Disaster Plans For Your Dog

[Scottsmum]

So... I know there'll be a number of you here who have bush fire plans and would love some feedback on "go kits" for humans and pets.

I was only thinking about / wondering if I needed a little "earth quake kit" the other day - then today there was a 5.7 quake on the south island which made me think of it again.

As far as I know we don't get too many quakes here - we get them close by but in the 12 months this town's been on my "radar" (pardon the pun) I only know of one which was felt here.

Anyhow - who as a disaster bag set up for their pets? If so - What's in it?

I'm thinking: In a backpack:

(in no order what so ever)

Canned food - google says 3 days supply of food in a quake kit,

A bottle of water - I assume at least 5 litres - plus water available from the human supply

A roll of poo bags (no reason - just cause)

Dog jumper/coat,

roll of paper towel (to clean bowls and spoon and for other things)

spoon to serve food

blankie/some bedding,

spare lead & collar - ideally with tag already attached (he has a spare tag with his name, numbers and "I'm microchipped" on it)

collapsible bowls

photocopies of his paperwork - really just chip details - and maybe Vax certificates

Edit:

I asked on an NZ pet page I'm a member of. Some members said:

a bucket

heat pad

familiar treats

a familiar toy

carry cage (* I have his flight crate but it's split in two)

I think I need a primary go bag + a tub with his meds and other things I use on a daily basis which I dont want doubles of (can't afford two sets of meds!)

+ of course in the human kit you'd have torches / a first aid kit (added with edit) etc so there's be no real point in doubling up would there?

Edit #2: Links

I'll write a list up in a few days time so I'm going to pop some links here too:

https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/disaster-preparedness

http://www.quakekare.com/deluxemultiple-dog-survival-kit-p-90.html

http://www.petmd.com/dog/care/evr_multi_top10_emergency_pet_kit_items

http://totallyunprepared.com/make-a-pet-earthquake-kit/

Edited February 9, 2016 by Scottsmum

[Podengo]

Make sure you leave a note in your calendar to replace the food every so often. Even stuff you think will last forever gets a bit yuck after sitting for years!

I think having basic first aid supplies for the dogs is a good thing to have in your kit too, with earthquakes you want to be able to deal with cuts and contamination mostly. ]

Ensure your dog is registered on the NZ Companion Animal Register - it's a nationwide database so if he goes missing and his chip is scanned outside of your region they can still contact you easily.

[Scottsmum]

Make sure you leave a note in your calendar to replace the food every so often. Even stuff you think will last forever gets a bit yuck after sitting for years!

I think having basic first aid supplies for the dogs is a good thing to have in your kit too, with earthquakes you want to be able to deal with cuts and contamination mostly. ]

Ensure your dog is registered on the NZ Companion Animal Register - it's a nationwide database so if he goes missing and his chip is scanned outside of your region they can still contact you easily.

Yup - bottled water gets yuck too - so good point.

good point re: first aid - I kind of assumed anything in the human kit would be OK to use for the dog (with some exceptions) - that said - we don't have a first aid kit at at the moment either

and yes - his chip details are registered - :)

[Little Gifts]

For quite sometime we have had a special pile of gear in the shed in case we need to evacuate with the dogs quickly. My plan is to take camping gear for them and us too in case an evac centre doesn't allow pets. I even bought a station wagon to make it possible to take all the gear we need! It does include 1 crate because with three dogs there could be times when a crate is needed for theirs or others safety. It's difficult to keep food supplies with this gear so inside the house we have the important, need everyday stuff in a box in the laundry (meds, treats) so if we had to leave in a rush we'd just pick up the box. There is also a large clear bucket next to the box that we would scoop kibble into from the big bin. It's not perfect but it should only take 5 minutes or under to pack the car with all the doggy gear needed for a week away. My hope would be that my sister was also here to help me if we had to leave so one of us could pack the car with the preorganised stuff while one of us ran around like a chook grabbing supplies/clothes for us humans so that within 10 mins maximum we would be out of there. I have no possessions as valuable to me as the dogs so that helps! We've also said that because of the dogs we wouldn't wait to be evacced into a mess of cars and people - we would choose as early as possible to move ourselves to safety to ensure we could get somewhere dog friendly (we have a semi rural town about 40 mins inland with a camp ground that we would aim to go to).

[Scottsmum]

For quite sometime we have had a special pile of gear in the shed in case we need to evacuate with the dogs quickly. My plan is to take camping gear for them and us too in case an evac centre doesn't allow pets. I even bought a station wagon to make it possible to take all the gear we need! It does include 1 crate because with three dogs there could be times when a crate is needed for theirs or others safety. It's difficult to keep food supplies with this gear so inside the house we have the important, need everyday stuff in a box in the laundry (meds, treats) so if we had to leave in a rush we'd just pick up the box. There is also a large clear bucket next to the box that we would scoop kibble into from the big bin. It's not perfect but it should only take 5 minutes or under to pack the car with all the doggy gear needed for a week away. My hope would be that my sister was also here to help me if we had to leave so one of us could pack the car with the preorganised stuff while one of us ran around like a chook grabbing supplies/clothes for us humans so that within 10 mins maximum we would be out of there. I have no possessions as valuable to me as the dogs so that helps! We've also said that because of the dogs we wouldn't wait to be evacced into a mess of cars and people - we would choose as early as possible to move ourselves to safety to ensure we could get somewhere dog friendly (we have a semi rural town about 40 mins inland with a camp ground that we would aim to go to).

Great post - thanks LG

[Jumabaar]

Make sure you leave a note in your calendar to replace the food every so often. Even stuff you think will last forever gets a bit yuck after sitting for years!

I think having basic first aid supplies for the dogs is a good thing to have in your kit too, with earthquakes you want to be able to deal with cuts and contamination mostly. ]

Ensure your dog is registered on the NZ Companion Animal Register - it's a nationwide database so if he goes missing and his chip is scanned outside of your region they can still contact you easily.

Yup - bottled water gets yuck too - so good point.

good point re: first aid - I kind of assumed anything in the human kit would be OK to use for the dog (with some exceptions) - that said - we don't have a first aid kit at at the moment either

and yes - his chip details are registered - :)

My human first aid kit includes vet wrap so yup one for humans and dogs can work :p

[Danois]

I would use dry food not wet - most has at least 12 months shelf life. Shortly before it expires, replace it and feed the bag that was stored. Also deals with needing a spoon and also having to wash out bowls that have had wet food in them.

If I was you I'd pack it all into a bag and then pack that into his crate.

I'd also include a small tube of shampoo in case they got into something and an old towel.

I would not store paperwork but instead have a copy on email and have a photograph of it on your phone.

[Scottsmum]

All good points Danois. Except we use his travel crate as a bed - otherwise all good.

Thanks :)

[sunny1shine]

water purification tablets may be something to consider over bottled water, unless you are re bottling water every few days. can also store documents on a usb and keep that with your stuff in case internet goes down and you cant access anything on cloud storage.

[Dogsfevr]

I think you could add for ever but for me if i only had one dog a wire crate & a good non escapable lead would be my must haves.

You can never have enough vet wrap & its human/pet usable .

The reality is what can i grab if i had to asap .

For fires we have fire buckets which have slip leads,vet wrap muzzles etc etc & yes we double up as we have kennels we figure you can never have to much but there comes a point where in an emergency grabbing everything isn't possible so the most useful is for us

[Scottsmum]

I think you could add for ever but for me if i only had one dog a wire crate & a good non escapable lead would be my must haves.

You can never have enough vet wrap & its human/pet usable .

The reality is what can i grab if i had to asap .

For fires we have fire buckets which have slip leads,vet wrap muzzles etc etc & yes we double up as we have kennels we figure you can never have to much but there comes a point where in an emergency grabbing everything isn't possible so the most useful is for us

You could go on forever :) but I'd love to have a "go bag" - I'm a bit of a control freak. I certainly have a spare lead and jacket which I can leave (forever if need be) in a backpack ready to go on the drop of a hat. I have a training bag - all I need do is top up with fresh water and treats each week and it's got everything I need for obedience - including sunblock. So same principle.

But I agree with what you're saying. I honestly think:

Jumper

blanket

food

towels

bowls

collar, lead & spare tags All in bag in shed.

plus meds and bolts for his carrier - both live in a big tupperware container in the laundry - so an easy contained grab.

plus carrier (which is in the house and actually easier to access than his wire crate)

Plus human / dog first aid kit - usually kept in the car - we really need to re-stock this

would make me feel a lot better.

[Canisbellum]

I see nobody has mentioned a good torch with spare batteries and a knife or 2 and a multitool

[Canisbellum]

Oh. And a means of starting a fire

[sunny1shine]

Oh. And a means of starting a fire

if you are going down that route, some cordage, duct tape wrapped around a pencil, some paper and a few caribiners

[Little Gifts]

I see nobody has mentioned a good torch with spare batteries and a knife or 2 and a multitool

I have our emergency camping gear with our emergency dog camping gear so a lantern, torch, multitool, flint, waterproof matches, basic cooking gear and the absolute minimum needed for a camp out is all stored together with the human stuff in special camping crates all ready to grab and go. If anything is ever used it is all put back in its place. We have extras of most things (for actual camping trips) and they are stored in other crates to avoid confusion. If something is faulty I check it and get it repaired or replaced before it gets put back. Our camping gear is also separate from household gear so we have torches and tongs we use regularly that live in the house and we have emergency and camping torches and tongs! Seems a bit anal but after having done disaster recovery as part of my old job for many years it just makes me feel safer, especially with three dogs dependant on me.

I just realised from this thread though that none of our spare collars have tags on them. I'll have to rectify that.

[Scottsmum]

... Our camping gear is also separate from household gear so we have torches and tongs we use regularly that live in the house and we have emergency and camping torches and tongs! Seems a bit anal but after having done disaster recovery as part of my old job for many years it just makes me feel safer, especially with three dogs dependant on me.

I just realised from this thread though that none of our spare collars have tags on them. I'll have to rectify that.

It's probably borderline anal - LOL but I get it - my parents are campers - they've got full sets of camping utensils etc - and i think in full on, life or death evacuation it pays to know you can up and leave. I'm a stressy organiser - it would make me feel better knowing that everything is sitting there ready to go and all you need to do is drive out the door.

Dobe Mums post about the shelf life of kibble has made me think too (as did another poster). I might pop a bag of ziwipeak in the mix - it has a long shelf life (21 months I've just read) so it could be a feasible addition to the bag. Long lasting and easy enough to swap out and feed before it expired. We'd have well over 3-5 days dog food then too.

As for spare tags - I got the shits a few months ago - I'm always swapping scotties collars then not having a tag - so I got two from ebay (they were a good deal - computer engraved - nice and clear to read - Much nicer than the last hand engraved tags I got from mister minute and MUCH cheaper - I can link you if you like LG)

The plan was so I didn't have to swap tags when ever we swap collars. Unfortunately over here you have to register your dog annually and he's supposed to have his council tag on at all times - so that went out the window as I only have one yellow council disk.

[Scottsmum]

I see nobody has mentioned a good torch with spare batteries and a knife or 2 and a multitool

I was hoping for a list specific to dogs - thankfully Scottie can't use a multitool!

(but all human suggestions are welcome too!)

[Little Gifts]

I reckon in an emergency or evac situation council would have to be flexible about the council disk issue so I wouldn't stress too much about that. Reuniting a dog and owner would have to be the biggest priority in that scenario.

I get all my tags off ebay too - I like the tags to match the colour and pattern of the leash and harness/collar sets!

[Panto]

Laminated piece of paper in the kit with emergency contacts for both you and the dog. A bit grim, but if something happened to you, and dog was found with you and the kit, at least there are alternative contacts who live in another area. (what good is it contacting just you or OH if something happened to you both). Or, if your contact details (ie. your phone and email) were not accessible to you, but there was an alternative contact in another area, then that might be helpful.

[Scottsmum]

Laminated piece of paper in the kit with emergency contacts for both you and the dog. A bit grim, but if something happened to you, and dog was found with you and the kit, at least there are alternative contacts who live in another area. (what good is it contacting just you or OH if something happened to you both). Or, if your contact details (ie. your phone and email) were not accessible to you, but there was an alternative contact in another area, then that might be helpful.

great idea