Preparing for a Pet Emergency
Emergencies are stressful and scary, especially when it comes to our pets. Having what you need ready to go when the unexpected happens can make a world of a difference when every second counts. Here are a few steps you can take to ensure your pet has all they need in a crisis:
Pet First Aid Kit
Normally when we think of first aid, our pets don’t typically cross our minds, but they need the essentials just as much as we do! Many items in your household first aid kit can also be used for your pet. Take some time to put together a kit including the following items recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association:
- Important phone numbers (veterinarian, emergency hospital, poison control, animal control, nonemergency police)
- A copy of your pet’s medical record, including any medications your pet is receiving
- Digital thermometer to take your pet’s temperature
- Muzzle to prevent bites (DO NOT muzzle your pet if they are vomiting.)
- Spare leash and collar
- Gauze roll for wrapping wounds or muzzling an injured animal
- Clean towels for restraining cats, cleaning, or padding
- Nonstick bandages or strips of clean cloth to control bleeding or protect wounds
- Self-adhering, nonstick tape for bandages
- Adhesive tape for securing bandages
- Scissors with blunt ends for safely cutting bandage materials
- Disposable gloves to protect your hands
- Small flashlight for examining eyes, wounds, etc.
- Tweezers to remove small foreign objects
- Eye dropper (or large syringe without needle) to give oral treatments or flush wounds
- Sterile lubricating jelly to protect wounds/eyes
- Activated charcoal to absorb poison (Use only if instructed to do so by your veterinarian or a poison control center.)
- 3% hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting (Always contact your veterinarian or poison control center before inducing vomiting. Do not give more than one dose unless otherwise instructed by your veterinarian. Do not use hydrogen peroxide on wounds.)
- Saline solution for cleansing wounds or flushing eyes (Saline solution sold for use with contact lenses works well for most purposes.)
Transportation
A lot can happen when getting your pet from point A to point B, we recommend having a few things on hand to make it as comfortable as possible for your pet on the road.
For Cats:
Make sure their carrier has items with familiar smells, blankets, a toy, etc. to make them more comfortable during the stress of an emergency and travel.
For Dogs:
Keep a blanket and a toy/ comfort item of theirs in your car, this will aid in taking some stress off your pup when in a stressful situation.
Another tip, take some time online to see where in town the hospital is, so when the time comes, directions and confusion won’t cloud what matters most!
An emergency with your pets is never in the plan, but being ready and prepared to take action will only improve the outcome of the emergency at hand.