Tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, fire...they are all very scary.
We've had our share of tornado warnings in our area of the country. One time we had to get in our safe room, and wait out a tornado that hit just south of our house. Luckily, we came out of that one with just a little damage to our house.
Emergencies come in many forms and may require anything from taking cover in a safe place in your home or a brief absence from your residence, to temporary or even permanent evacuation.
So, what can a green dog do to be prepared for emergencies?
You can do what we do, here's a great list to start:
Get a rescue alert sticker for the front window of your home! In the event of a disaster or emergency it will let rescuers know there are pets in the home and how many.- Be sure and take a pet first aid class and learn canine cpr, so you are ready when needed.
- Find a safe place in your home that you and your pet can go in an emergency ahead of time!
- And/or find a safe place for your pets if you have to leave or evacuate, and can't take them with you. Whether it's a friend's or family's home, or a temporary shelter or veterinarian, find a place your pet can stay safely until they can reunite with you. Keep their number in your pet emergency supply kit.
- Know the evacuation routes in your community.
- Keep those carriers, crates and leashes very handy. And put together an emergency preparedness kit and first aid kit for your pets. And keep 'em with you at all times, whether you are taking cover in your home, evacuating, or taking other forms of shelter.
- And get all the car safety gear and information you need for your pup to travel safely.
While we have quite a few 'green' and homeopathic items in our emergency kit, it's just not feasible for every item to be green, but we do our best. We've added a lot of 'green' resource links to help you find safer, healthier and more eco-friendly options for your first aid kit.
Or you may want to look into a good Canine First Aid Kit and then add your own homeopathic, eco-friendly and 'green' items to it like we do. We also use a thermal bag for all our first aid items in case it is exposed to extreme heat or cold to keep the items safe, fresh, and effective.
Here's what's in our first aid kit:
Digital Thermometer with case- Pen Light
- Locking Hemostat
- Scissors
- Forceps
- Styptic
- Instant Cold & Heat Pack
- Non-Latex Gloves
- Syringes (for oral application)
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Alcohol Swabs
- Sterile Gauze Pads
- Gauze Roll
- Adhesive Tape
- Towels
- Eye wash
- Cotton Balls
- Cotton Swabs
Nearly all these items were contained in the pet first aid kit we purchased, then we added these:
First Aid Book- Cloth e-collar
- Tick remover
- Tweezers
- Bach Flower Remedies
- Traumeel Cream
- Traumeel Tablets
- HomeoPet Healing Cream
- Acetylator Caps - which contains digestive enzymes for an upset tummy
- No-chew vet wrap
Then for our emergency kit, we have a big pack that contains the following:
Dehydrated food- Water in a leach-proof containers
- Water purification bottle
- Stainless steel bowls
- Copies of vet and vaccination records
- Leashes and collars (with our microchip tag and id tag, emergency and vet contact info)
- Safe cleaning supplies and wash cloths
- Blankets
- A couple of toys
- Cat litter and disposable pan
- Trash bags
- Biodegradable Poo bags
- Extra towels
- Pet ID information card (for each one of us)
- Solar powered flashlight
- Emergency radio
- Pad of paper
- Pencils
- EarthBath wipes
Pet evacuation folder that includes:
Emergency fire and rescue numbers
- Veterinary and pet emergency hospital contact information
- Pet boarding facilities
- List of hotels that allow pets
- Our microchip numbers, and microchip company contact info
- Extra copies of photographs of each of us
- Phone number of the ASPCA Poison Control Center
- Pet insurance contact information and policy numbers
- Additional copies of our vet and vaccination records
- Contact information for relatives and personal friends.
And we have them all placed near a couple of carriers for my two kittie bros, and our emergency fold up crates for me and Gracie.
If any emergency comes along, Mum can go to the downstairs closet (which is also our safe room) and get everything we need in just a few minutes for any emergency.
Here are some great resources for planning for emergencies with your pet:
- Find all kinds of pet first aid items at RaiseAGreenDog.com.
- ASPCA Poison Control Center.
- Here are two sites that list pet friendly hotels - PetsWelcome.com and DogFriendly.com.
- AnimalShelters.org has a great directory of veterinarians in every state.
- Petfinder.com has a listing of animal shelters by state.
- Microchip your pet and learn about microchipping.
- Find your local chapter of the American Red Cross.
- Brush up on emergency preparedness from the ASPCA.
- Read more about Preparing your Pet for Emergencies.
- Find emergency information and evacuation routes in your communities.
Be safe!
Great timely article.
ReplyDeleteIt may be implied for many but I would like to specify the importance of pet id tags. Storms, especially violent storms like hurricanes, can often scare your pets and they will exhibit strange behaviors and agitation. This can be a time your dog strays from home.
It is very important that pet owners have up to date tags that are highly visible. I like Dog Tag Art http://www.dogtagart. com because they are unique and easily seen.
Whatever you use make sure you have included current contact information.
Great post - very informative! I'd also recommend having a POISONING first aid kit, including:
ReplyDeleteFirst aid kit contents
· Hydrogen peroxide 3% (within the expiration date)
· Liquid hand dish washing detergent (i.e., Dawn, Palmolive)
· Rubber gloves
· Triple antibiotic ointment (with NO other combination ingredients - for DOGS only!)
· Vitamin E oil
· Diphenhydramine tablets 25mg (with NO other combination ingredients)
· Ophthalmic saline solution or artificial tears
· Can of tuna packed in water or tasty canned pet food
· Sweet electrolyte-containing beverage
· Corn syrup
· Vegetable oil
A more complete list can be found at: http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/PetCareTips/PetPoisonFirstAidKit/
I wanted to make you aware of another important resource out there also - Pet Poison Helpline is an additional Animal Poison Control Center, and it's one of the most cost-effective animal poison ($35/case vs. ASPCA's new $60/case) controls out there nowadays. Unfortunately, because animal poison controls are not federal- or state-funded, there is a fee to allow the service to be run 24-7. We provide a similar service, but have the added benefit of veterinary specialists (in internal medicine and emergency and critical care) as part of our staff. You can always call 1-800-213-6680 if you ever have a problem. Thanks for spreading the word!
Dr. Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC
Associate Director of Veterinary Services
www.petpoisonhelpline.com
www.drjustinelee.com
Thank you for your contribution. Just a couple of thoughts. I wouldn't recommend many of these items for a green dog.
ReplyDeleteSpecifically the detergents (with their included chemicals, when effective non detergent cleansing products are available) and the rubber gloves (when latex free are available). I'm not sure the purpose of the corn syrup and vegetable oil and what they would be utilized for. I also would prefer the use of Traumeel, a homeopathic cream that works as an antibiotic, but with more natural homeopathic ingredients.
Additionally some of the items you mentioned are listed in the blog post. Thank you for the poison hotline number, always good to have available along with the one provided by the ASPCA.
Really great information. Thanks for sharing. All too often people forget to have emergency preparations for their pups. So important!
ReplyDeleteGreat find and post. Thanks for sharing those very useful information and advice which are needed to be at hand specially in times of emergencies.
ReplyDeleteKeep posting.
Wow. almost complete guide on how to deal with emergencies not only for our pets but also for us! up for this post! very informative and concise explanations. thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete