National Preparedness Month Day 23--Pet Preps

As we've seen in countless disasters, the need to make special preps for pets usually makes the evening news.  Whether you have household pets or livestock, prepping ahead of time for emergencies is vital if you want to be able to evacuate them from the scene of a disaster like a flood or a wildfire.  Here are some things to consider:

• Have a "bug out bag" for your pets.  Include a crate or cage, extra food, bedding, a leash, an ID tag with your contact info on it, pee pads, muzzle, registration and vaccination records, water bottle/bowl, towels, garbage bags, etc.
• Microchip your pet to ensure that if they are lost a local vet will be able to identify who they belong to.
• Know where you would be able to keep your pet in the event of an evacuation.  Does the hotel you are going to allow pets?  Does the emergency shelter in your town allow evacuees to bring pets with them?  Will local kennels shelter your pets if you can't take them with you?
• Will your method of transportation out of a disaster area allow you to take your pets with you?
• Are you skilled in basic animal first aid and have an animal-specific first aid kit on hand?
• Does your county extension office/livestock management agency have a disaster plan for area livestock?
• Do you have the equipment and means to evacuate your livestock ahead of a disaster?
• If you do evacuate your livestock where will you put them once you leave the area?
• If you must leave your pets or livestock behind, have you left them a way to escape (animals will often find higher ground on their own), taken off any harnesses or leads so they won't get tangled on anything, left food and water available for them, etc.
• Are your pets/livestock vaccinations up to date?
• Do you have a way to keep snakes/birds/other reptiles warm during and after evacuation?
• If you need to look for your pet after a disaster, do you have recent photos of them plus all pertinent information (age, breed, etc) that can be put on a flyer?

20 Disaster Items for Your Pet

During a disaster, people are usually as concerned about their pets as they are about their children (to the point that they won't leave a declared disaster area, opting to stay with their pets instead of leaving them behind).  Fortunately, disaster response agencies are now taking pets into consideration both by offering shelter for them and even evacuating pets right along with their owners.  Be sure you have a "pet BOB" to grab and go with your pet in the event of a disaster.  Note that these items are for cats and dogs so make alterations to this list if you have a hamster or lizard.

Include these 20 items in your pet BOB:

1. Cage/carrier.
2. Leash/collar.
3. Collar tag with animal's name and your contact info.
4. Microchip/license/up-to-date vaccinations for your pet (be sure to back up this info along with your computer files as well as take a photo of this info to keep on your phone in case you need proof but don't have the physical documents to show your pet has been vaccinated/licenses).
5. Water dish/bottles of water.
6. Pet food (mostly dry as canned foods are pretty heavy to carry; if you do bring canned food, bring a can opener).  Also treats.
7. Blanket/bedding.
8. Toys (not the annoying squeaky ones if you will be in a public shelter).
9. Prescription/OTC Medications.
10. Pee pads/garbage bags/poop bags (your pets may need to relieve themselves indoors so a quick place for them to go and an easy way to clean up is necessary).
11. A bag to carry all of these items in.
12. A muzzle (a good safety precaution for many dogs in chaotic environments like a shelter).
13. Towel/wet wipes (in case you need to clean your pet if they have been in flood water/mud/etc).
14. A picture of your pet (in case you are separated from your pet, this is one way to help find them).
15. Shoes and clothes if needed.  Small dogs often get cold so doggie clothes are a good option.  Dogs that walk in the desert in summer/snow in winter may need doggie shoes.
16. A way to keep track of your pet (GPS tracker, bells so you can hear your cat, etc).
17. A pet first aid kit.
18. Health items (flea/tick collar, topical flea/tick treatment, etc).
19. Any other items you pet needs not listed here.
20. An evacuation plan (a pre-planned place to board them, relatives you can leave them with, etc).

Preparedness Tip: The Pet BOB

You have a BOB (bug out bag) for yourself, the spouse, each kid, and maybe even grandma if she lives with you, but do you have a BOB for your pets?  If you need to evacuate and have pets, it's a good bet they will be going with you so instead of racing around at the last minute trying to not forget everything you need for your dog/cat/snake, why not put together a BOB for them as well?  Include things like food, bottles of water, water dish, cage/carrier, blanket or other bedding, toys, etc.  Here's a comprehensive list of items you will want to put in your pet's BOB.

Pet Preps

A reader recently asked why I haven't written anything about preparedness for pets. Since I currently don't have any pets, it didn't dawn on me to write about them. Unfortunately, this often happens in disaster planning--just because the people who are doing the planning aren't in a specific situation, doesn't mean they shouldn't be aware that the situation could affect friends, family members, or the community at large. Nowhere was this more apparent than during Hurricane Katrina when rescuers told stranded victims to come with them and leave their pets behind. To many people with pets, it was like telling them to leave their children behind!

The simple way to prepare to help your pet during a disaster is just like if you were preparing your child, elderly relative, or special needs client for a disaster. Considering their specific needs and situation, here's what you can do:

• Make them a BOB that meets their needs. Include in their bag food, water, a blanket, any needed medication, a toy, etc. You can skip the clothes...nothing makes me more incredulous than to see a poodle dressed up like a Barbie doll when many children in our world have one set of threadbare clothing to wear.


• Have a way to transport them. A carrier is a good idea. I wish I would have got a photo of a guy who got on the city bus a few days ago carrying a small cage with a very large snake in it. Nobody said anything but I'm sure that would have cleared the entire bus in a couple of countries I've been to. It's important to have the items needed to contain and transport your animal on hand (ie: a small fish tank if your fish usually reside in a 100 gallon aquarium; a leash and muzzle for your dog, a halter for your horse, etc).


• Have an evacuation plan. How will you be able to evacuate with your pet? Of course you can take a dog in your car but what will you do with your pot bellied pig, horse, or llama? Once you evacuate, where will you be able to stay? Do you have friends who can board your horse temporarily? Does the hotel you are going to allow pets? Have you checked with your county disaster planners to see if they have a plan for evacuees with pets?

Those are just the basics. I came across an animal preparedness web page from the AVMA which elaborates on these and many other things to consider when prepping with pets or large animals. Check it out here.