72 Hour Kit Ideas Week #21: Pets

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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.)

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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.

131 thoughts on “72 Hour Kit Ideas Week #21: Pets”

  1. I love your idea of having a muzzle in the kit, especially for people with dogs that can be anxious around strangers or in new situations, but as a veterinarian, I would strongly urge people to consider a “basket muzzle” rather than a cloth muzzle. Basket muzzles allow dogs to pant and drink water, but block anything solid from entering their mouth. This is CRUCIAL! Dogs thermoregulate through panting. This will be especially important in stressful situations. I have actually treated dogs for extreme hyperthermia in the past that occurred because their owners left them at home with a cloth muzzle on, to prevent barking (their neighbors had complained). They assumed since it was pleasant weather (mid-70 s), that it would be fine. The dogs presented to the hospital comatose, and now have permanent kidney damage, though we were (fortunately) able to save their lives with hospitalization and IV fluids.

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  2. I just found your site and we are working on our packs and lists, having three dogs who have traveled and competed throughout their lives, we have a very extensive first aid kit (human/dog) so that is the second item grabbed in both of our escape plans. In addition, I highly recommend a set of leashes and collars in a packed bag as well as a set close to the door, boots or vetwrap (CoFlex) for foot protection, and taking the time to train your dogs on how to react with strangers and to walk on lead. Ours know to hop directly into their kennels in the car, as well as are pretty good about ignoring other animals and people as we walk. I still need to find some dehydrated raw food for my pack and now am considering getting each dog it’s own pack to carry.

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    • Thanks for the tips Beth! And feel free to leave them anytime you want on any week you want!

      Sorry for the delayed response. We’ve been sick around here and I’ve just been doing the bare minimum.

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  3. So I know I’m on the wrong week but thought about this and wanted to share incase I forgot when this week came around. Incase anyone else could benifit. We have a backpack for our dog. A book suggest it as a way to give an over active dog a job while on walks to help him focus on the task at hand instead of dragging me behind him. It seemed to work. He now lives with my parents so he can run free, but thinking about it this would be a great way for people with bigger dogs that they plan on taking with them to carry the extra water for their dog. That’s what we did with ours. His treat for doing his job good was his water bottle. But in truth that really is his favorite toy. He opens it and drinks it all on his own. A spits out the cap. It amazing.

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  4. I have found collapsible bowls at various sites, they store very easily. My first one was from pampered chef, but then I found a reversible one online (don’t remember where). In our emergency kits, I have one medium bowl in my bag that is labeled (with sharpie) so that we can eat out of one side and it can be reversed inside out for dog water. Just a suggestion, I know that some may not want to “share” with their dog. Being a single mom, and needing to carry more, I have decided that I would rather have less weight.

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    • The collapsible bowls are fantastic, but I got a container for my dog that is a clear plastic canister with a screwtop lid and then has bowls that fit around either end as “caps” and hold together with a handle that pops off. I found this to be more practical as it is more of a contained system that you could hang off a bag and you only need the extra space inside for the water bottle. When we are ready to go, we just scoop the whole open canister into the bag to fill it and pop on the ends.

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  5. I have four greyhounds. All of these hints are a big help! I second the idea of harnesses — especially for my greys. One thing I would like to add:

    Lots of people have listed having pictures of you and your pets/shot records, ect. In addition to having hard copies of these, you could put them on a thumb drive and put that on your key chain or in your pet’s bag.

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    • Great idea Pat! Thanks!

      And sorry my response was so delayed. I was in Costa Rica for a week and I’m just now getting caught up!

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  6. I was introduced to this blog through Pinterest. I have a 2 yr old lab who has his own “bag” it started when he was a pup and we had to carry it when we traveled, now I am considering getting him a “saddle bag” style bag from REI so he can carry some of his own things. In the old gym bag we have a harness, extra leash, two small metal dog bowls, a rawhide, a tennis ball, a blanket, booties which fit him and he tolerates (we got from REI, I HIGHLY recommend these they are neoprene and have a rubber bottom and stop him from shredding his paws on rocks), a vest (ours is for duck hunting but it is neoprene and has a thicker chest area to protect his vital organs, we got ours at Cabela’s, you can get them in camo or in high visability orange) also keeps them warm in cold conditions, extra bottle of ear medicine (because labs/larger dogs who go in water often get yeast infections if their ears get wet and small dogs are known to ear mites, baby aspirin- dogs can have one baby aspirin because they too need inflamation control and pain management( my vet recommended it), benedryl for itching and mild sedation (it makes them a little sleepy which is good if they are panicing), triple antibiotic ointment (you might have this in your own first aid kit but its good for the dog to have his own), shot record, dog wipes, for his water we have our water filter so whatever water is available we can run it through out filter and give him some too, flea and tick treatments, heartworm treatments, dog nail clippers- because if they partially rip a nail off you’ll need to take it the rest of the way so it doesnt do further damage, extra brush (my dog is odd it calms him when he is brushed and can help with matts or moving fur out of the way if there is an injury), for his first aid i have gauze pads, q-tips, clotting stick and a small bottle of hibiclens (soap that can be used on humans and animals you can get at walmart or any store in the pharmacy dept), but you can buy pet first aid kits from Cabela’s which has anything you might need including medication and sryinges for irrigating wounds and stiches/stapler kit with instructions because often you can’t get to a vet fast enough to be seen in an emergency. Our dog is chipped in case he is ever lost and knows how to swim in case there is ever a flood (he is a bird dog after all). Last minute we put food into ziploc bags he eats four cups a day of dry dog food, this way it never goes bad just sitting in his “go” bag and worst case scenario his entire dog food bag (40lb bag) can be taken, it is plastic and has a zip top to it (Eukenuba Naturally WIld). And his favorite toy (at the moment because with dogs we know it always changes). If I am missing something let me know, but I would really consider making booties mandatory because if there is broken glass, broken pavement, shards of wood, running in an unfaimilar place, itll protect your “furbaby’s” paws and he needs those most for mobility.

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    • Wow. Thanks for all the insight Courtney!

      And sorry my response was so delayed. I was in Costa Rica for a week and I’m just now getting caught up!

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  7. If you’re not a kibble or canned feeder, you can get dehydrated raw but make sure to account for the extra water to rehydrate. I keep activated charcoal to the first aid kit in case the dog or cat ingests something weird. I also keep a bandana that I can put on to identify our dog and a leash tag that matches. Good list!

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  8. One thing no one has mentioned is having a list of multiple pet boarding houses or day care ect. On hand. Depending on the situation taking your pet may not be an option. Shelters usually will not take pets. During catrina some people wouldnt leave because the shelter/boats wouldn’t take there animals and ended up putting themselves in more danger. If at all possible I would take my animals with me if we had to leave our home, but I would in no way endanger my child if the an emergency shelter wouldn’t take my animals. So having at least an idea of those locations and phone numbers could help. I remember hearimg something about being able to essentialy save a spot if something were to happen, but can’t rem when or any details, but something people could look into if they had the money.

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  9. I also have a disposable litter box that you can pick-up at pet stores. The litter is sealed in a plastic litter box and when you need it, you just peel away the sticker.

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  10. We have a lab, a chihuahua, a cat and 4 chickens. The dogs are not a problem, other than the lab is terrified of storms! We have a carrier for the cat but he would be very likely take off. I do need to get a auto feeder and waterer for him if he does this. I have been working to store extra food for all of our animals. We plan to hunker down, we would only evacuate if absolutely necessary. Chickens are easy, pull some weeds, find some bugs and they will reward you with good fresh eggs 🙂 you just have to make sure that they have water. We now have a rainwater storage of about 750 gallons just need to get filtration for the water.

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  11. I have most of this stuff already but have to get it all together. That’ is what I LOVE about this blog, it helps me to get it all. I need to get a pet first aid kit. I hadn’t even thought about getting one. Thanks again for this blog, it is so awesome!

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  12. PET ID TAGS! microchip numbers, vaccination tags, and I have these little hearts that clip on with on/off switch that light up and blink so I can turn them on if we were having to move during a hurricane or something in case they get loose at night to help me find them.

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  13. Hi Misty. Thanks for the freebies. Hope to win some more. 🙂
    Anyway for this week, I am adding a flint to my survival pack. We already have flashlights and candles. But if the electricity is down, the only for me to cook is with fire bc my stove is electric. However I did go out and bought a table top stove that uses a can of butane for fuel. I’ve used it before an it works really nicely. It can only cook one meal at a time though so be patience and start early.

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  14. We don’t have flea and tick medication so I guess that needs to go on my shopping list. We have a backpack that our large dog wears so he can carry his collapsible bowls and enough food for 2 days. Anyone with a large dog may want to consider one as well as booties if there is the potential for lots of snow. (Our dog just tries to eat them, so people may want to test with scrape fabric first.) Also great for winter hiking and mountain climbing. We have carriers, leashes and a stake. Pretty much everything you would take camping with a dog. Since bunking down at home is the most likely scenario I doubt I will worry about a way to carry more food than what he can handle.

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  15. Hmmm… ok, I’m gonna be an outcast here. We live in an area that that is ideal for “hunkering down”. So, we would continue to care for our 2 cats, letting them get more and more of their nutrition from hunting in the woods. We would promptly eat most of our rabbits and chickens… and frantically figure out how to continue to feed a few egg layers.

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    • I would probably hunker down also as my property backs up to a creek that feeds into the Chesapeake bay and we are surrounded by woods. I doubt if we will ever go off on foot but you never know. So I feel this is one of those scenarios of better safe than sorry.

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  16. We have 2 cats and have prepared as much as possible for them. I have all of the supplies they need in a medium size storage container which could double as a litter box, if need be. I’ve even slept with the blanket I’ve stored in there, so my scent will be on it…pets are often calmed by their owners’ scents. I use that technique with the liners in their carriers for vet visits, too. Thanks to Emma, I will be adding Benedryl & Pepcid to our pet kit, and I’ll be looking into wheeled carriers for our cats, thanks to Melanie!

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  17. I bought the collapsible pet bowls in case we have to evacuate. And, I also bought a stake to drive into the ground to keep the pup close. I haven’t done much aside from that…

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  18. This one is easier if you can travel in a vehicle, harder if you are going on foot. I know if we go in the car, the dog can just jump in with the kids (he loves to ride) and the cat can go in the carrier in the back. It is more difficult if we are on foot. Again, the dog is easy, as he can be leashed and will walk with us. The cat would have to be carried in a pet carrier, and I can see that that would become burdensome really quickly. I wonder if one of those soft dog carriers that some people carry little dogs in would work? It would have to seal completely, as we can take no chance of her getting lose. She is a rescue cat, and was declawed when we got her. She cannot protect herself! Suggestions welcome! 🙂

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  19. I have 2 outdoor cats that would not go with us if we had to leave but I would use the auto feeders and waterers and make sure they would be filled before leaving. However, if we are able to stay home I have an extra 20lb bag of cat food and some water stored in glass 1 gal wine jugs(3). We also have a goldfish we won at the county fair 7 years ago that we would not transport but I have an extra bottle of food stored and this weekend will be picking up the kind you leave in the tank that provides food over a period of time. We are also the proud owner of a green check conure. I have extra food for him also but didn’t store water as I thought in would just share mine but I guess I better add a 16oz bottle a day for him to be safe. I have a bag of food for here and a smaller container of food to travel with. Now I will try and find a smaller cage to travel with.

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  20. We have a dog. but I truely hadn’t thought about having things ready for him in an emergency other than having an extra bag of dog food on hand. Thank you for this list 🙂

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  21. Suggestion for the pets: up to date shots paperwork. Make a copy and put it with your paperwork for the family. I have not made it that far for documents so it may be listed, but thought of it now on this pet page. Most shelters won’t allow pets, but will hopefully have an alternative to take them with paperwork. In regards to your power outage phone issue. I used to teach emergency safety and first thing we hit on was have an out of town (prefer out of state) number to call and check in. Just like you found out, in most disasters you can’t call around town but you can call out. This may be listed later on, but with your outside number, put that on all kids bags to call this number to report where they are for a parent to meet up with them. Teach your kids to show this number to whomever finds this and have directions on who the person is calling to report welfare of the child. This is a really great list of items to pack and have ready. 🙂

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  22. Great post. I recently had to do a mini evacuation with my two dogs. Luckily, I had everything on your list in one place so, while I forgot my toothbrush, the dogs had their favorite toys and extra leashes.
    I also kept a folder with all of their medical records in my kit. Some hotels won’t admit animals without up to date shot records. And if you need to go to a strange vet during an emergency, you don’t have to remember which medication Fluffy is allergic to or when exactly he had his last rabies shot.

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  23. Don’t forget to include enough water (above and beyond the water for you) in your storage/go bags for your pets too. They need their own supply.
    Also when storing pet food it’d be best to vacuum seal it, or put into another air tight container. I had dog food in a zip lock in my go bag and forgot to rotate it for at least a year and when i did finally go through my bag there was this horrible smell because the dog food had spoiled. I couldn’t remove the smell from the other items no mater how hard I tried, so i ended up having to get a new backpack and replace most of my supplies.
    Also always try to keep enough pet food on hand in your home to last you a at least 3-4 weeks (or more). In the even of an emergency if supplies are disrupted, pet food may be low on the priority list of supplies being brought in and you don’t want your pet to be without.

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