Week 4 of the Kathleen Gage Community Challenge.
You may remember last week, I shared Hill’s tips for Securing Your Pet’s Safety in an Emergency. These tips were on a little post card we received in our swag bags at BlogPaws. The tips were on one side, and the other side had items you should have in your emergency bag.
People call these bags by different names. Some call them emergency bags, some call them “Go bags”, some call them “Bugout Bags”. It doesn’t matter what you call the bag, just make one.
Our house is situated on a decent sized hill. The likelihood of us having to leave due to a weather emergency is fairly slim. We are not in a flood zone, nor are we in an area that is prone to tornados. We do get some crazy thunderstorms, but I’ve never heard of anyone bugging out because of some boom booms. Although, I’m pretty sure the thought has crossed Sampson’s mind.
The one thing that does worry me is fire. The dumb ass kids in our neighborhood love to go up to the field during the summer and have bonfires. Even thought the fire is in the field, the field is surrounded by trees, and well, you just never know.
We have had a situation where we had a gigantic snowfall, that brought down many trees, and we did lose power for a week. In that instance, we sheltered in place, but the possibility exists that you could still need some or all of the items in your Go Bag.
Still, even with slim chances of emergencies, we do need to be prepared. I have one bag that is designated just for the dogs items. It is different than any other bag I have/use. This way, if I’m looking for something, I can easily find the bag.
Our “Go Bag”
Here is Hill’s list for a pet emergency go kit. As in the last post, Hill’s tips are in bold, while my comments are in italics.
- Basic first aid supplies, these can include vet tape, first aid ointment, bug/insect spray.
- A 3-day supply of bottled water and pet food. We typically feed raw, but in an emergency where we need to leave the house, or don’t have a way to keep the food from going bad, we will use kibble. I have a small bag of raw infused kibble, just for this scenario.
- Poop bags. These are something pet owners should have regardless, but it never hurts to throw a roll or two in your go bag, or in your purse, or in your car.
- Medications and copies of your pet’s vet records. I don’t know about you, but up until a couple of years ago, all the dogs records went into a three-ring binder. I’ve gotten way behind on keeping that up. My suggestion is to scan your records into your computer and keep a copy of it on a thumb drive that is easily transportable. Unless you’re better organized than I am, then by all means. Keep the records near or in the bag.
- A list of veterinarians and local pet care organizations. If you know you are leaving the area and traveling to a friend or relative’s house, or if you have a particular destination in mind, it’s easy enough to do the Google and have a facility in mind. In an emergency, you may struggle to find these numbers/addresses. It might be a good idea to have a plan in place for WHERE you would go. That way, you can do your research.
- A list of your pet’s food/medication and routine. This is more for if you are leaving your pet with someone. But sometimes when we’re displaced, we may lose track of our routine. Odds are your pet won’t. My tip is to keep your pet’s medications in one place, that way if you do need to leave quickly, you can simply grab the. My guys meds/supplements are all in two containers on my kitchen counter.
- Comfort items, like a blanket or favorite toy. We take the dog’s beds. One because they work great in the car, but two because it gives them something familiar when we travel. Having something familiar to your pet, will go a long way toward making them feel comfortable. And there is always a possibility you won’t know where you are sleeping.
I would also suggest spare leashes and collars for each pet. My dogs don’t wear collars in the house, so if we had to leave quickly, having those leashes and collars handy can be a life saver.
Some of the items for our “Go Bag”.
This is an older picture, so the items have changed. You can also adjust your bag depending on the season. So in winter, you might want boots instead of flea/tick spray.
Do you have an emergency bag for your pets? Can you think of anything else that you might want?
There are days when we’ll leave the boat for the entire day–like recently when the inside temperature was in the high 90s and it was cooler for me and Honey to sit under a tree in the boatyard.
But every time, I pack my little bag (water, bowl, food, treats, toy, etc.). Even without an emergency I need to take your advice to prep a “go bag.” Because we “go” all the time.
It’s a good idea to have, and makes it so much easier having items already packed before you ‘go’. Just grab the water and throw it in there. You can also rotate out toys so that the routine doesn’t get too mundane.
This last winter when I had to spend two days away from the RV to take Al to the hospital, I learned I need a go bag. For me and the dogs. Standing in the grocery store at 9pm after a long trying day, and attempting to find dog food I can feel good about feeding was tough. Plus a toothbrush, shampoo, and all the other assorted stuff I needed. Since I feed them dehydrated, I now have baggies of food and bowls in the truck, along with stuff for me.
I never thought about that scenario Mary. Those are good items to have, as you just never know. I should probably follow this post up with a human ‘go’ bag. I have a backpack started with some first aid items, but never thought about toothbrushes and tooth paste, etc…guess I’ve got some packing to do. 😉
Great tips! I have been slowly adding to the emergency kit in the car. The one tip I definitely want to add is an emergency location whenever we go visit my parents 100 miles away. Should Elsa have a seizure, we’d need a place to take her and don’t want to waste time trying to find something when she’s in a full blown episode. Thanks for all these terrific suggestions! Let’s hope none of us ‘has’ to use our “go bags.”
That’s a good plan Monika. If you know the route you always take, you could scope out vet offices along the way. That way, if something were to happen, you wouldn’t be frantically looking.
I’m with you, I hope we don’t need the bags!
Great post Jodi!! I need to put together a bugout bag for the girls – separate ones so I don’t mix up their meds – maybe I’ll run up to Target tomorrow to get a red backpack for Ducky’s stuff. I’ll get other supplies online – with the doggie flu going around down here, I’m steering clear of the pet supply stores.
Thanks Sue! I’m going to do a post about keeping meds straight, so maybe you won’t need two bags. 🙂
Because we also live in a pretty safe area, without a lot of severe weather, I don’t have anything like this. But I know I still should, because you do just never know what could happen. Gosh knows I have enough tote bags hanging around (and extra leashes, collars, etc. ) I could use for that purpose!
I’m so bad; I don’t have a bag or kit for Laika. And considering our house burnt down when I was a kid you’d think I’d understand the importance of being prepared. Thanks for this, I needed a reminder to get my butt in gear and put something together just in case.