Heavy rains expected: LSU Vet Med offers tips for pet owners and people who encounter wildlife

With heavy rain expected across much of south Louisiana this week, the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is encouraging pet owners and residents to prepare for the possibility of displaced wildlife and hazardous conditions for animals. Periods of heavy rainfall can quickly create hazardous conditions for pets while also forcing wildlife from flooded habitats into neighborhoods, parks, roadways, and backyards.

Tips for Pet Owners

LSU Vet Med recommends the following:

• Keep pets indoors during periods of heavy rain, thunderstorms, and flooding whenever possible.
• Walk dogs on a leash after storms, as floodwaters can hide sharp objects, sinkholes, snakes, or displaced wildlife.
• Never allow pets to play or swim in floodwater. Floodwater may contain bacteria, chemicals, sewage, sharp debris, and other hazards.
• Make sure pets wear identification tags and have an updated microchip in case they become separated from their family.
• Keep vaccinations current, especially leptospirosis for dogs, which can help protect against a bacterial disease spread through contaminated water.
• Seek veterinary care immediately if a pet is bitten by a snake or injured during severe weather.
• If You Encounter Wildlife

Heavy rain and flooding often displace wildlife from their natural habitats.

LSU Vet Med recommends:

• Give wildlife plenty of space. Animals that appear calm may become defensive when frightened or stressed.
• Keep pets away from wildlife to reduce the risk of injury or disease transmission.
• Watch for snakes that may seek higher ground around homes, garages, sheds, and debris piles after flooding.
• Drive carefully, especially at dawn and dusk, when wildlife may be crossing flooded roadways.
• If you find injured wildlife, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or your state's wildlife agency. Only transport wildlife if it is safe to do so and you have been instructed by a wildlife professional. The LSU Vet Med Wildlife Hospital of Louisiana can provide medical care for injured wildlife, but we do not have the resources to go out and bring animals to our facility. There is no charge for wildlife care, though we do ask for donations to cover the cost of care.
• Uninjured orphaned wildlife should be left alone.
• Go to lsu.edu/vetmed/veterinary_hospital/wildlife.php to learn more about the services we provide for wildlife and how to handle injured and orphaned wildlife.

For additional pet disaster preparedness resources, visit lsu.edu/vetmed and go to Animal Care and then Disaster Preparedness and Response.

About LSU Vet Med: Bettering lives through education, public service, and discovery

The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is one of only 33 veterinary schools in the U.S. and the only one in Louisiana. LSU Vet Med is dedicated to improving and protecting the lives of animals and people through superior education, transformational research, and compassionate care. We teach. We heal. We discover. We protect.