You love your pets. You make sure they have everything they need to be happy and healthy. After all, they take care of you in just as many ways.
But are you prepared to take care of them during an emergency?
It happens more often then we'd like - floods, storms, local emergencies.... or even something like a family member that needs to go to the hospital, or a broken down car on a road trip - every year tens of thousands of people find themselves in these situations.
We know you won't leave your pets behind, so you need to prepare your pet for emergencies as well. Your animals rely on you to plan ahead for them too!
Here is the cheat-sheet... the 6 things you need to be prepared for to keep your furry buddy safe in any situation:
1) Keep Them Fed + Hydrated
Your emergency stash might not be your pet’s favorite brand, but having something for them to eat if you need to evacuate, move quickly, or deal with a major emergency is crucial!
We have a pack of food and water pouches that are good for 5 years stocked in our bag. But more importantly, get water purification tablets. It sounds weird, but in an emergency clean water can be the hardest thing to find.
Imagine having to deal with your pet, sick from drinking bad water.... on top of dealing with the emergency at hand... If you are on the move for awhile without safe water, you’ll know you can purify it for Fluffy.
2) Keep Them Warm
Emergencies don’t pay attention to the clock or the calendar - they can happen at any time. That means we have to be ready for the elements.
Honestly, an fleece or emergency blanket and body warmers go a really long way in keeping your pet happy and calm when you need to take them out of their element. They are lightweight, super-efficient, and keep your pet comfy and relatively relaxed in an emergency.
3) Keep Them Close
When you need to move quick with your pet (like seconds, not minutes), you’ll need an extra collar and leash on hand. It’s also important to have something to tie them down to, for times you need to secure your pet to something other than you. A metal stake set up to attach your leash to is simple and works well.
Whether your furry friend is big or small, keeping them secure and by your side is paramount.
4) Keep Them Seen
Emergencies often happen at night, and visibility is key to keeping your pet safe. A simple solution is a snap-to-activate glowstick that can be attached to their collar.
Primarily, it keeps your pet visible and obvious to cars and others making a quick exit. It’s really important that you don’t loose them in the rush, and can find them easily if they panic and make a run for it.
5) Keep Them Covered
Especially for smaller dogs and cats, having a backpack that you can put them in quickly to transport is super-helpful. Most small pets feel much safer in an enclosed space, and will calm down considerably.
Often, a challenge is getting your pet to leave the house after an event, as they want to hide. Sometimes the only option is to pick them up and put them inside of their backpack to get them to safety.
6) Keep Them Healthy
Do you have a first-aid kit packed and ready for an emergency? Are you ready to tend to small cuts or injuries that could come up in an emergency? If not, get ready!
A basic first-aid kit should be standard for any pet owner. Have it ready in your emergency pet bag, and you'll be able to handle many emergency injuries that can pop up.
We hope this made it easy to get supplies together for your pet. They are a part of the family too, but people don't think about emergency prep for our animals. It doesn't have to be complicated - it just takes a bit of digging.