Updated - When disastrous situations are not safe for you, they REALLY are not safe for your pets. Your four-legged friends need an emergency kit just as much as you do. Yes, they are furry and cannot call the fire department in an emergency, but they are a member of your family and should be safeguarded as one during a crisis.
These steps can help you prep your furry friends for when SHTF:
- Evacuation Plan
If you need to evacuate, so do your pets. You simply cannot leave them behind. You know that sad and pathetic face they give you when you leave them home alone? Imagine that face, but amplified ten-fold accompanied by whimpering and howling.
- Emergency Kit Items
There are certain items that need to be in your pet’s emergency kit. They might beg you to put a few extra bacon strips in, but extra snacks should not be a top priority. Aside from food and water, these are the items that should be an absolute priority for your pet’s emergency kit:- Information about pet-friendly hotels
- Contact numbers for your veterinarian, local animal hospitals/shelters, and any relief agencies in your area.
- Records of their vaccines
- Any routine medications they take
- Flea and tick medications
- Heartworm medications
- Train Your Dog For Survival
Prepping your dog and training your dog for survival are two completely different things. Teaching your dog tricks can greatly improve both your own and your dog’s survival. Side note: By tricks we don’t mean fetch, roll over, or play dead. Although the last one could come in handy. By tricks, we mean things like: search and rescue, stay, kennel training, and defense.
- Pet Waste Sanitation Supplies
Right now you are probably thinking, “Why do I need to have waste supplies for my pet? They go to the bathroom outside.” Yes, this seems like a luxury, but what if you were trapped in a bunker for days on end? Your animal will not have the luxury of going to the bathroom outside. Pet waste bags and doggie septic tanks are a clean and convenient way to get rid of your animal’s waste while hunkering down indoors.
If you have not already, sign up for text messages from Civil Dispatch. These weather notifications will give you up-to-date information on weather and threats in your area that can keep you and your pet safe in case of an emergency!
Additional Recommended Pet Prepping Resources
Emergency Pet Preparedness – Prepare Your Pet For Disaster
"Few of us ever like to think of dangerous situations involving our home or our pets. However, accidents and disasters do happen. Emergency pet preparedness, along with other just-in-case measures, could help to ensure that all family members are safe during what could be a chaotic time."