Pet Emergency Kits?

[Desertmouse]

I was wondering if anyone has a pet emergency kit and if so what you have in it?

My money is pretty tight but I found myself with a extra $30ish and it stuck me that instead of doing something like seeing a movie I should start a kit for the animals. I doubt I can get a whole kit started for that, but I could at least start. Not that I think anything is going to happen (aside from the extreme heat we always get) but that seems like the best time to start one. For the record I have one large dog, one small dog and of course my Sadie. Any suggestions for where I should start? Any ideas on what is most important or what I should prioritize? Of course I can pack some of their current food and some bottles of water, so don’t worry about listing that.

 

[neely]

The first two things that come to mind are your vet's phone numbers and any necessary medications. Here is a list of supplies recommended by the Humane Society that may help: What You Should Have in Your Pet's First-Aid Kit : The Humane Society of the United States

 

[Kieka]

I don't have a kit per say, but I do have a carrier per animal and always keep enough food and litter on hand for two weeks.

My garage has a container that hold 30 pounds of food, while my house has a 5 pound container we feed from. I never have less than 5 pounds on hand and often have an unopened bag of food next to the filled 30 pound container. When I top off the big container I buy a new bag.

I am a little less on top of it with wet food but I figure they will be fine on just dry if there is an emergency.

There are also collapsing carriers or kennels you can keep in your car. Something that folds flat and doesn't end up taking up a lot of space. Then you can just throw the animals in a car if you have to and still be good.

 

[kashmir64]

I used to have a foaling kit for my mares, but don't have one for my little guys. I do have the vet in my phone (as well as animal hospital) and poison control is on my fridge.
I should probably make one for them.

 

[Desertmouse]

Thank you guys!

The first two things that come to mind are your vet's phone numbers and any necessary medications. Here is a list of supplies recommended by the Humane Society that may help: What You Should Have in Your Pet's First-Aid Kit : The Humane Society of the United States

That link was just what I was looking for, you rock!

I don't have a kit per say, but I do have a carrier per animal and always keep enough food and litter on hand for two weeks.

My garage has a container that hold 30 pounds of food, while my house has a 5 pound container we feed from. I never have less than 5 pounds on hand and often have an unopened bag of food next to the filled 30 pound container. When I top off the big container I buy a new bag.

I am a little less on top of it with wet food but I figure they will be fine on just dry if there is an emergency.

There are also collapsing carriers or kennels you can keep in your car. Something that folds flat and doesn't end up taking up a lot of space. Then you can just throw the animals in a car if you have to and still be good.

I love the idea of collapsing carriers for the car (or back of the closet),

 

[MeganLLB]

I keep ham and chicken baby food, plain pedialyte, a pill pusher, tuna fish, chicken broth- none of which they ever wanted to eat. But my main concern when Luna got sick was dehydration and not eating. But a vet visit and subcu fluids did a better job than any of this stuff.

I make sure I have two carriers incase both cats have to go to the vet at the same time.

If we're talking general "pet" emergency kit, I do keep some other things for my dog like Benadryl, ibuprofen, pepto bismol. I keep puppy pads in case he has poopy problems and I have to crate him at night or while I'm gone wo he doesn't get poop everywhere. I also always leave the crate up incase he gets sick and needs to be contained. Also hydrogen peroxide in case I need to force him to vomit in an emergency. And a syringe to force liquid down his throat.

Um.. Also an ace wrap to work as a diy thundercoat during fireworks, bandages, gauze.

I also have several different medications I keep on hand for my aquarium, but I don't know that you want me to go into all that...

 

[Desertmouse]

I keep ham and chicken baby food, plain pedialyte, a pill pusher, tuna fish, chicken broth- none of which they ever wanted to eat. But my main concern when Luna got sick was dehydration and not eating. But a vet visit and subcu fluids did a better job than any of this stuff.

I make sure I have two carriers incase both cats have to go to the vet at the same time.

If we're talking general "pet" emergency kit, I do keep some other things for my dog like Benadryl, ibuprofen, pepto bismol. I keep puppy pads in case he has poopy problems and I have to crate him at night or while I'm gone wo he doesn't get poop everywhere. I also always leave the crate up incase he gets sick and needs to be contained. Also hydrogen peroxide in case I need to force him to vomit in an emergency. And a syringe to force liquid down his throat.

Um.. Also an ace wrap to work as a diy thundercoat during fireworks, bandages, gauze.

I also have several different medications I keep on hand for my aquarium, but I don't know that you want me to go into all that...

Wow the idea with the ace bandage is such a good idea! I hope you don’t mind if I steal it. Also need to remember to add a syringe to my kit. If something extreme enough happens to make us leave the house there is a good chance Sadie would be to stressed to drink water on her own.

 

[HungryPandaCat]

I have an emergency pet carrier that has its own specific spot so I always know where it is. Its easy to zip, and I can easily carry it on my shoulder, leaving my other hand free. Though I have been thinking about switching to a pet backpack to leave both my arms free during an emergency.

My two cats have another rectangular type carrier that they prefer to sleep in which I use to bring them to the vet, but its large and awkward to carry and I knew it would be a problem in an emergency. I probably sound paranoid, but my paranoia paid off because one morning I woke up to the fire alarming blasting (I live on a high floor apartment). Then I heard fire trucks coming and I knew I had to act fast, so I stuffed the cats into the bag, grabbed my keys, phone, wet towel and headed to the fire escape. Everything was fine in the end but I'm glad I had plan and made a mental note of which cat put up a fight.

 

[MeganLLB]

Wow the idea with the ace bandage is such a good idea! I hope you don’t mind if I steal it. Also need to remember to add a syringe to my kit. If something extreme enough happens to make us leave the house there is a good chance Sadie would be to stressed to drink water on her own.

Yup. If you Google it, it will show you how to wrap them. You start at their chest and work around to their stomach. Its hard to type out. Easier looking at a picture.

Syringes are hard to find for me sometimes. I end up finding them in the baby section of walmart. But they are a lifesaver.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I have an emergency pet carrier that has its own specific spot so I always know where it is. Its easy to zip, and I can easily carry it on my shoulder, leaving my other hand free. Though I have been thinking about switching to a pet backpack to leave both my arms free during an emergency.

My two cats have another rectangular type carrier that they prefer to sleep in which I use to bring them to the vet, but its large and awkward to carry and I knew it would be a problem in an emergency. I probably sound paranoid, but my paranoia paid off because one morning I woke up to the fire alarming blasting (I live on a high floor apartment). Then I heard fire trucks coming and I knew I had to act fast, so I stuffed the cats into the bag, grabbed my keys, phone, wet towel and headed to the fire escape. Everything was fine in the end but I'm glad I had plan and made a mental note of which cat put up a fight.

 

[kashmir64]

Syringes are hard to find for me sometimes. I end up finding them in the baby section of walmart. But they are a lifesaver.

Go to any feed/tack store. They have all different sizes.

 

[LTS3]

Check the kit at least once a year and toss out anything that is expired or close to expiring such as OTC medicines. Even medical supplies like insulin syringes and medical gloves expire after time so check everything and if in doubt, toss it. Prescription medicines obviously shouldn't be stockpiled in a kit. Keep a list of prescription medicines a pet needs with the kit and update it regularly.

Amazon and other web sites sell disposable oral syringes. You want slip tip ones, not luer lock which are meant for a needle to be attached. 3 ml to 10 ml are good sizes for most uses. Or ask the vet for a few syringes.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I was wondering if anyone has a pet emergency kit and if so what you have in it?

My money is pretty tight but I found myself with a extra $30ish and it stuck me that instead of doing something like seeing a movie I should start a kit for the animals. I doubt I can get a whole kit started for that, but I could at least start. Not that I think anything is going to happen (aside from the extreme heat we always get) but that seems like the best time to start one. For the record I have one large dog, one small dog and of course my Sadie. Any suggestions for where I should start? Any ideas on what is most important or what I should prioritize? Of course I can pack some of their current food and some bottles of water, so don’t worry about listing that.

For basic emergencies, stuff like vet wrap or whatever is great. Benadryl and stuff also, anti-diarrhea meds, baby food for cats that stop eating, etc., are great!!
For serious emergencies, the best advice I have is keep fliers made in case a pet goes missing during a disaster or just randomly....their recent photo, their name, age, breed, sex, your address and a phone number that's accessible.
If God forbid anyone gets loose the last thing I'd want to to do is waste precious time by making up a flier!
Good idea on being prepared! Even if you dunk $1-$2 a week into this, it's money not missed and money that will probably cover you guys if something should happen.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I don't have a kit per say, but I do have a carrier per animal and always keep enough food and litter on hand for two weeks.

My garage has a container that hold 30 pounds of food, while my house has a 5 pound container we feed from. I never have less than 5 pounds on hand and often have an unopened bag of food next to the filled 30 pound container. When I top off the big container I buy a new bag.

I am a little less on top of it with wet food but I figure they will be fine on just dry if there is an emergency.

There are also collapsing carriers or kennels you can keep in your car. Something that folds flat and doesn't end up taking up a lot of space. Then you can just throw the animals in a car if you have to and still be good.

When I found a kitten a few years ago I had a collapsing mesh small dog crate in my car that immediately was popped into a safe transport for a hungry, wailing baby.
I wanted nothing more than to keep this kit in my lap on the drive home but this baby was HUNGRY, active, very young and wailing, climbing...not safe.
This vehicle has two dog crates and a collapsible crate in it, the others have a single crate.
This was good when I had a dog of ours with me, crated, and picked up a rouge stray dog that was very oriented to me (people friendly!) but when I tossed him in our car, he looked like he wanted to tear into my dog....dog was safely crated and fights were out of my mind and not a worry.
(I did find this dogs home. Dropped him there. Owners seemed unconcerned and sadly this dog tried to follow me back to my car...) =(

 

[1 bruce 1]

I keep ham and chicken baby food, plain pedialyte, a pill pusher, tuna fish, chicken broth- none of which they ever wanted to eat. But my main concern when Luna got sick was dehydration and not eating. But a vet visit and subcu fluids did a better job than any of this stuff.

I make sure I have two carriers incase both cats have to go to the vet at the same time.

If we're talking general "pet" emergency kit, I do keep some other things for my dog like Benadryl, ibuprofen, pepto bismol. I keep puppy pads in case he has poopy problems and I have to crate him at night or while I'm gone wo he doesn't get poop everywhere. I also always leave the crate up incase he gets sick and needs to be contained. Also hydrogen peroxide in case I need to force him to vomit in an emergency. And a syringe to force liquid down his throat.

Um.. Also an ace wrap to work as a diy thundercoat during fireworks, bandages, gauze.

I also have several different medications I keep on hand for my aquarium, but I don't know that you want me to go into all that...

What kind of Ibuprofin? Some of that is not dog safe, but some vet prescribed stuff is. Just need to clarify for lurkers, etc.!
If pepto doesn't help, kaopetctate does.
We have WAY more experience with car sick barfy dogs than we want to admit! =D

 

[MeganLLB]

What kind of Ibuprofin? Some of that is not dog safe, but some vet prescribed stuff is. Just need to clarify for lurkers, etc.!
If pepto doesn't help, kaopetctate does.
We have WAY more experience with car sick barfy dogs than we want to admit! =D

It depends on the dosage. My vet prescibed it for our beagle when he had arthritis and tore something in his leg. Depends on the weight of the dog. You'd have to ask your vet what is safe for your pet.

 

[1 bruce 1]

It depends on the dosage. My vet prescibed it for our beagle when he had arthritis and tore something in his leg. Depends on the weight of the dog. You'd have to ask your vet what is safe for your pet.

Agreed!
I wanted to kind of address this in case any lurker/readers decided Ibprofin is OK and giving their cat or dog an advil is OK when certainly it's not OK at all...
Our vet prescribed a very good Ibuprofin type pain killer for a dog with IVVD, and it was Rx..

 

[MeganLLB]

Agreed!
I wanted to kind of address this in case any lurker/readers decided Ibprofin is OK and giving their cat or dog an advil is OK when certainly it's not OK at all...
Our vet prescribed a very good Ibuprofin type pain killer for a dog with IVVD, and it was Rx..

Well we used regular over the counter stuff for our dog and the vet said that was fine. It wasn't an ibuprofen "type" thing. It was like regular baby aspirin you buy at the pharmacy or Walmart.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Well we used regular over the counter stuff for our dog and the vet said that was fine. It wasn't an ibuprofen "type" thing. It was like regular baby aspirin you buy at the pharmacy or Walmart.

Got it. Not trying to start an argument, I hope you understand...

 

[Desertmouse]

Wow everyone has such great ideas, thank you! I love the people on this forum, always so helpful.

I wanted to post this in case anyone else could use it as well. Surprisingly I found it on our state gov site (first time I really visited a state site in awhile, very useful stuff) but I’m sure it will work for anyone anywhere else. Pets and Animals | Ready.gov