When You Have More to Consider Than Just Humans During An Emergency
Prepping for a family is far more involved than just prepping for an individual. You have to consider the needs and even some of the wants of all of the family members, but one part of the family that often gets neglected is the pets.
It is unlikely that you are going to simply leave the pets where they are and therefore you need to make sure that they have all of their supplies as well. Here are some pet prepping supplies that you are not going to want to leave out.
1. Food
This would seem like a no brainer, but it can be forgotten if you do not prepare properly. You need to research the amount of food that is recommended for the survival of your animal and plan according to how much food storage you have for the family. Make sure that the food is purchased in both canned and dry food depending on the animal so that they are covered if any digestive issues come up from the stress of the disaster. Animals can feel stress too and having a way to feed them foods to soothe their stomachs will make for an easier time if you are forced to remain in one location for a long period of time.
2. Medicines
Like humans, animals have medicines that they have to have as well. Make sure that you have an ample supply of the medicines that all of your animals need stored away. Store them in airtight containers to keep any moisture away and make sure that they remain in date.
You may also want to study up on natural solutions to your animal’s condition in the case that you run out of their medicine and are unable to get more. Having a backup plan is always in you and your pet’s best interest.
When we think of medicines for our pets, one of the most common things is flea medications. Having extra flea medication on hand is a good idea, but what is better than that can be a simple bottle of apple cider vinegar. This stuff can help with all sorts of stomach and health issues in both animals and humans. It has been proven that just adding a tablespoon or two to your animal’s water will make their skin more acidic and therefore less attractive to fleas and ticks.
This may not seem like much of a bother, but if you can keep the fleas at bay, your bug out location will be all the more comfortable.
3. Pet Carrier
If your pet can be carried, this is a must have. Survival situations can be very tense, and your pet is going to anxious and upset. For cats make sure you bring litter or any other pertinent pet ‘toiletry’ supplies. Being able to keep them safely contained in a pet carrier will make sure pet and owner both stay more calm.
4. Vaccination Records
If you have to evacuate your home, finding safe shelter with pets can add difficulty and it could be likely to end up in a situation where you may need to board your pets. Sometimes even government agencies will assist in helping take care of your pet in disaster situations. Often proof of rabies vaccination and a current list of other vaccinations received are required.
5. Pet Tag
Make sure all the information to be able to contact you is current and readable on your pet’s ID tag.
Additional Things to Consider
Bringing any pet along with you will cause you to have to consider more. Although none of us want to consider leaving our beloved pets behind, you have to make sure that you are up for the challenge of bringing them along if you so choose. Here are some things you need to take into considerations.
What Type of Animal is It?
There are countless species of animals that people maintain as pets. Where this is a good thing to have when in a standard urban environment, it can quickly become a reliability when an emergency happens.
Depending on the severity of the emergency, you may have to make the unpleasant decision whether to bring your pet with you or leave them at home. Pets like birds, reptiles and most exotic pets may increase the difficulty of your situation. In some situations, even a loud bird, may be a potential threat to giving away your location if it decides to open it’s beak at the wrong time.
Cats have some use for companionship and are generally easy to take along. They also make less noise than a dog.
Dogs are great at hunting and have been known to be quite useful in survival circumstances. As well as being an effective security system since they will alert you if they hear or smell anything out of the ordinary. They have been known to even save the lives of their owners because they can and sometimes will go get help.
Dogs can also be useful in hunting excursions and companionship as well, but you need to consider the type of dog you have.
When you are prepping, you need to make sure that the dog that you have will be able to do these things and much more. Having just a simple lap dog will not give you any advantage in finding food or tracking of any sort.
You need to make certain that your dog will come at your command so that he will not run off and lead others back to your location.
Where any pet is concerned you need to take into consideration both the good and the bad so that you and your family are able to survive.
Prepping for your family’s survival is vital in the times that we live in. Taking everyone into consideration as far as prepping is concerned will enable your experience to be far more tolerable.
Even if you have a pet that may be of some concern they may offer your kids the comfort they need to make the experience a little easier.