Are you prepared?

Fires, floods, hurricanes, blizzards, long term power outages. Natural and man made disasters can spell trouble for you and your dogs.

The key to surviving these traumatic events is preparation. Everyone should have an emergency kit available in case they have to evacuate their home. This kit should always be on hand either in place that is easily accessible or in a vehicle. Put it together now so that during times of stress it is one thing less to worry about. Everyone should have a kit for their family and one for the dogs. The following is a suggestion for your dog emergency kit.

Your Dog emergency kit should contain the following items:

Your emergency contact list, this information should be kept current at all times, make sure you include:

Your own contact information, cell phone numbers, email addresses
A friend or relative who lives outside of your area, preferably some one who knows your dogs
A Local contact
Veterinarian’s contact information
A local boarding facility
The local Animal control facility
A contact with your local or regional or All breed club.

Dog ID information:

Each dog should have a folder, notebook or file, which contains a copy of:
Copy of the dog’s identification records
AKC registration
Microchip number
DNA profile
Local licenses and copy of current vaccinations
Current photo and physical description and a premade poster for missing animals to attach current photos to if needed.

Emergency items:

You should be able to quickly locate crates for all dogs being evacuated. Folding wire works best since they can be more easily stored.
A collar for each dog with an ID tag attached with your emergency contact information
Leashes short and long
Food and Water bowls
Dog rug or blanket
Muzzle
A tie out stake
Waste bags/pooperscooper/deodorizer for accidents
Familiar toys/treats/rawhide or hoof to fight off boredom
Vitamins and/or nutrition supplement (helps with stress)
Food and water, recommended minimum 7 day supply and water with a 5 year shelf life.

First Aid kit

Most of us travel with a First aid kit, you may want to have an emergency kit that includes eye wash, Betadine, Peroxide, scissors, gauze and tape, quikstop, tweezers, anti diarrhea medicine, antibiotic cream, Epsom salts, baby wipes, vetwrap, Flea and tick treatments, 7 days worth of prescription meds or normal supplements. Check with your veterinarian for more suggestions.

Now that you have your Emergency kit prepared take a moment and think about how you would get your dogs loaded and evacuated with less than 1 hours notice. How would you leave your property, what are the routes you would need to use to evacuate? Hopefully your emergency kit will never be needed but being prepared can help make an emergency safer and less stressful.