What do Independence Day, Dante’s Peak, Dawn of the Dead, and Armageddon have in common? Yep, they’re all disaster or apocalyptic movies. What else? Give up? The answer is: DOGS. These films all have badass dogs that survive what were seemingly unsurvivable situations. We’re talking Hollywood here, of course, that’s why these furry friends survived. In real life, however, your pets will need your help to survive disasters. That’s why you should learn everything you need to do to keep your pet safe including building your pet emergency kit.
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Pet Carrier
In case of an emergency and you have to evacuate your home, it will be extremely difficult to move around while carrying your pet in your arms. You don’t want your movement to be limited when you’re trying to get out of a dangerous situation. I doubt you want to leave your pets behind, too.
For small pets, you need a pet carrier. If you have more than one pet, make sure each one gets its own carrier. Assign someone in the family to grab a particular pet and put it inside its carrier when you have to bug out. This should be part of your evacuation plan.
A pet carrier is an important part of your pet emergency kit for other reasons. Aside from easier and safer transport, pet carriers provide warmth and comfort for your furry friend. When you’re at an evacuation shelter, the carrier will keep your pet from getting lost or from bothering other people.
The Petmate Two Door Top Load is the right size for cats and small dog breeds weighing between 10 to 20 pounds. It is a must-have for pet owners who travel often. It measures 19 inches which is approved for airline travel.
The Petmate comes with ventilated sides and two doors for easier access. There’s one at the top, which also holds the ergonomic comfort-grip handle. The other door is on one side and can easily be opened by simply squeezing the latch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr36_7jXQ5E
Not all pet lovers own cats or dogs. Some prefer two-legged creatures such as birds. If you’re a bird lover, you should have a bird carrier with your pet emergency kit.
The Colorday Lightweight Bird Carrier weighs only 1.8 pounds (0.85 kg) making it pretty easy to carry around. You can carry it as a backpack or hold it by its handle like a briefcase.
The bird carrier measures 16 x 9 x 11 inches and features a panoramic sunroof design, which allows the bird to see what’s happening outside and feel less stressed while traveling. It also makes it easier to check on your bird.
The bag comes with anti-grab mesh ventilation along the front and rear ends and a solid wood perch inside. The zipper design makes it easier to access the bird while the carrier can be folded for easy storage.
Leash or Harness
Dogs can get aggressive or scared in a stressful situation. A leash or harness will let you control your dog so it won’t go running away or attacking other people, zombies, or aliens even.
The BAAPET Dog Leash measure 5 feet, which should be long enough to allow your canine to move around while giving you proper control when necessary. It is made of heavy duty rock climbing rope with a diameter of half an inch.
The leash comes with a soft padded handle giving you utmost comfort even with your dog tugging the leash. The highly reflective threads of the leash make it easy to spot in the dark. This would come in handy in case the power grid goes down.
Another option is the TUG Patented 360° Retractable Dog Leash. Some dog owners want their pets to run around but don’t want to let go completely. Aside from possible separation anxiety, the owner just doesn’t want his or her dog to run away and never come back.
The TUG dog leash is 16 feet of heavy duty tangle free retractable tape leash with an ergonomic anti-slip handle. It features a quick lock and unlock system that helps make sure you can control your dog quickly when needed.
The TUG dog leash is available in three sizes. The small Leash is recommended for pets weighing 35 pounds or less. The medium-sized leash is for dogs less than 55 pounds while the large one is perfect for 110 pounds or below.
Collars and ID Tags
Emergency or not, your pet should have an ID tag and collar. This will help ensure you get it back in case it gets lost. A microchip implant is another option.
The Electronic Dog Training Collar from Dog Care is a device that not only helps identify your pet but also aids in training your furry friend. It can help you teach your dog to be obedient without being inhumane.
The waterproof dog collar features three different training modes – beep, vibration, and shock. The static level and collar size can be adjusted so you can decide which are best for your dog. All these aids in training your canine friend to do basic commands and behave properly, which is something you’d want when you’re surrounded by chaos.
Another impressive feature of this pet emergency kit must-have is that it can control up to nine dogs. That means you don’t have to buy more electronic collar sets just to train all your pets since one remote can control that many canines.
On days that you don’t have to worry about earthquakes, floods, or zombies, you can take the leash off your dog and just use the rechargeable collar to control your pet. The wireless remote control works up to a range of 330 yards.
The Dog Care Training Collar now comes with a security keypad lock that prevents you from accidentally shocking your dog. You can also use a lanyard to hang the remote around your neck. This keeps you from accidentally pressing the button when it’s in your pocket similar to what happens when you butt dial someone.
The collar mechanism comes with a battery life that lasts up to 15 days. The battery of the actual remote, meanwhile, can last up to 45 days.
ID tags are must-haves for all pet owners. This is the easiest way to identify a lost pet. GoTags make personalized dog and cat tags out of stainless steel, which is more durable than aluminum tags. They have a good selection of designs such as bones, flowers, ribbons, and lots of different shapes.
You can get up to eight lines of personalized text laser engraved on the ID tag. That’s up to four lines on each side. As you can see in the photo, you can have the name of your pet, your name, address, and contact number engraved. Of course, you can put anything you want but those details should be prioritized.
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Food and Water
Food and water are pet emergency kit must-haves for obvious reasons. In a SHTF scenario, food and water are the first two things to go out of stock. Most people who fail to prepare for emergencies will be scrambling to buy or loot what they can from stores.
Avoid such bedlam by stocking up on supplies long before any threat rears its ugly head. The same goes for your pet’s food and water supply.
Ideally, you should store the favorite food of your pet whether it’s a dog, cat, bird or whatever. If you own a dog, you can go for something like the Mayday Emergency Survival Dog Food, which is produced specifically for the prepper in mind. One pack includes ten 8-ounce bags of dog food vacuum sealed to keep it fresh. It has a 5 year shelf life, which is ideal for prepping with pets.
Aside from your bug out bag, you should also prepare one for your dog or whatever pet you have. The pet emergency kit should include at least two weeks supply of food and water.
The best thing about dog food is that it’s okay for human consumption. Pet food may not be too appetizing when you think about it but if you haven’t eaten for days, pet food will give you enough nutrition to live for another day or so.
Plastic Bags
One of the biggest problems with pets is their poop. Even if they’re potty trained, you don’t have the luxury of a privacy when you’re in a shelter with tons of other evacuees. Plus, the government will be more focused on taking care of the needs of the humans. It’s up to you then to care for your pets.
Part of your responsibility is to properly dispose of your pet’s waste. Pack garbage bags or other plastic bags in your pet emergency kit for this purpose. A better choice with be poop bags that are made specifically to handle waste.
Earth Rated Dog Poop Bags keeps your mind at ease knowing that you don’t have to worry about the horrendous odor or leaking poop. The 23 x 33 cm bags are made of recycled materials with an EPI additive to make them as earth-friendly as possible.
The extra thick 100%t leak-proof bags will keep your hands safe from poop and its nasty germs. They also use lavender scent to block the foul odor.
Each set includes 270 poop bags that come in 18 refill rolls of 15 bags. They’re easy to open and tie securely, which makes things a whole lot better.
Portable Litter Box and Cat Litter
Cats are different from dogs in many ways including their pooping routines. While dogs can basically go anywhere unless trained, cats prefer some place they can bury and cover their excrement. It’s their natural instinct to hide their scent from other animals.
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In case of an emergency and you have to leave your home, you must have a portable litter box included in your pet emergency kit. The Pet Fit For Life set comes with a portable litter box that you can bring anywhere you go, especially when you’re in a rush.
Aside from the collapsible litter box, the set also has a portable cat cage, collapsible bowl for food or water, a velvet floor pad, and a feather toy. It also has four stakes you can use to secure the cat condo to the ground.
The cat cage is made of nylon and a flexible steel frame. It comes in large (32 x 19 x 19 inches) and medium (24 x 16 x 5 inches) sizes. The large one can fit two full grown cats.
Pack a small Bag of cat litter with your pet emergency kit. Dr. Elsey’s Premium Clumping Cat Litter is an ideal one for travel and emergency purposes. It’s 99.9% dust free, hypo-allergenic and has superior odor control so you won’t worry about people getting annoyed or allergic. The litter also turns to hard clumps making it easier to clean up.
First Aid Kit and Medications
The risk of getting hurt is high during a natural disaster or other emergency situations. This applies to pets, too. Aside from being a tad more careful, you should also be prepared.
Include a first aid kit in your pet emergency kit. The Rayco International Ltd Pet First Aid Kit includes different kinds of bandages, gauze rolls and pads, Band-Aids, patch adhesives, first aid tape, antiseptic wipes, exam gloves, styptic pencil, scissors tweezers, tick removal tool, syringe, wooden tongue depressors, cold pack, and a 15 ml saline solution tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGQtCh7zhjI
The lightweight first aid kit also comes with an emergency blanket, collapsible water bowl, a flashing LED emergency collar with 3 different settings, which you can turn on when you or your pet needs recuing and medical assistance.
The medical supplies are kept in a durable water-resistant bag that comes with interior pockets for better organization. There’s enough space to add more medical supplies.
If your pet has an existing medical condition, make sure you have the medicines in your pet emergency kit. List down the dosing instructions for each medicine.
Pet Toys
Pet toys helps keep your cat or dog busy and prevent them from being destructive. They also get stressed, especially if they’re teething or when they’re separated from you. Toys can help them cope with what’s happening around them.
The Hartz Dura Play Bacon Scented Dog Toys is made of durable foam wrapped in firm and natural latex. If you didn’t notice it the first time, the toy is bacon- scented. And who doesn’t love bacon or at least the scent of it.
Important Documents
Place all important documents of your pet in a waterproof container and keep it in your pet survival kit. You need all the vital information in case of an emergency. Veterinarians will have a better idea on how to treat your pet if you can show them its medical history.
Have a copy of your pet’s other important information. Make sure to keep pictures of your pet in the envelope. It’s a good idea to have at least one with you and other family members in the photo as proof of ownership in case it gets lost.
Pre-Made Pet Emergency Kit
There are pre-made emergency kits available that’ll help give you a head start in pet preparedness. The Ready America 77100 Cat Evacuation Kit, for example, already comes with three days’ worth of cat food and water pouches, both of which have 5-year shelf lives. Other emergency items are a pet carrier, water bowl, litter pan, cat litter, litter scoop, pet wipes, collar, toy, cat treats, and a pet ID tag. There are even first aid items such as gauze roll, antibiotic ointment, antiseptic cleansing wipes, and a pair of nitrile gloves.
Other Pet Emergency Kit Items
While those already listed are the most basic emergency items for cats and dogs, there are more you can add to your pet survival kit. Nail clippers, for one, will keep cats from hurting other people and doing damage to some stuff. You’ll also be glad you have disinfectants, paper towels, and newspapers in your pet’s grab-and-go bag.
Despite their fur, animals can also get cold especially if the temperature drops really low. Pack blankets for them. A life jacket will help them survive floods.
(Related: Christmas Gift Ideas to Prepare Pet Owners for Emergencies)
Tips on Leaving Your Pet Behind
There may be cases where you can’t take your pets with you. If the military orders your evacuation, for example, they may not allow pets in the trucks. In case this happens, give your animal friends a better chance of surviving until you can come back home.
Place them in a secure are inside your home. Make sure there’s enough ventilation but don’t leave the windows open. Don’t chain them outside.
The bathroom is a good place to keep your pet. You can leave the faucet dripping a bit into a bowl so your pet can have continuous supply of water. It’s also easier to clean your pet’s waste in the bathroom.
Leave ample food. About ten days’ worth should be enough. If you can leave more than that then it’ll be better for them. Also, make sure they can easily access their food and water.
Leave signs on the main door and on the door where you left your pet. This will help point rescuers to the right direction. Don’t forget to leave copies of your pet’s documents and photos along with your contact information.
Most people consider their pets as part of the family. Some even consider them as their only family. This is why it’s important to include them in your emergency preparedness plans. Building a pet emergency kit is a good start.
Check out Gentleman Pirate Club to know more about prepping and disaster preparedness. This is important whether you own a pet or not.
