In the south its what we call “Hurricane Season”. And to adults it can be scary so for our little ones it can be absolutely terrifying! I know my babies get scared during thunderstorms and fireworks… so can you imagine what a hurricane will be like?
This is our first hurricane season here in Florida, so to be prepared I’ve done a lot of research and created a safety plan and kit! A lot of people get so caught up in making an emergency kit for themselves and worrying about wether or not to buy a generator that they forget about their most important family members! So Im going to share with you the best tips & tricks I’ve found to keep your furbaby safe and calm during the storms.
First things first, you want to create a plan. You want to designate a room that you will stay in during the storm and find a place to keep your emergency kit. You many never need to use it, but you want it to be easily accessible in case you do.
Second thing you want to do is put together an Emergency Kit. You will want to get a big container. Any durable container will do but I like the ones on wheels from Walmart. Having your Emergency Kit be on wheels will make the evacuation part easier.
45 Gallon Wheeled Portable Latching Storage Tote @ Walmart
Next you will to clearly mark the container as your Emergency Pet Kit! Use Hurricane Tape or Gorilla Tape and sharpie to label your box. Personally I like Hurricane Tape and you can get it on amazon.
Now you will want to do the most important part of the Emergency Kit… fill it!! Fill with these key items:
—– Enough Food & Water to Last a Week. Personally I would do 2 weeks but thats just me. Also, for reference, a dog drinks on average one ounce of water per pound a day. Obviously all dogs are different and some may drink more or less. But using this rule of thumb a 50lb dog would drink about 6.25 cups of water a day and there a 16 cups in a gallon. So rounding up, this would mean a 50lb dog would need at least 3 gallons of water for one week. If you would like to do the math for your baby just take their weight in pounds and divide by 8. This number is their amount of cups they drink a day. Take this number and multiply it by 7, then divide by 16. The final number is the number of gallons of water your furbaby will need for one week! But remember to leave a little wiggle room and account for any other dogs you may need to supply water to!
—-Nonperishable Food and Treats
—-A Food Opener for Canned Food if needed
—-Food & Water Bowels
—-Your pets Medical Record and Proof of Vaccinations. Heres a tip… get a folder and keep all of your pets records in it. Anytime you go to the vet keep all the papers and receipts they give you in this folder and put the folder in your kit! But make sure to make a copy to keep readily accessible in your file cabinet.
—-A Two-Week Supply of your Babies Medications. I recommend having a printed or written medication schedule. List out what medication your baby is taking, the dose, the frequency, the time it is given, if they take it with food and what they are taking it for. This will help if for any reason someone else needs to care for your dog during the state of emergency.
—-Doggy FirstAid Kit
—–Recent Photos of your Little One
—-Puppy Pads
—-Plastic Bags or Poop Bags
—-Extra Leash
—-Raincoat. This item is not necessary but if your doggy is afraid of rain and/or storms like mine is, then this could make a world of difference! Bandit wouldn’t go outside in the rain at all, ever, until I introduced the raincoat! Now as long as he has it on he will go outside and go potty in the rain.
—-Comfort Items! This will be the most important part in keeping your baby comfortable! You’ll want to have toys, especially their favorite toy, their favorite blankets, their bed, and anything they love on a regular basis! And here’s a trick for you. Take one of your shirts and put it on them. You can use a hair tie to tie it up if you need to. You can even spray your perfume or cologne on it to make it smell more like you. This snugness of the shirt makes them feel safe and the smell of you keeps them calm! Works like a charm. They also have thunder vests for your little one that work the same way if you’d rather that. Did you know that dogs actually like small spaces and being tight? It helps them feel safe, especially rescue dogs. My Riley use to LOVE her cage when she first got here…to her that was her safe space. Now she likes to sleep in corners and small spaces. Its amazing what little things can make such a difference.
Now that you’ve created your Emergency Kit and found the best accessible place to store it, lets go over a few more key things to keep your baby safe. First, you will definitely want to make sure that your dog has an up-to-date tag on his/her collar with their name, your phone number, and address. Personally I love the license plate dog tag that you customize to your state and your dogs needs. Even though Bandit is a service dog he still has his own health issues and is Epileptic and had cancer. So this tag allowed me to put the fact that he is epileptic and needs phenobarbital and kepra on it. I was even able to put his microchip number on it! If you are interested in getting one of these amazing tags that also pays to move shelter dogs from kill-shelters to non-kill shelters then you can go to https://www.tagsforhope.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwl4v4BRDaARIsAFjATPnmUjNsgSIpDyCJBrCZ-Kaa1kGK4nv0PyttvslOynTVoGA_PKzklakaAv1EEALw_wcB. It will be the best money you’ve ever spent! Tags For Hope is an amazing cause! But you will also need to make sure that their rabies tags and any other necessary tags are on their collar.
And speaking of microchips, you will want to make sure that your dog has one. Most shelters place one in your dog when they are taken in but you will want to make sure thats the case. A microchip is important because if your dog gets lost and their tag or collar falls off then they can still identify who he/she is and who you are. When a dog is found the nice people that found your baby can take them to the vet or a shelter. There they can scan his/her chip and be able to pull up your phone number, address, and anything they need to get them back to you. This is super important. Tags just like anything can fall off, so you want to make sure you have this backup plan in place. And any primary veterinary office can place one for you or direct you to a vet that can.
You also want to make sure that you have a Pet Emergency Sticker on your home. The ideal place would be on your front window, but I recommended putting one on every door. It is also a good idea to keep an emergency pet card in your wallet. You will want to have the number of pets, their names, their coat color, and your contact information filled out. This will ensure that in the case you need to be rescued the emergency personnel can rescue your dogs that may be stuck in your home.
Next up on the list is to make sure that your dogs are up-to-date on Heartworm Prevention and Vaccines. Ticks, fleas and mosquitoes thrive in wet humid areas, especially those that contain tall grass and woodland. So in the south right after a hurricane when there is more than likely a great deal of flooding, is an ideal home for these nasty pests that can attack our babies. There is also a ton of bacteria in puddles and flooding water, which is why we don’t let our furbabies drink rain water on any given day anyway. Not to mention all the wild animals that will be out after a hurricane strikes.
It is important to keep in mind that heartworm can be fatal if gone untreated as well as other diseases that come from bacteria and other animals, especially ones that live in the wild or are without a home and have not been vaccinated. So it is crucial to make sure your baby is getting regular vaccinations and heartworm prevention. It is also important to get him/her tested for heartworm yearly just to be safe.
You will also want to set up a caregiver just to be proactive. In the event that something happens to you or for any reason you are unable to take care of your pets you will want to have designated someone to take care of them. Talk to family and friends, wether its near or far, you absolutely have to have someone who is willing and able to take care of your loved ones in case you aren’t. But make sure they know where the Emergency Kit is and their medication & feeding schedule. I recommend having a printed or written medication schedule. List out what medication your baby is taking, the dose, the frequency, the time it is given, if they take it with food and what they are taking it for. This should also be in your Emergency Kit with their two-week supply of medicine.
Lastly, stick to the plan and be proactive! If there is an evacuation order…. evacuate!! Being stubborn is not worth losing you or your baby. And I hope this goes without saying, but never leave without your pet or tie him/her to a tree or pole. This will prevent them from being able to escape the high waters.
If a hurricane is headed create a plan. If you choose to stay then stay, if you decide that you should go somewhere else then do that, but do not change your mind unless there is an evacuation order. When it comes to emergencies like this, being prepared and following through is key. At the first sight of trouble if you decide to leave then that is great, but do not forget your Emergency Kit! And do not change your mind. By changing the plan unless ordered by the state you’re putting you and your baby in unnecessary risk and run a serious potential of getting hurt or having an accident and you will no longer be prepared.
If you decide to leave or are ordered to evacuate make sure to have your Emergency Kit as well as their pet carrier, leash and collar so that they will be secured and cannot get lost in the storm. You will want to make sure they are safely contained if things start to get bad as they will be freaking out and may try to run. It also important to know where you’re headed and make sure they are pet friendly. If not, make sure you know where all the emergency shelters are, or even better find a lovely pet hotel outside of the evacuation zone. But lots of hotels nowadays are pet friendly. I recommend finding one of these pet friendly hotels to house you and your baby together if a family member or friend outside of the danger zone is unable to assist you. However, there are pet hotels everywhere that should be able to assist you. Many Petco locations in driving distance have a hotel on site. Bandit loves their suites as they have Tvs, raised beds, and tons of “a la cart” fun. They even have one-on-one time with a staff member and group play time with other furbabies. But if you cannot find either, then try calling the local health department, the emergency office, or local kennels for assistance.
To recap, make a plan, pick a room to stay in during the storm that is away from windows (unless you have the new hurricane-proof windows), buy a large container (preferably with wheels to make moving it easier), label it as your “Pet Emergency Kit”, fill your kit up with all the necessary and comfort items, then store your kit in your chosen safe room or where it is easily accessible. Now you will want to make sure your baby has an up-to-date tag with your information, make sure they are up-to-date on all their vaccines and heartworm prevention, make sure they have a microchip, fill out and place emergency stickers & cards in your windows and wallets, find a designated caregiver, and then stick to the plan.
But most importantly be proactive and stay calm! Your little loved one will feed off of your energy so just stay calm and do your best, but by being prepared you can eliminate a lot of the stress in this difficult situation.
P:S: I hope this helped you get prepared and feel comfortable going into hurricane season and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. You can find more tips, info and watch how I filled my Emergency Kit on my Instagram. You can also SHOP everything I put in my kit and more on my to my LikeToKnowIt.
Go to my LikeToKnow It to SHOP all this and more!
