Pet Emergency Preparedness: What Every Pet Parent Needs to Know
June is National Pet Preparedness Month, and it aims to bring awareness to emergency planning for your pets. Do you have the supplies needed to hunker down with your pets during a tropical storm or blizzard? Are you prepared to evacuate with them in a fire, flood, earthquake, or other catastrophic event? If not, now is the time to prepare. Let's explore how pet parents can ensure their four-legged friends stay safe in an emergency.
Making an Emergency Plan for Your Pets
If disaster strikes, you may already have a plan for your family or an idea of what you'll do and where you'll go. But what about your pets? Including your pets in your disaster plans is crucial, especially if you must evacuate. Bringing your pets along to a friend or family member's house or an emergency shelter requires some pre-planning, since not all places allow animals.
Consider pet-friendly options if you must leave home in an emergency. If you plan to seek shelter with friends or family, ensure they know you have pets and are comfortable having them in their home. Meanwhile, if you're looking at emergency shelters, many require pre-registration and have pet restrictions. Boarding at kennels and pet-friendly hotels are options too, but most require proof that your pet is vaccinated and parasite-free.
Ultimately, planning is essential. During an emergency, you may not have the time or resources to track down pet-friendly housing options or update your pet's vaccines. Having a plan can reduce stress and anxiety during a chaotic period.
Pet Emergency Preparedness Checklist
- Have an emergency evacuation plan for you and your pets
- Assemble a list of friends, relatives, shelters, hotels, or boarding facilities that will accept your pets in an emergency
- Keep your pet up to date on vaccines and parasite preventives
- Make copies of your pet's veterinary records and vaccine certificates; keep one set with your essential household documents and another in your pet emergency kit
- Ensure your pet's ID tags and microchip have current contact information (consider microchipping your pet if they are not already)
- Keep copies of your pet's insurance information on hand (Don't have a pet insurance plan yet? Click here to learn more)
- If you can, try to designate a local friend or neighbor who can evacuate your pet if you are unable to get home in time during an emergency
- Brush up on some basic pet first aid techniques; you can find pet first aid classes and pet CPR training through local emergency services or online at The American Red Cross. Some veterinary clinics also host classes on cat and dog CPR
- Print out a few current photos of your pet in the event they become lost and internet services are down
- Assemble your pet's emergency kit
Building Your Pet Emergency Kit
Some emergencies offer a warning to prepare, like impending hurricanes or blizzards, while others, like fast-moving wildfires and tornados, don't. Having a pet emergency kit ready to grab at a moment's notice is always a good idea. Here are some general guidelines for building your pet emergency kit.
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Highlights & Benefits
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Pet Emergency Kit Checklist
- Food and water (at least five days' worth for each pet)
- Shatterproof bowls or dishes
- A can opener (if needed for wet food)
- Your pet's prescription medications
- Pet wipes
- A pet first aid kit
- Transportation items – leashes, harnesses, and carriers (always use a carrier for cats)
- Potty supplies – poop bags for dogs and disposable litter boxes and litter for cats
- Cleaning supplies include paper towels, soap, extra bottled water for rinsing, gloves, garbage bags, etc.
- A copy of your pet's medical and vaccine records, veterinary and insurance information, and recent photos, preferably in a Ziploc bag or waterproof folder
- Comfort items – treats, toys, blankets, travel beds, etc.
To maintain your pet emergency kit, check and rotate items quarterly. Keep an eye on expiration dates for medications and medical supplies and rotate food and treats to stay fresh.
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Highlights & Benefits
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What About Other Types of Pets?
Whether you have a furry, scaly, feathered, or slithery friend at home, making an emergency plan for all your pets is crucial. Consider purchasing small travel carriers or cages for small mammals and birds. Lizards, snakes, and aquatic animals will likely need travel tanks. Also, think about what items you might need based on your pet's species and assemble these in advance.
Pack enough food and water for at least five days, and bring any unique supplies your pet might need. If you have rabbits or guinea pigs, don't forget their hay. You may want to purchase a battery-powered heat lamp if you have reptiles. Bird lovers should investigate travel perches or acquire a travel cage with a perch inside.
Making Sure Your Pet Is Prepared
While we can't plan for every emergency scenario, working on some basic training and ensuring your pets are comfortable with leashes, carriers, and car rides can make things easier in an emergency. These situations are already stressful; trying to wrangle your pet into a carrier they've never been in or getting a scared animal to remember their recall cues might not go smoothly.
Practice makes perfect. Try practicing some of these things with your pets. Make it fun for them by using treats to practice recall cues, taking your dog for car rides to fun places, and placing catnip in your cat's carrier for them to sniff out. If you have a basement or storm cellar, bring your pet in there and let them sniff around while you offer some treats. Building positive associations with these situations will make your pets less scared and help them know what to expect when you need to evacuate them or hunker down during a storm.
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Highlights & Benefits
- Portable & Packable: Folds compactly for easy storage and travel, with built-in handles for convenience.
- Durable & Outdoor-Ready: Made with lightly padded, water-resistant materials that hold up to outdoor use.
- Easy to Clean: Fully machine-washable for quick refreshes after muddy or dusty outings.
Final Tips on Pet Emergency and Disaster Preparedness
We may never know when an emergency or disaster will strike, so it's vital to stay prepared. Always have an emergency plan for your pets and keep a pet emergency kit on hand.
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