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Hurricane Katrina Pet Rescue Information

NEWSFLASH:   It appears that now reuniting pets/livestock with their families is going to very difficult. Please register your previous phone number and address with http://katrina.im-ok.org and http://www.katrinapeoplesearch.com and register your pet with  http://disaster.petfinder.org/emergency/

Please see if you can get a recording put on with your old phone # (thru the phone company) with a good contact number someone can reach you at about your pets --let this person know that you have done that.

Also please put a forward on your mail you can do so ONLINE by going to http://www.usps.com/communications/news/serviceupdates.htm?from=bannercommunications&page=katrina register lost animals/livestock at http://disaster.petfinder.org/emergency ALSO IF YOUR ANIMAL WAS MICROCHIPPED PLEASE CONTACT THEM TO SEE IF ANYONE HAS LOCATED THEM (Remember your phone lines are down so they can't reach you) UPDATE THEM WITH A CONTACT PHONE NUMBER HUMAN SHELTERS ARE NOT ALLOWING THEM TO RELAY MESSAGES TO OWNERS THAT WE HAVE FOUND PETS FOR---SO YOU NEED TO GIVE THEM ANOTHER NUMBER OTHER THAN A SHELTER. If you are allowed back to your homes, please see if you are able to salvage any ownership or photos of your animals -these will be needed for ID purposes.

As of 9/13/05, Jefferson Feed is no longer the staging area for the animal rescue efforts in the Greater New Orleans area.  A massive effort is underway. Over 3000 animals are now located at the temporary shelter in Gonzales. More arrive daily. Volunteers are working at photographing each animal and posting their pictures on http://disaster.petfinder.org.

If you are missing a pet, or know of one in need of rescue, please call (225) 647-0712 PLEASE do not e-mail information concerning an animal needing rescue. It's taking them several days to respond to their e-mails these days and your pet may not have several days.

If you are missing a pet, PLEASE go to Lamar Dixon Expo Center and search! The Expo Center is located at 9039 St. Landry Rd, Gonzales, Louisiana, Exit 177 off of Interstate 10. Follow the signs. If at all possible, come with proof of ownership. Please don't wait, the space and resources are desperately needed.

For updated news on the efforts of the LA SPCA or to donate, go to their website at http://www.la-spca.org/

CONTACT AND RESCUE INFORMATION

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

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 housed in 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.

* LSU: Residents who left pets in their homes may call toll-free (888) 773-6489 between 8:00 am and 6:00 pm or e-mail katrinalostpet@ldaf.louisiana.gov to leave information about the number of animals that need rescuing, their species, and their confined location. Residents are now being allowed back into certain parts of the Greater New Orleans areas. While they will do everything they can to rescue as many animals as possible, your pets will have a better chance if you can get in and rescue them yourselves. Please watch the news media for announcements of which areas residents may re-enter. If you do rescue your pet yourself after requesting rescue through their shelter, please notify them so that they can remove your name from the waiting list. If you need a place to leave your pets for housing and care after rescue, please bring them to them at the John M. Parker Coliseum on the LSU Campus. They will care for them until you can be permanently reunited.

* The LA SPCA:  Jefferson Feed remains a staging area for the animal rescue efforts in the Greater New Orleans area. Animal welfare organizations from Oregon, North Texas, Houston, as well as the LA/SPCA, HUSU and ASPCA, are only a few of many groups who have benefited from their generosity. A massive effort is underway. Over 1000 animals are now located at the temporary shelter in Gonzales. More arrive daily. Volunteers are working at photographing each animal and posting their pictures on Petfinder.org. If you are missing a pet, or know of one in need of rescue, please call. Phone numbers: (225) 647-0712 LA/SPCA Animal Search and Rescue (Orleans Parish) or (504) 733-8572 Jefferson Feed, Pet and Garden Center (Jefferson Parish) or  1 (800) humane1 HSUS

Also, 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@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.

To find name of owner of microchipped animal or find out if your microchipped animal has been reported:
* AVID MICROCHIP ID (THEY ALSO OWN PET NET MICROCHIP COMPANY) CALL: 1-800 336-2843
* HOME AGAIN MICROCHIP RECOVERY CALL: 1-866-738-4324
* VET-LINK.COM MICROCHIP: 1-800-838-8563
* AKC RECOVERY HOTLINE: 1-800-252-7894

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@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.)
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@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

To Donate to the LSU Disaster Relief Fund and/or the the LA SPCA:

• LA SPCA:  http://www.la-spca.org/

• LSU School of Veterinary Medicine: http://www.vetmed.lsu.edu/

Other Disaster Relief Organizations for Pets that will use donations for helping the animals: