Preparing Your Pet for Disasters – How to Create a Pet Emergency Kit?

Natural disasters are frightening events, but they’re also unpredictable. You cannot predict when your family will have to evacuate or what might happen when a disaster occurs. All you can do is prepare for the worst and hope it never comes. 

That’s why it’s so important to be prepared for an emergency requiring a sudden evacuation or sheltering for an extended period. However, you should also prepare for another family member: Your dog! Fortunately, there are ways to keep yourself and your pet safe before and after a natural disaster.

First-Aid Needs

You should always have a pet first aid kit in your home, but there are also some items you should keep on hand that will help you in an emergency.

First, ensure that everyone in the household knows how to administer first aid to your pet. Your veterinarian may provide training materials and even practice sessions with volunteer owners so everyone can be confident when an emergency occurs.

Second, consider investing in a good book on pet first aid and keeping it handy as a reference guide. Several excellent books are available online or at bookstores such as Amazon or Barnes & Noble. These resources might be beneficial if you don’t have access to veterinary care during an emergency.

Thirdly, put together an actual kit! While most people think about making kits for themselves or their family members only and not their pets. But, it’s equally important to have a first-aid kit for your pet. It ensures that your animal companion doesn’t suffer unnecessarily during any natural disaster scenario. Pet utility stores, like PetCareRx, can help prepare a first-aid kit for your pet. First, however, you must be sure what things you want to include in the medical kit.

Animals Have Different Needs Than Humans

When preparing for a disaster, your animal’s needs can vary significantly from yours. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Your pet will need more water than you do. You can calculate how much food and water your pet will need by considering what they usually eat in a single day and multiplying that by two or three days. If you don’t already have an ample supply of bottled water stored at home, consider getting one now or add it to your emergency kit.
• Your pet will likely require more food than humans after the disaster. It is because pets’ nutritional needs are more significant than ours. They might also require additional supplements such as vitamins during times of stress like power outages or other disasters. To prepare for this, store extra cans of wet food outside with your emergency kit. It ensures that everyone has easy access to their daily nutrition requirements even when there aren’t refrigerators around!

How to Prepare Your Pet for a Disaster

• Make sure your pet is wearing a collar with ID tags. If you have more than one pet, having the same number of collars and tags for each animal is also a good idea.
• Make sure your pet has a microchip embedded in them that an RFID chip reader can scan. It will be helpful if you need to take your pet to the vet or shelter but don’t have any other form of identification on them at the time.
• Ensure that all vaccinations are up-to-date, including rabies shots if applicable in your area. If possible, get the newest version of whatever vaccines are available. It ensures that they contain the latest protection against diseases like distemper and parvovirus, which can be very dangerous in dogs!
• Spay or neuter your animals before they reach sexual maturity. It reduces their risk of developing various health problems later on down the line. It also prevents unwanted litters from being born into homes without enough space left for puppies/kittens already living there!

Emergency Food and Water

Having enough food and water for your pet for at least three days is imperative. So, in an emergency evacuation, your pet will not run out of food or water. Make sure you store this in a cool, dry place! If you have a cat, make sure you have some canned food on hand because cats cannot easily handle changes in their diet. If you have a dog and he is used to eating kibble, then they should be fine with what they usually eat as long as it’s stored properly.

Evacuation Plan

The next step is to develop a plan. If you are evacuating your home, take the time now to consider how you will transport your pet. If you have more than one animal, ensure they will all fit in their carrier or crate. It’s also crucial that everyone knows where these items are located and how to use them!

If the evacuation is mandatory, ensure all pets are microchipped and are wearing collars with current contact information. It may even be worth investing in an electronic identification tag for each pet just in case the collar becomes lost or damaged during a disaster.

When the time comes for your family to leave their home, make sure there is at least one leash per person so each member can control their animal. This way, everyone stays safe together!

Being Prepared Can Save Your Pet’s Life in a Disaster.

In an emergency, you should always take your pets with you unless they are injured or sick and cannot be safely moved.

If you need to evacuate:

• Get familiar with your local emergency shelters. Make sure they accept pets and know the procedures for bringing them along.
• Make sure that all of your pets’ medical records are easily accessible. It will help if they need care while away from home or traveling through evacuation centers.
• If possible, bring along some favorite toys or bedding from home so that it feels more familiar for them when you have to leave quickly. It is especially important if your pet has separation anxiety.

Conclusion

Having an emergency kit for your pet is as important as having one for you and your family. Your pets are a part of the family and deserve to be safe. It can save their lives in a disaster. Putting together a kit might seem like a lot of work now, but it will be worth it when everything goes wrong. I hope these tips help create the perfect kit for your furry friend!