Abstract

In October 2017, Northern California was affected by catastrophic wildfires in multiple counties. The Veterinary Emergency Response Team from the School of Veterinary Medicine at University of California-Davis responded in the early days of the disaster, deploying on site veterinary emergency response teams and providing shelter and medical care for the hundreds of animals evacuated from affected areas. Emergency sheltering protocols were in place for species, such as horses, cats, dogs, cattle, small ruminants, and poultry, commonly encountered in disaster management situations. During search and rescue operations veterinary response teams identified multiple backyard ponds that were affected directly by the wildfires or by the subsequent shut down of the power grids in the affected areas. Teams evacuated thirty-nine koi fish from six different ponds to UC Davis. Strict biosecurity measures were put into place to avoid transmission of pathogens between ponds. Each animal received a brief exam upon arrival, after an acclimation period, representatives from each pond were randomly selected, anesthetized, and underwent full physical exams with gill clips, skin scrapes, complete blood count, and serum chemistries; further diagnostics such as imaging, skin biopsy, and viral disease testing were completed as necessary. Water quality was monitored carefully and maintained within strict parameters during the post evacuation holding period to reduce stress on the fish as much as possible. This case study discusses the challenges encountered in evacuating and sheltering aquatic animals, considerations in preparing veterinary response for natural disasters, and the importance of having implementable contingency plans in place for a variety of species.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the veterinary students and clinicians involved with the Veterinary Emergency Response Team and the entire crew at the University of California-Davis, Center for Aquatic Biology and Aquaculture for their dedication and efforts in caring for all of the animals affected by the wildfires.

* Presenting author
+ Student presenter