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This post is full of tips for adding pet supplies to your 72 hour kit.
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Pets & 72 Hour Kits
I don’t have pets, so this is a tough one for me. But for many, pets are nearly as dear to them as children, and it is very important to be prepared for them! Many of the first aid items you’ve already packed could be used to help your pet as well. Here are a few suggestions. And there are LOTS of fabulous additional tips in the comments section. If you have pets you’ve love, make sure to read the comments!
- Food (preferably dry for the longer shelf life)
- Treats
- Small bowls for them to eat drink from
- Litter
- A favorite blanket
- A favorite toy
- Plastic bags for waste
- Muzzle (may be more prone to biting if scared)
- Medication they may need
- Leash
- Pet first aid manual
- A stake to secure leash to if you can’t hold them
- Sedatives (in case of uncontrollable fear of loud noises, etc. Thanks to reader, Rachel for suggesting this.)
- Pet carrier (obviously wouldn’t fit in your kit, but have one nearby. Thanks to reader Shauna for suggesting this.)
- Flea & tick treatments (Thanks to reader Sharon for this tip.)
Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.
Another must have emergency preparation for your pet is a microchip. Be sure to keep the microchip number and the contact information for the microchip emergency website with you! If your pet becomes separated from your family, a microchip is the best hope you have of being reunited with your beloved pet.
Another helpful item for pets, especially during thunderstorms, is to rub a Downy Fabric Softener sheet all over their fur to reduce static electricity and help keep your pup more calm. I’m going to put some fabric softener sheets in a ziplock bag in my emergency kit. If you have to evacuate, and maybe have to convince a hotel manager to allow your pet to stay with you, you need to be able to keep your pet calm and quiet so as not to upset fellow travelers/evacuees. Bonus: the fabric softener makes your pet smell so good!
Prepping to care for my beloved pup in an emergency is very important to me. A new commercially available item called a Thunder Shirt is on my wish list. It’s supposed to help calm dogs and cats during a storm. Seems to be based on the idea of swaddling an infant to keep it calm. I also plan to buy collapsible water and food bowls. They’re much easier to pack than standard bowls.
THanks for the tips Kathryn!
We combine our human first aid kit with our pet first aid kit by using all natural, therapeutic grade essential oils that we know are safe for not only expectant mothers but also safe for newborns, babies, children, the elderly and all pets. This saves so much space for us since we use them to disinfect our water, calm the anxious, lower fevers or body temps when extreme heat is a concern, Be applied to our skin on open wounds or irritations, taken internally to prevent or kill parasites, and one of my favorites…. To keep bugs away from us and our pets (feas and ticks included). What’s best is you absolutely don’t have to rotate these oils because they are pure and unadulterated which means they don’t expire 🙂 I highly recommend making sure pure, therapeutic grade essential oils are a part of your survival kit.
By the way – I love how you have broken down preparing a survival kit! It’s very easy to follow and it’s packed with great info!
Melissa
I thought that I would share something I saw in Walmart the other day. They actually carry pop up kennels for $20-$26. You just hold it out and it pops right up and then you fold it up. Perfect for a 72 hour kit! I bought one and it fits right into our dogs bag!
Fabulous Jessica! Thanks!
Hello!
In my animals kit I make sure I have several boxes of Benedryl as well as Pepcid AC. My husband’s grandpa is a vet and he recommended them. They are cheaper than pet medication, have longer shelf life and the Benedryl acts as a sedative, calming your pet down (we use it in long car rides) and the Pepcid will help keep food/anxiety down (some dogs will throw up their food when they’re nervous and that is VERY counterproductive in case of an emergency). We also keep paper towels, upholstery cleaner, and a waterproof dog cover for the seat in our car. In case of an emergency and we can’t stop to let them out to go to the bathroom or pull over if they get sick it’s good just to be able to clean it up.
Thanks Emma! I will add this to both this week and the meds week when I cycle through them again! LOVE all the reader tips! Thanks!
You might also want to include on the Pet printable the phone number for the “furbaby’s” Vet, local animal control/humane society, and the phone number for the Animal Poison Control Center. That number is (888)426-4435.
If one is having to evacuate an area, a listing of pet friendly hotels is good too.
Found your blog through pinterest, and wanted to share what I have prepared for my pets in an emergency.
Both (dog and cat) are microchipped and the information is up to date (this is so important to update it every year!).
I also have a folder with recent photos of me/husband with the pet and a copy of their vet records in case we get separated and there are issues reclaiming the pet.
Having a harness for both pets is important for us too. Our cat can slip out of his collar no problem, but in an emergency, we would put his harness on with ID tags on it so that he can’t slip out. This would work for small pets like bunnies too.
Great tips Kayla! Thanks for taking the time to share them! I love all the extra ideas we all get from each other!
All the suggestions are great on here already, the only things I’d say is maybe adding a part (if not a link through to other ones made) for making emergency/evacuation cages for small animals like rats, ferrets, birds, chinchillas etc! I’ve seen some neat ones made out of plastic storage boxes with the top cut off to be replaced with mesh. A fold down kennel for dogs and cats would be great to just keep in the car or easily-accessible somewhere else if they have that option, since it would be able to help contain them and give them a safe space during all of this – although that’s definitely circumstantial! I know pet carrier is on there too but since a foldable kennel would take less space it might be worth a mention. Another one for dogs is a thundershirt https://www.thundershirt.com/ which is great for anxiety, and in a high stress situation such as an evacuation might be really beneficial! Worrying about yourself and kids if applicable will already be tense enough without the potential of a freaked out dog on top of it, especially since they’ll be able to tell something is amiss. 🙂 By having this on hand it lessens the need for medication too, and thus should have a basically ‘infinite’ shelf life.
Great suggestions Brandy! Thanks!
I know the pet list has been done for a while, but i just started reading this. I have two dogs, a chihuahua and a lab mix. We plan to get a dog pack for the lab so that she can help carry stuff as well.
We do this for our lab/boxer mix as well!!
Our house is a bit of a zoo, with the pets outnumbering the people 2:1.
Our area is prone to tornadoes and in the past few years we have had both blizzards and major ice storms so with those emergencies in mind we have a small folder that contains each animal’s vet information, especially rabies certificates for the dogs and cats. Current pictures of each animal, preferably with one of their humans, in case you need to prove that your pet is actually yours. Also a pre-made “missing” flyer template for each pet. The idea for the folder came from a site for search and rescue dogs and the papers are needed if your family has to go to a shelter or needs to be reunited with your pets after a disaster. I would also add that each animal needs to have their current id tags on a safety collar that they are wearing. One other note is that, especially for our two big dogs, we use a harness with their leash, instead of just a collar, for a little added security.
Thanks for your lists that break this process down into less overwhelming steps!
I should add a pet printable to this week and the “important documents” week. I will do that during this 2nd round. Thanks for the great tip Terri!
Great ideas tks
for my dog’s kit I have a collapsible water/food bowl. This way it takes up hardly any space but I still have something to put food and water into for him. Also, since my dog is bigger, he has his own hiking backpack that all of his emergency things are packed into. This way he can carry it himself so I don’t have to carry all the weight! 🙂 That might not work for small dogs but for big dogs it will make your own life much easier! (I suggest getting them used to the backpack beforehand as well) 🙂
LOVE that idea Kim! Why not have them carry it if they can? Thanks!
They do make small backpacks for small dogs, so at least they could carry their treats or their medications if need be! Another good thing if you live where it floods would be to have a doggy life vest, especially for small or older dogs that tire easily. you can clip a leash or tie some paracord from a pretty compact bracelet to tow them
I have a small (4 lb) miniature pincher and she is not very good with people or new environments…something to PRE PLAN for an emergency event would be to make sure that you expose your animals to crowded places before a disaster happens, I couldn’t begin to imagine how my kids would react if we needed to let the dog go so we could stay somewhere she isn’t welcome. We take our dog into DC quite often so that she gets that exposure and hopefully one day she will calm down!
Great point Jessica! Thank you.
It looks like everyone has covered all the necessary items for the 72 hour bags (a couple I hadn’t thought of, so thanks). However,, I recently acquired an item worth having. On ASPCA’s website you can request a sticker for the window of your home informing rescue workers that you have a pet or pets in your home. You also receive an ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Magnet. FREE! Their website is: aspca.org.
GREAT tip Marcia. Thanks!
We have pretty much everything already on hand and in one location for our dog Since we travel a good bit. I haven’t thought about a stake- will have to add that after we go to the store. I’m thinking about purchasing a wagon big enough to fit the carrier in that way if she was hurt or even just nervous we could pull her in the wagon
Great idea Michael! Thanks for the input!
Well I just ordered another new mobile wheeled carrier for the newest cat. Our old cat carriers will still be used in our home or any stationary location as necessary. They are similar to a cat house with a handle on top, so they are still useful and not wasted. The mobility factor was an issue for me since I now have serious health issues. The new mobile wheeled cat carriers also convert quickly to a backpack for travel also. Ah research…a wonderful thing! Thanks for all the tips everyone has posted : )
I know, it is SO GREAT to have so many other ideas / insight here! Thanks to my great readers for all your comments! (-:
We don’t have any pets either, so we are good in this area.
Also that has to be one of the cutest puppies Iv ever seen. He/She is so Cute 🙂
Yes, adorable!
I would also make sure to have flea and tick treatments for my cat.
Added it to the list. THanks!
I realized that in my pet supplies I had updated one of cat carriers to a more mobile carrier w/ wheels, but not older carriers! We have 2 rescued cats now and have been using the new carrier to transport each cat separately to the vet etc. With our rescued dogs we have good transportation plans since they travel more, but I am learning the constant need to evaluate/update/implement all of our plans ; )
Yes, change is constant. Being flexible is a necessity!
There are no pets in our immediate family so this category gives me a week off (other than adding the usual weekly items to the kits). Congrats to Shauna! 😀
I want a week off! (-:
I don’t have any pets but I do like to keep food and treats on hand for strays in our area. Maybe a leash is a good thing to keep in the car if it is small because sometimes I come upon a really nice stray and wish I could easily take him home to check over for tags and then take to a shelter to have them checked out.
You are so kind Heidi!
We don’t have any pets and can’t due to our son breaking out if hives if he is even touched by a dog or someone who touches a dog (or cat). But it isn’t to say that pet things aren’t important.
It would be cool if dogs were able to be trained to not just bark at any old thing but for real threats…probably some dogs are better at being trained than others.
I would suggest having a good pet carrier especially if you have cats, as they do not walk on a leash. For smaller pets, one with a shoulder strap would work best.
Thanks SHauna!
our previous dog (85# APB/lab mix) had trouble w loud noises and specifically thunder. We always had to keep a supply of sedatives for him. might be a good thing to have for pets that are not normally bothered by this.
I’ll add it to the list! (-:
Wow, this is important too! We have a responsibility for several rescued pets that have health problems. We have the constant problem to have them be mobile to the vet which evolves as their health declines or hopefully improves. So one may want to include a practiced transportation to include: walk planks/ladders/pet stairs to get them in a vehicle. Also a proper area in your vehicle in case they have illness while traveling. This would include plastic sheeting or an appropriate covering for where they are in the vehicle. Plus a small vomit/waste kit w/bags, paper towels etc to clean areas that may become soiled. A transport kit of their medicines would be appropriate for longer term problems. Hope this helps : )
Thanks for the input (I obviously need it in this area!). So, are there walks / planks / ladders available that would fit in a survival pack you can carry? Or would you need something entirely separate?
Heartworm medication. Flea and tick drops.
Dry dog food will keep longer if vacuum sealed in daily portions–it typically has oils in it.
You can get collapsible food and water dishes at Family Dollar for $1 each.
Don’t forget something for warmth for them as well if temps become freezing.
They have the clot quick for pets and they can use bandages and benadryl is great for itching or for pets that are excited and need to be calmed. Extra cold packs for pets. They get sprains and overheated as well. Peptobismal. Baby aspirin is good for pets.
Extra duct tape could be used to make a “bootie” for them to save paws in hot areas or areas that my cause cuts and scrapes on their paws. Just make a pad of duct tape and then tie it on with gauze. Don’t actually tape the dog’s paws! Vet wrap–that stuff is the BEST ever and great for people too!
A tie out cord (metal covered in plastic that can be connected between a couple of trees) is good to keep them corralled and close when people are doing other duties.
Pet face wipes (look like baby wipes) to keep them clean and to clean cuts and scrapes.
Our pets are all chipped. It is essential that the info for the chip be up to date–another thing to check every 6 months or when changes have occurred. Important to be sure that they also have their rabies tags and an ID tag (easily available at places like Wal-Mart) on their collars. They should have collars. Be sure to have the paperwork for immunizations (proof of rabies vaccination), phone numbers for the chip companies, picture of the pets printed on a full sheet of paper so you can make a “Lost” sign or take to the animal shelters if you get separated. Phone numbers for your vet and emergency vet clinics.
A backpack for larger dogs will allow them to carry their own items.
Diapers or belly bands for dogs. When in new places or nervous accidents can sure happen! Or they may try to mark territory.
Heartworm medication. Flea and tick drops.
Dry dog food will keep longer if vacuum sealed in daily portions–it typically has oils in it.
You can get collapsible food and water dishes at Family Dollar for $1 each.
Don’t forget something for warmth for them as well if temps become freezing.
They have the clot quick for pets and they can use bandages and benadryl is great for itching or for pets that are excited and need to be calmed. Extra cold packs for pets. They get sprains and overheated as well. Peptobismal. Baby aspirin is good for pets.
Extra duct tape could be used to make a “bootie” for them to save paws in hot areas or areas that my cause cuts and scrapes on their paws. Just make a pad of duct tape and then tie it on with gauze. Don’t actually tape the dog’s paws! Vet wrap–that stuff is the BEST ever and great for people too!
A tie out cord (metal covered in plastic that can be connected between a couple of trees) is good to keep them corralled and close when people are doing other duties.
Pet face wipes (look like baby wipes) to keep them clean and to clean cuts and scrapes.
Our pets are all chipped. It is essential that the info for the chip be up to date–another thing to check every 6 months or when changes have occurred. Important to be sure that they also have their rabies tags and an ID tag (easily available at places like Wal-Mart) on their collars. They should have collars. Be sure to have the paperwork for immunizations (proof of rabies vaccination), phone numbers for the chip companies, picture of the pets printed on a full sheet of paper so you can make a “Lost” sign or take to the animal shelters if you get separated. Phone numbers for your vet and emergency vet clinics.
A backpack for larger dogs will allow them to carry their own items.
Diapers or belly bands for dogs. When in new places or nervous accidents can sure happen! Or they may try to mark territory.
Sorry! Seems it posted twice! Not sure why! Oye!
The walks/planks/ladders would be for a car. Not really practical if not in a vehicle.