A guide to bathing pets after natural disasters

Natural disasters such as floods, wildfires, and tornadoes are occurring more often. In these situations, substances from our daily lives — including household cleaners, pesticides, oil, and debris — can contaminate nearby surroundings, remain in standing water, or spread through smoke and floodwaters, leaving both humans and their pets vulnerable to an increased risk of exposure.

Because proper cleaning procedures in the aftermath of disasters can mitigate these risks, Dr. Deb Zoran, interim director of the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team and a professor at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, offers tips on how owners can best clean their pets in order to prevent potential illness. 

“Owners should clean their pets as quickly as possible after exposure to potentially hazardous materials because some contaminates, like oil and certain chemicals, can be absorbed through the skin, causing pets to become sick,” Zoran explained. “Even if they are contaminated with chemicals that aren’t absorbed by the skin, pets can still lick themselves and ingest the contaminants or expose their pet parents to the hazardous materials.”

Beginning the process

The first thing owners should consider when decontaminating their pets is the pet’s state of mind in the aftermath of a disaster, when heightened fear or stress may lead to potential aggression or unpredictable behavior. With this in mind, Zoran suggests owners wash their pets in a quiet environment with at least one additional person, as this provides a calm and controlled setting, while minimizing stress for the animal.

Once all the bathing supplies have been gathered and taken to a quiet location with a tub or basin, owners should put on protective gear to ensure a thorough and safe cleaning process for both themselves and their pets. Zoran recommends that owners wear the following items while washing their pets because contaminants will fly when animals shake from being wet:

• Eye protection, such as glasses, goggles, or sunshades (if outside)

• Facemask that covers the nose and mouth to prevent wastewater exposure

• Gloves and an apron or full-body covering, such as a rain suit, to protect clothing and skin from wastewater

After owners have the appropriate protective gear on, they should remove any apparel the pet may be wearing, such as a harness or collar, as it will be contaminated. Any bedding that may be in a carrier with a pet should also be removed and either washed or thrown away, depending on how dirty they appear to be.

Preparing for a full bath

There are two decontamination processes, wet and dry, and while all pets will undergo a wet decontamination, Zoran pointed out that some pets will require dry decontamination beforehand.

“Wet decontamination is simply bathing animals, but if there are large, dry particles on the pet, such as insulation, you should start with dry decontamination, meaning you use a damp microfiber towel to wipe off the particles before proceeding to wash the animal, as a towel will do a better job of removing dry particulates than water,” Zoran said. “No matter the method, you don’t want to use a brush, comb, or anything that can push contaminants closer to the skin.”

The wet decontamination process continues by preparing the pet for a full bath, paying special attention to facial features first, including eyes, nose, and ears.

“First, rinse their eyes out by flushing them with a sterile eyewash or contact lens solution,” Zoran said. “Flushing their eyes tends to also flush their nose, but you can wipe the front of the nose if there are clearly contaminants present. You shouldn’t try to squirt anything in their nose because that is generally not well received by pets. 

“Once you rinse their eyes and nose, you should put some protection in their eyes, such as sterile eye lube that can easily be bought at the store, that way if soap happens to get in their eyes, it isn’t going to cause a problem,” Zoran continued. “In general, you don’t want to spend time cleaning dog or cat ears during the process because spraying water while attempting to clean their ears could push contaminated materials further down the ear canal. If there is a significant amount of debris present, it will likely require assistance from someone trained to properly clean ears.”

Once facial features are clean, owners should add an extra layer of physical protection to prevent unintentional harm caused by a pet’s fear and anxiety. 

“We recommend applying a cloth or basket muzzle as an important step in preventing a bite injury because no matter how well-behaved dogs are, frightened dogs may react adversely to situations they normally would not mind (e.g., a bath),” Zoran explained. 

“On the other hand, cats should not be muzzled, as it will create greater stress and possibly make it difficult for them to breathe,” she said. “Owners may require veterinary assistance for medications to calm cats who don’t like water or baths, but either way, gently placing a towel over a cat’s face can keep them calm when you begin to wet them.”

Bathing time

The most important step of cleaning pets is bathing them — a process that Zoran says is made more difficult by the type of hair a pet has, the length and thickness of their hair, and the degree of contamination, since certain materials trapped in the coat can be extremely difficult to remove.

First, make sure the pet’s coat is completely wet before applying soap; Zoran recommends using dish soap or baby shampoo, as they are safe, easy to obtain, and very effective. Then, pets should be rinsed off thoroughly with clean water.

“It’s really important to wash and lather pets with your fingers in a front-to-back and top-to-bottom direction because if you don’t do it that way, you will recontaminate the clean areas,” Zoran said. “Once you are done cleaning, take pets out of the tub, drain the water, and rinse their feet off again, since they were most likely standing in dirty water. Otherwise, they will track contaminants elsewhere.”

Zoran strongly encourages owners to end the cleaning process by drying their pets with clean towels, especially if air temperatures are lower than 65 degrees. Pets can become hypothermic when they are bathed in temperatures cooler than that, meaning their body temperature will drop too low. 

Learning how to effectively wash pets is a crucial skill of overall disaster preparedness. By understanding and implementing proper decontamination procedures, pet owners can successfully navigate the aftermath of disasters, ensuring our pets are safe and healthy.

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Pet Talk is a service of the School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the web at vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to vmbs-editor@tamu.edu.