“…have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”
Since man walked out of the Garden of Eden, we have kept all kinds of animals as pets. I believe owning a pet, having dominion of it, gives you the responsibility to feed and care for it come rain or shine. In our preparedness walk Trudee found this link covering Disaster Preparedness for your pets. If you have pets I strongly suggest you read it, as I’ll only touch on a few points, and add some info I think is lacking. I want to make one special note, you can get free window decals from the ASPCA that you can use to list the number and type of pets in your home. This is a good idea just in case of fire when you’re not there.
Pet Food
We store two 35 pound bags of dog food in a 30 gallon metal garbage can. We have a plastic bin that we keep the food we’re feeding them with near the kitchen. When that runs out, I take the top bag and dump it in the plastic bin. When we get a new bag of food that goes to the bottom of the metal can. If you have big dogs you may think of keeping two metal cans.
Bugging out
I have said it before, staying home is the best option for the vast majority of events. But if you’re forced to bug out, please have a plan for your pets. When we went through CERT training, the emergency manager stated that they would allow pets in, however if they were not chipped, they would be on the spot. Keep in mind that not all shelters will allow pets, so finding a shelter, relative or a hotel that will allow animals is a good idea to do now, before it is needed.
We have a small BOB for each of the dogs attached to our BOB. It contains an extra collar and leash, collapsible bowl, some vacuum sealed food and toys.
We also have one of the larger metal cages that, in an emergency, we would stick in the back of our SUV, safely containing the dogs. Keeping them safe and out of the way would let us keep the doors open without worrying that one or all of them would take off, avoiding an even bigger problem.
Pet First Aid
If your pet is on medication, you should try to have a few extra weeks set aside, and be rotating it. There are several first aid classes available, just search for one in your area. I was also able to find this page online that covers some general steps in pet first aid.. There is also a smart phone app for $4.99. I have not used it but there is a seven minute long video that explains the app in more detail.
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Thank you for not taking the position of abandoning your pets, or killing them.
During Katrina many dogs were left behind, and became a problem. Many said that the owners should haver put the dogs down before they left.
I think that both of those options are irresponsible. Yes, if there is absolutely no choice, it would be better to put them down than abandoning them. However, I think both of these options are very shortsighted.
Animals (especially dogs) are very useful creatures. They have senses that put ours to shame. Even a small dog is a wonderful alert system. They can tell when someone is nearby, when we have no idea. Dogs will fight to protect their families. Even small dogs will. They also would assist in hunting.
If I have to bug out, I plan on camping AWAY from government shelters. Just part of being prepared.
I agree with you Carl, if we have to leave we plan on taking ours with. If for some reason we just could not, I would put them down before leaving them to fend for themselves and being small dogs, they would be prey.
My cousin went down just after Katrina to assist in rescuing animals, it wasn’t pleasant.
Can never forget our wonderful pets!!
I have tried to think of “human food” that could serve both the pets and us. One is sardines. They go on sale so cheaply – last forever – and both the dogs and cats love them. Plus, they are small, stack easy and not heavy to carry if necessary.
Also, my mother – still with us at 95 years, recalls that before WW11, there was hardly any processed pet food – and a main staple was oatmeal. So I always keep an extra large bag thinking of porridge for pets and us. It needs more care in keeping than the sradines. Tuna – cats love the juice – but I realize it isn’t as good for them. So mixing tuna with oatmeal and rice – could work in a pinch!
I had never heard of oatmeal, that’s good to know.
Great article! Quick and informative read, and thank you for mentioning CERT, a favorite experience/organization of mine. You covered the most important things, and given me a great idea. I’m going to ask my Vet if she’ll sponsor a pet CPR class. I’ve bookmarked the page you provided, but I think a class would be a great idea. Keep this good stuff coming!
Thanks Michael. A pet CPR class is a good idea, I’ll link something you might be interested in.
http://basicanimalrescuetraining.org/
here is an email that I received that has some great info:
“Chris,
In trying to plan for our daughter’s dog, a friend told me about wwwMREdepot.com. They have canned, dry pet food; said to keep ten years. We purchase extra and rotate as you do, however, I thought it would be prudent to have some dry canned dog food in our long term storage. In a pinch, our Gran-dog could also have rice with chicken or hamburger.
It would also be important to have our Grand-dog’s vaccination and current health records at hand in case there was any question his tags were accurate. Depending on the state, only vaccinated pets are permitted, in shelters. I plan to put his health record, a spare leash and collar, an extra fuzzy blanket, his favorite “Greenies” (treats), a collapsible dish and some dry food in a backpack in the front closet.
Thank you for all the great information you work to bring us!
God Bless,”