Distress has received many distress calls and e-mails

about animals that were left behind in the disaster area - primarily in the
New

Orleans area. Many people were forced to leave their homes during and in the

aftermath of the hurricane and couldn't bring their animal friends with them

 We know and understand the anguish these caregivers are going through and
want

to assist in the rescue of these helpless victims.


We are in contact with relief organizations like the SPCA in New Orleans,

Noah's Wish Foundation, Humane Society and several other animal shelters that
are

on the ground in the disaster areas. We are immediately passing on any

information that we receive about any animals that need to be rescued and
saved. Many
animals are now being saved and rescued from homes and being reunited back

to families.


We have spoken to Roger Smith Regional Disaster Relief Coordinator for Noahs
Wish Foundation organization who informed us that Teri Crisp, Director of
Noah's Wish is now at the Slidell Animal Shelter, in Louisiana were shelter
officials have put Noah's Wish in charge of helping to oversee the relief
efforts of the overwhelming influx of abandoned and rescued animals that

have come into their shelter that normally houses about 50 animals and is now

well over 300.


Pets & Animals in Distress has been making great progress networking with

many of these relief organizations and shelters, sharing information and
contacts

and coordinating our relief efforts. We thank our many volunteers and
everyone

that is working tirelessly a round the clock making phone calls, sending out

e-mails, coordinating and organizing relief efforts to bring in supplies and
to help
rescue and save as many animals as we possibly can.  It is an overwhelming
challenge that is ahead of us for many months, BUT WE CAN DO IT!


I had the opportunity to speak with Laura who is with the SPCA of New

Orleans that is at ground zero surrounded by all of the chaos.  We have been
told

that city officials are now allowing them to go in  and rescue the many
animals

that were left behind in homes. I also  have spoken to a lady named Linda
Coker

from New Orleans that had been  visiting her family in Alabama  when the

hurricane hit. She had left her 2 cats and 2 dogs behind with enough food and
water

for a week but couldn't go back because of the evacuation and has been very

frantic and upset trying to get her animals rescued.  It was reported that
the

animals were alive as of Tuesday from a neighbor. We have passed a
description of

the animals and the address of where they are located to the SPCA in New
Orleans
who will go to the location to see if they are still there and  rescue them.


There are still many animals that are left inside homes that need to be

rescued. We are putting out a SPECIAL ANIMAL BOLO ALERT and are asking anyone
that

may know  someone that had to evacuate the disaster areas that had companion

animals that they had to leave  behind to please have them contact Pets &
Animals in

Distress at: contact at petsandanimals.org or call (954) 202-9991. We are

compiling a list of animals that  need to be rescued to pass on  to
affiliate relief
organizations,  rescue groups shelters and volunteers in those areas who are

already on the ground rescuing stranded animals.


When contacting us please ask them to include:


Contact/ Owners name


Contact phone numbers / e-mail address


Address where the animals are


Name(s) of animal(s)


Description of animal(s)


Please cross post  pass this urgent  message on to as many people as you can

as time is of the essence.


I also spoke to Danine who is the Shelter Manager with the Humane Society of

Monroe, Louisiana that is about 4 hours away from New Orleans, who said that

their shelter has been inundated with many animals that were dropped off by

pet owners because of the evacuation and are now being cared for along with
many

other animals that have been rescued and brought in on a daily basis and are

in need of  food and supplies.  We have contacted our friends at The Meow Mix

Company who have offered to help with food and  will  have several pallets

of food delivered to their shelter within the next  few days. We are

coordinating to have  more food delivered  to help other shelters in other
disaster areas




We are asking any shelters that are taking in Hurricane animals in need of

food or assistance to contact Pets & Animals in Distress at

contact at petsandanimals.org


This is a massive relief undertaking that  will require the help, efforts

and teamwork from many other animal relief organizations, shelters, rescue

groups, volunteers and agencies from all over the U.S. to coordinate and
network
together to help in the biggest animal relief effort that is ahead of all of

us to help rescue and save the hurricane animals.  The impact of this
disaster
crisis will be felt for months and years to come.


We would like to dedicate the very end of this e-newsletter to those of you

who responded to our urgent appeal to help us with their monthly and one time
donations, thus providing us with the funding that will assure that we will

be able to continue our ongoing vital relief work and efforts to help the

animals in the future.


Please keep the people and animals in your prayers. Thank you to everyone

for your generosity, support and prayers in these very difficult times of
need.

We need you now. God Bless!

Sincerely,
Brenda Beck, President

Pets & Animals in Distress

"Your Best Friends Helping Our Best Friends"


PLEASE CROSS POST : IMPORTANT CONTACT INFORMATION TO PASS ON


Organization Contact Phone/ Name

SPCA of New Orleans area: Laura 434-589-1499

Northwest Louisiana Humane Soc. Nancy 318-219-7387504-366-8972


Humane Society of Monroe Danine 318-387-9553


Humane Society of Central Louisiana 318-641-0458


Caddo Commission Animal Svcs. Anita Mills 318-222-6624


Lafayette Parish Animal Control 337-291-5644


Noah's Wish Foundation Teri/Roger 530-622-9313


Contact information for Animal Rescue Organizations In Mississippi


 Mississippi Alliance 228-216-7729


Gulf Coast SPCA 228-872-5659


Contact information for Animal Rescue Organizations In Alabama


Greater Birmingham Humane Society Jackie/ Melissa

205-290-0055/682-8894


Contact information for Red Cross in Louisiana with Shelter that allows pets




NW Louisiana Chapter Red Cross Michelle Davidson 318-865-9545




Animal Evacuation and Recovery Plan for New Orleans Area


The Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (LA/SPCA),

the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association (LVMA), the Louisiana Animal

Control Association (LACA), and the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM)
are

managing animal evacuations and recovery plans for New Orleans pets and
displaced
animals.


Evacuees Seeking Pets That Were Boarded in Veterinary Clinics


At this time, animals from the following veterinary clinics are being housed

at the Parker Coliseum on the LSU Campus:


Metairie Small Animal Hospital


St. Tammany Animal Shelter


The Cat Practice (Metairie)


Southern Animal Foundation


This list will be updated as needed.




If you are a pet owner whose animal was at one of these facilities, please

call the Emergency Animal Shelter Hotline at (225) 578-6111 for information
about

your pet(s). This number should be used only by owners looking for their

pets and people or shelters that need to drop off pets. All others (those
wishing

to make donations, volunteers, those seeking general information, etc.)
should
contact the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine at (225) 578-9900.
The Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales is currently housing the following:


Companion animals owned by people who were in Red Cross-associated

evacuations (Causeway and I-10 bus staging area)


Stray companion animals (may include pets that escaped from homes or were
otherwise lost)


 Clinics and Shelters That Need to Transfer Pets


Please call the Emergency Animal Shelter Hotline at (225) 578-6111 to

arrange for drop-off.


Pets Traveling With Owners:
The LVMA is currently accepting pets at the Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette,

LSU in Shreveport, the Monroe Civic Center for small animals and the Ike

Hamilton Center for large animals in Monroe, the Farmer's Market in
Alexandria, and

the LSU Agriculture Center/Parker Coliseum in Baton Rouge. Owners must be
housedin a Red Cross shelter; owners are responsible for caring for their
animals,
including feeding and cleaning. Animals will be accepted 24 hours a day.
Veterinarians will be on hand to handle any medical needs.


While owners are responsible for the feeding and cleaning of their pets at

the Parker Coliseum in Baton Rouge, the SVM, along with volunteers from the

Baton Rouge Veterinary Medical Association, will provide veterinary care. If
for

some reason, an owner is unable to care for a pet sheltered in the Parker

Coliseum (e.g., the owner is housed in a special needs shelter), SVM student

volunteers will provide primary care, such as feeding and cleaning. The East
Baton

Rouge Animal Control Center will be taking stray animals.


The Parker Coliseum will be staffed 24 hours a day by a supervising

veterinarian and student volunteers from the School of veterinary medicine.
Pets in the
Coliseum will be given physical exams and Bordetella (kennel cough)
vaccinations. If a pet requires medical attention and veterinary monitoring,

it will be sent to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine's Veterinary
Teaching
Hospital.


People With Pets Who Are Evacuating New Orleans
The LA/SPCA will transport animals from pick-up points in New Orleans to the

Lamar-Dixon Expo Center. The pick-up points have not yet been determined and

are being coordinated with the agency charged with transporting people from
New
Orleans to other areas.


The Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, 9039 St. Landry Rd., Gonzales, La., will serve

as the primary staging area. Once the shelter is full, animals will be moved
to

temporary shelters in other areas of Louisiana and Texas.

The LA/SPCA Dorothy Dorsett Mobile Veterinary Center will be at the

Lamar-Dixon Center to treat incoming animals as needed.


Confined Pets Still in Disaster Areas


Beginning on September 1, residents who left pets in their homes may call

the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine Hotline at (225) 578-9900 or toll-free
at
(888) 568-5557, to leave information about the number of animals, species,

and their confined location.


We have received news that an animal shelter at Blackham Coliseum in

Lafayette has been opened, right next to the Cajundome.  Evacuees may bring
their pets

their for housing.  The shelter has PLENTY of food, water, crates, cages,
bedding and newspaper.   BUT the owners are responsible for feeding,

watering, walking and medicating their own pets. Interested parties may call
Lafayette

Parish Animal Control at 337-291-5644 for more information.


Mississippi Animal Rescue League (MARL)
There is a pet friendly shelter set up at the Coliseum in Jackson and run by

Mississippi Animal Rescue League (MARL) and staff of the Louisiana SPCA, who

evacuated to that area. MARL also took some animals in at its shelter. As of

Tuesday morning, the two locations were sheltering over 100 animals for
evacuees. The Houston SPCA has taken in 260 animals evacuated from the
Louisiana.   SPCA and currently has those animals available for adoption.
Thankfully, many animal groups are rushing to assist.


We are hearing about so many tame, stray, and feral cats in threatening
circumstances, and we know that more frightened, displaced cats will be

found.
If you know of cats, caregivers, or a rescue group in need, call Alley Cat
Allies at 240-482-1980, ext. 125, and ask for Vanessa or e-mail

alleycat at alleycat.org. )


Many hurricane animals were also found with microchips in all the States hit

by Hurricane Katrina. There are several hundred already safely placed and
need

the owners to call any of the following microchip companies if you have lost

your pet.


AVID MICROCHIP ID (THEY ALSO OWN PET NET MICROCHIP COMPANY) CALL 800

336-2843


HOME AGAIN MICROCHIP RECOVERY CALL 866-738-4324


VET-LINK.COM MICROCHIP 800-838-8563


HERE IS A NATIONAL DATA BASE LIST OF ANIMAL SHELTERS AND RESCUE GROUPS FOR
ANYONE THAT NEEDS HELP OR INFORMATION (Type in the state, city or zip code to
find a shelter)


Go To: http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub

php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=41586220&u=383256



HOW YOU CAN HELP NOW


Volunteers are needed on site at area emergency animal shelters, but you

must be fully self-sufficient. They need your help, but shelters cannot
supply any

food, water, vehicles, lodging, or accommodations for volunteers (at least
for the

time being). Supplies are critically scarce or non-existent. Do not even
consider volunteering unless you can fully provide your own housing,
transportation (including gas), food, and water.


Gonzales, Louisiana: The Louisiana SPCA has established a shelter for

animals rescued animals from Hurricane Katrina at the Lamar Dixon Horse Expo
Center

off Exit 177 on I-10 in Gonzales. To volunteer, contact director Laura
Maloney

at 225-413-8813.


Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University School of Veterinary

Medicine and Louisiana Animal Control Association are setting up an emergency
animal
shelter at the LSU Ag Center. They already have some 500 animals there, with

another 60-100 expected any time. The center is open 24 hours a day. To
volunteer, contact Cathy at wellsc at legis.state.la.us or call 225-578-9900.


Other emergency shelters that may need assistance or supplies: at the Animal

Services facility and at the Lake Charles Civic Center.
LaFayette, Louisiana: The Cajundome is a shelter for humans only; pets are

being housed a block away at Blackham Coliseum. People are responsible for
caring

for their own animals. To assist, contact Lafayette Parish Animal Control at:
337-291-5644. The Cajundome is located at 444 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette, LA

70506, phone: 337-265-2100.


Donate needed supplies
The emergency shelter at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge is

accepting donations of supplies. (They already have approximately 500 animals
there,

with another 60-100 expected to come in any time now.)


Today they report needing the following:
These items are always needed:


Pet food* Wet / Dry (Dog, Cat, Puppy, Kitten)

Cat litter*

Litter Boxes

Bowls

Large/ Small Cages and carriers

Litter scoopers

Clean sheets and towels


New items also needed:


Amoxicillin / Clavamox
Flea preventative (Frontline, Advantix, Capstar, etc.)
Heartworm medication (Interceptor, Heartguard, etc.)
Cameras (to take pictures of the displaced animals)
Medicated shampoo
Neosporin
Bandages
Fans and extension cords
Large trash cans
Can openers
Cotton balls
Waterless hand sanitizer
Baby wipes
Rubbing alcohol
Empty spray bottles
Trash bags
Disposable paper bowls * Food and litter are needed immediately, but  expect
to get larger

shipments of food and litter donated within a week, so if you are sending
items from a
distance, please select other items on the list.

To check on current needs, call 225-578-9900 or e-mail Cathy at:

wellsc at legis.state.la.us




Items can be sent or delivered to:


Disaster Relief-Companion Animal

Louisiana State University

School of Veterinary Medicine

Attn: Dr. Rebecca Adcock

Skip Bertman Drive at River Road

Baton Rouge, LA 70803


Phone: 225-578-9900


MAKE A DONATION TO PETS & ANIMALS IN DISTRESS


THE HURRICANE RELEIF FUND. PLEASE HELP NOW!


Click the below link and go to our secure on-line donation page on the

following page.


http://en.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub

php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=41586220&u=383257
Send Donation By Mail to:


Pets & Animals in Distress
C/O Hurricane Relief Fund
1511 East Commercial Blvd - PMB #129
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33334



Please visit our PAW website to look at our past  hurricane relief efforts


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php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=41586220&u=383258




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