Summer is in full swing! My dogs and I sure are having a hard time adjusting to the BC heat after being Albertans for the last 4 years! I've never endured so much sweating or witnessed so much shedding in my life! š
This year (and I could be wrong and just not following the media) has been quite mild as we haven't been over taken by smoke yet as in previous years, but there is now one active fire that is sitting about 15km from our town. Being the anxiety ridden human that I am, I suddenly realized that my emergency kit was out of date and couldn't sleep until I made one! Not only are we now only packing for 3 dogs (for those that do not follow my Instagram or Facebook, our sweet and special boy Mayson gained his wings last week and we are devastated) but my supplies likely needed refreshing anyway and our information was for our Alberta location. I shared this on my Instagram and many people expressed it was helpful so I wanted to share it in a more permanent space.
This is to help us if we have to leave our house with little/no notice and need to provide for the dogs for a few hours to a few days.
What we pack and why:
Spare Leashes - Ones that specifically stay in the bin, one for each dog. It's good preparation to have spare collars as well (which I will be adding to mine)
Poop Bags - This ones a bit obvious - Dogs gotta go! You might be stuck in traffic or without adequate relief areas for your dog, poop bags ensure you can clean things up quickly.
Treats - This will likely be a stressful time for your dog, treats ensure your dog can have some positive moments throughout the process.
Travel First Aid Kit - This should be close always when out with your dog but always a staple in any emergency kit. Stock with gauze, vet wrap, wound cleanser and ointment, medical tape and a muzzle if needed (injured dogs can bite when in panic/pain).
*If your dog is on medication or daily needed supplements, put 3-5 days worth of them in your kit in a secure container and labelled well.
Extra ID Tags for each dog that specifically stay in the bin with updated information as well as tags you can write on to add a temporary address on them.
One of my favorite purchases for my kits and that I use when the dogs are in the car in case of a vehicle accident is my Dog Emergency Information Tube made by Those Tube Things (click for website). This compact tube carries all the needed information if my dogs and I get separated for whatever reason.
Our information pages inside the tube include:
Owner's name and numbers
Two emergency contacts
Current Vet Clinic address and number
Instructions on where to put them, how friendly they are, to not feed them unless necessary and that they are fixed and UTD on vaccinations
Photos of each dog with breed, sex, birthdate, medical conditions, identifying markings and tattoo or microchip information
Dehydrated Food - my dogs are currently raw fed but it is not reasonable to pack a cooler and take raw with me during an evacuation. I keep the food in an air sealed Vittles Vault which is moisture and mold preventing and works great for kibble. I carry enough to last all 3 dogs 5 days. We used to use NRC dehydrated raw which was great but no longer available so we have been using SMACK (again it's not long term just for a few days)
Clean Water - I keep at least 2 4L jugs next to my kit for my dogs, but more is always better. Just keep in mind it will all have to fit in your car easily!
Collapsible 5L bucket - I got this from the dollar store, it folds flat and is sturdy and can be used by all the dogs for drinking water rather than bring multiple bowls.
Don't forget to set reminders about expiry dates for things in your kit such as treats, food and medications and replenish them as needed. Lastly, store your kit somewhere easily accessible and let household members know about it! Your kit is no good to you if it's in the shed or under a pile of Christmas stuff in the garage.
It's always better to be over prepared than to be panicking around for things during a serious emergency! Whether in wild fire country like us (BC), Tornado land where we came from (AB) or in any area that can potentially catch fire or have an emergency (apartments, condos, houses....yes that means EVERYONE!) I hope this inspires you to be prepared for your Woofer ā¤ļø (I also hope you never actually are in a situation where you need your kit!)
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