Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Animal First Assistance Kits

By Eric Holm


Pet first aid kits are often forgotten about when planning an emergency survival kit. Sadly, when disaster strikes, pets are often major casualties as humans panic and evacuate. After Hurricane Katrina there were high incidents of dead family pets strewn across the roads and with a little advance preparation this sad statistic can be avoided.

Therefore it is crucial that you plan for an emergency situation and make sure that your family pet and companion has a chance of survival, just like the rest of the family. So what kinds of things can you do to prepare a first aid kit for your pet?

A pet first aid kit should be an important component of your home emergency evacuation kit. Pets cannot communicate in the same way as humans and will not understand what is going on. They may react violently, aggressively or unpredictably because they have no way of knowing the situation. You will need to plan ahead and make sure that you have lights on their collars, pet carriers and blankets. If there is a toy or a familiar blanket for the pet then this may also help to distract or calm them down in such difficult conditions. Food and water are also essential and you will need to factor in supplies of pet food with your survival kit. One guideline when planning in this way is to have a seventy-two hour supply of food and water so that your supplies will last should you need it.

Other items to pack in the pet first aid kit, along with the essentials of food and water are snacks and a leash so you can keep your pet close by. There may be situations when you need to control their movements, particularly in crowded evacuation centers and so a leash and also poop bags are an essential. Remember that there may also be sanitation issues with bringing a pet into centers such as these and so you also may need to have a back up plan for sheltering your pet. A pet carrier could be a lifeline for your pet if this is the case and your pet needs to stay outside of the building.

Having an evacuation plan and an emergency pet first aid kit will ensure that all family members are cared for and accounted for. It is always better to be safe than sorry.




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