Check out this emergency preparedness for pets kit so your extra family member is safe too!
As the wildfires continue to pop up here throughout California, they are a can’t-miss reminder for me to get better prepared at my house for an emergency.
In the last blog post, I shared how to create an escape plan with your family as the first step in emergency preparedness. Check it out here if you missed it!
Up next in my “bite-size so I don’t stress out” process of prepping for a disaster is…
Pet Preparedness
If you have a pet, then you will want to be sure you’ve taken these steps to make sure you have what you need to help your furry friend!!
For each of the members of my family, we will be assembling a 72-hour grab-and-go bag, and I’m adding our dog Harper to that prep list too!
Luckily for me, I was just at Wall-Mart and they had a bunch of their backpacks on extreme clearance so I was able to purchase a backpack (for only $3 – Whoop! Whoop! for bargains) to fill with pet essentials.
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Here is what I’m putting in my Pet Emergency Kit:
1. Safety :
Be sure to pack a leash and a harness. If you have a pet carrier, you may also want to keep that near your emergency supplies.
I have a pet car seat harness that I’m going to store in our prep bag in case we need to take a long car trip with our dog.
2. Nourishment:
Bottled drinking water and a collapsible travel water bowl are must-haves.
Also, add some canned food and dry food with an extra food bowl. (if your canned food needs an opener, be sure to pack that too!).
Ideally, you want to have enough food and water for 3-7 days for your furry friend.
3. Hygiene:
Don’t forget to grab those poop bags for dogs and cat litter/pan if you have a cat.
4. Health:
I am also putting in our kit any necessary medications and a copy of my pet’s medical records.
A pet first aid kit may be extra helpful in case your pet is injured during the evacuation process. Amazon sells kits that are already put together which makes it super easy!
Also if you have a first aid book for pets, pack that too!
5. Info:
Make sure you have a list of any important info specific to your animals, like their feeding schedule, medical conditions, behavior issues, and the name and number of your vet just in case your pet needs to be cared for by someone outside of your family.
I’ve created this Pet Info Sheet that will help you cover all the bases!
Click on the image below to get the free printable Pet Information Sheet:
6. Identification:
It is also important to have a current photo of you and your pet in case they are lost and you need to have help looking for them!
It is wise to have an ID tag on your pet with your pet’s name and family contact info in the event that you are separated.
7. Comfort/Entertainment:
I’d definitely recommend packing a pet bed and toys if they are easy to transport.
Our dog doesn’t use a bed, so I’m just adding a few extra toys to our kit! Having things from home can help ease a pet’s anxiety during stressful situations away from home.
Those are all of the basics that we have packed in our Grab-and-Go Bag for our sweet Harper, and there is one more thing that we did as part of our pet emergency preparedness.
We made sure we had a way for an extended family member or a neighbor to get into our home to rescue our pet in the event we are away from home and a fire quickly breaks out.
Here are a few extra things to think about when you are prepping for the worst-case scenario.
- Microchip or have an up-to-date ID tag for your pet
- Know pet-friendly places to stay, in case you need to evacuate
- Place pet rescue decals on the windows/doors of your home
- Identify and document your pet’s hiding places (and include them on the decals and info sheets)
I don’t know about you, but with each piece of the preparedness pie I put together, the better I feel knowing that I am ready if a disaster should occur.
Up next, prepping the kids in our house with grab-and-go kits! And you can find the easy instructions to make emergency bags for your kids here!
Until next time, cheers to being prepared for something that will hopefully NEVER happen, and cheers to you!
XOXO,
Magan
PS – Got a pup with food allergies? I’ve got the perfect, easy, no-fuss recipe to make healthy homemade dog food in your crockpot here!
Want a quick recap that you can pin for future reference or print?
