Vancouver Island storm season runs from autumn through winter, and outages here regularly last longer than on the mainland. Pets need three things planned in advance: a way to stay warm without power, a supply of food and water, and identification that works if a fence comes down. Prepare in September, not during the first storm.
Why the Island needs a different plan
Nanaimo households learn this quickly, but new arrivals often do not. When a serious autumn low comes through, tree cover and terrain mean outages here are frequently measured in days rather than hours. Crews work through a long list, and rural and semi-rural addresses tend to be restored last.
The practical consequence for a pet owner is that the plan cannot assume power comes back the same evening. It has to cover a cold house overnight, then the following day, and possibly the one after that.
The other Island factor is access. Road closures from downed trees can cut off a route to a veterinary hospital exactly when it is most needed, and ferry disruption affects supply of everything from food to fuel. Both are worth building into the plan rather than discovering during it.
Start with identification
The single most common way pets are lost in a storm is not dramatic. A fence panel comes down, a gate blows open, or a frightened dog bolts through a door that somebody was holding open in the wind.
- Check the microchip details are current. This is the one thing on this whole list that costs nothing and takes five minutes. A chip registered to a phone number you had three moves ago is no use at all. Log in and confirm the number and address.
- Put a tag on the collar with a current mobile number. Chips need a scanner; a tag works for the neighbour who catches your dog.
- Take a clear photograph of each pet now, from the side and face on, and keep it on your phone. Finding a good photo is surprisingly hard in a crisis.
- Cats too. Indoor cats escape in storms because doors get propped and windows get opened. Use a quick-release safety collar.
If you are not sure whether your pet’s chip is registered or working, we can scan it at any visit and tell you what comes up.
Warmth without power
A house in Nanaimo cools slowly, but by the second night without heat it is genuinely cold, and the pets most affected are the ones least able to say so. Very young, very old, thin, short-coated and unwell animals lose heat fastest.
- Set up one room to be the warm room, ideally small, with the door closed and curtains drawn
- Blankets and bedding raised off cold floors, with something for pets to burrow into
- Keep pets together if they get along, since they will share warmth
- Never use a generator, barbecue or camp stove indoors or in an attached garage, for your sake as much as theirs
- Do not use unattended candles around pets, and keep heaters well away from bedding, tails and curious cats
- Watch for shivering that stops, unusual quietness, or a pet that is difficult to rouse. A cold pet that has gone quiet is a concern, not a settled one
Very short-coated dogs may need a coat for garden trips even in mild weather once the house is cold, because they are no longer warming up again indoors.
The kit worth assembling this month
Keep it in one place, near the door, in a bag you can carry.
- Two weeks of food in sealed containers, rotated so it stays in date. Tins plus a manual can opener, because an electric one is useless in an outage.
- Water. Households on a well have no water at all without power. Store enough for pets as well as people.
- Bowls, ideally collapsible ones.
- Anything your pet is currently given, with at least a week in hand. Ask us before your supply runs low rather than during a storm, because we may not be reachable and roads may be closed.
- A copy of your pet’s records, including vaccination history, photographed on your phone and printed.
- Carrier for each cat, accessible rather than in the back of a shed.
- Spare leash, collar and harness.
- Litter and a spare tray, plus waste bags. Cats will not reliably go outside in a storm.
- Towels, a torch and spare batteries.
- Our number and the number of the nearest after-hours hospital, written on paper. A phone with a dead battery holds no numbers at all.
During the storm
Bring everyone in early, before the wind gets up rather than after. Cats in particular should be indoors from the afternoon, because a cat that goes out ahead of a storm may not come back for two days.
Toilet dogs on a lead, even in a fenced garden, until you have checked the fence line in daylight. Storm-frightened dogs get through gaps they would normally ignore, and a panel that looks fine can be loose at the base.
Expect noise fear. Many dogs that are fine with everyday weather struggle with sustained high wind, branches hitting the roof and the sudden silence when the power cuts. Set up a den somewhere interior with the fewest windows, add background sound while you still have power, and let your pet choose where to settle rather than moving them to where you think they should be.
If your pet has a serious noise fear, raise it with us now rather than in November. There is more that can be done with a few weeks of preparation than on the night.
After the storm
- Walk the fence line and gates before letting a dog out unsupervised
- Check the garden for fallen branches, broken glass, blown-in debris and displaced garden chemicals
- Watch for standing water, which pets drink from and which carries more than it did in summer
- Beware downed power lines, and keep pets well clear of any wire on the ground
- Check food that was in a freezer before feeding anything that thawed
- Look your pet over for cuts from debris, particularly on paws
Any pet that is limping, bleeding, unusually quiet, not eating, or was out in the storm and has come back different should be seen. Our medical services team can assess injuries that are hard to judge under a wet coat, and pet diagnostics let us look further the same visit when something does not add up.
Storm season is also a good moment to look at the indoor environment more broadly, and our guide to indoor cat safety in Nanaimo Island homes covers the hazards that matter when everyone is shut in together for a few days.
Frequently asked questions
How long an outage should I actually plan for?
Plan for several days rather than several hours. Island outages after a significant autumn storm frequently run past twenty four hours, and rural addresses can be longer. A plan built around two weeks of food and a few days of everything else is realistic rather than pessimistic.
My cat always hides during storms. Should I try to get them out?
No, let them hide. Hiding is how a cat copes, and pulling them out of a chosen spot adds stress rather than removing it. Make sure the spot is safe and warm, put food, water and a litter tray nearby, and check on them periodically without forcing interaction.
Is it safe to use a space heater around pets?
With care. Keep it well away from bedding, curtains and anything a cat might knock over, never leave it running unattended with pets loose, and be aware that pets will lie closer to a heat source than is good for them and can burn themselves. Cats and thin-coated dogs are particularly prone to this.
What if the roads are closed and my pet needs a vet?
Phone first regardless. We can often give useful guidance over the phone, tell you what can safely wait and what cannot, and advise on the nearest reachable option. Having our number written on paper rather than only in your phone matters more than people expect during a long outage.
My dog is terrified of wind. Is there anything that helps?
Yes, and preparation makes a real difference. A safe interior den, sound masking while power lasts, and a calm household all help. For a dog with a serious fear, come and see us in advance so we can look at the whole picture properly. That conversation goes much better in September than during a November storm.
Should I stock up on my pet’s food now?
Yes, and on anything else your pet is given regularly. Ferry disruption and road closures affect supply, and running short during a storm week is a genuinely common problem here. Keep two weeks in hand and rotate it so nothing goes out of date.
Speak to the team at Coastal City Animal Hospital
If you want to check your pet’s microchip details or talk through a storm plan before the weather turns, give us a call on (778) 441-3989.
Published by the team at Coastal City Animal Hospital.
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for an in-person veterinary examination or advice about your individual pet. If you have an urgent concern about your pet, contact Coastal City Animal Hospital or your nearest emergency veterinary hospital right away.
Coastal City Animal Hospital
#105-1849 Dufferin Crescent, Nanaimo, BC V9S 0B1
Phone: (778) 441-3989
Email: info@coastalcityanimalhospital.ca
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM; Saturday and Sunday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM