Texas A&M University’s Veterinary Emergency Team has developed guidelines for removing contaminants, such as toxic chemicals and oil-based substances, from dogs after a disaster.
“The goal of this project was to provide community emergency planners with numbers that would help them quantify things like how much soap to buy, how much water to allocate and how many volunteers to decontaminate dogs,” said Dr. Debra Zoran, the team’s interim director and a professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences. “We hope this will encourage more communities to include animal decontamination in their disaster planning.”
The protocols, which will be published soon in the journal “Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness,” address:
- Time: A line of volunteers can decontaminate four to five dogs in one hour.
- Water: 12 to 15 gallons are needed for each dog.
- Washing stations: The team drilled holes in plastic wash tubs placed in troughs. The water drains into the troughs for disposal.
- Other equipment: Volunteers need towels, hoses and protective gear.
- Soap: Liquid dish soap best removes oily substances. An antibacterial soap might be needed depending on the situation.
The Veterinary Emergency Team tested its system using medium-sized, medium-haired dogs with calm temperaments.
“If you’re decontaminating a dog with a long coat, or one that’s stressed, it may take longer and use more water, so emergency planners should keep that in mind,” Dr. Zoran said.
Because oil-based contaminants are common in disaster situations, the Veterinary Emergency Team used Glo-Germ to devise the recommendations.
“Glo-Germ is an oil-based lotion that’s frequently used in veterinary and medical schools to test cleaning procedures,” Dr. Zoran said. “It glows under ultraviolet light, which makes it easy to tell if you’re cleaning properly.”
Future team projects include determining decontamination steps for cats and other dogs.