30 Easy Preparedness Ideas — Day 8

Check or Update Your Pet Grab-N-Go Bag

Welcome to Day 8 of 30 Easy Preparedness Ideas for National Preparedness Month!

We've been working on getting ourselves ready—but today is all about those family members who can't pack their own bags.

Our pets!

Today's easy challenge is:

Find your pet's Grab-N-Go Bag and check it.

Don't have one yet?

That's okay! Today is the perfect day to start one.

You don't have to build the world's fanciest pet emergency kit. Grab a backpack, tote or other easy-to-carry bag and start with the basics.

What Does Your Pet Need?

Imagine you suddenly had to leave home and couldn't come back for a few days.

What would your pet need?

Start with:

• Food
• Water
• Food and water bowls
• Leash or harness
• Identification information
• Waste bags or litter supplies
• Necessary medications
• Wipes or cleanup supplies
  
• Small comfort item or favorite toy
• Small blanket or towel, if practical
• Important pet information

You don't have to get everything perfect today.

Start with what you already have.

Check & Rotate the Food

Remember our Grab-N-Go Snack Kits from Day 6?

Pet food needs to be checked and rotated too.

Look at the food in your pet's emergency bag.

Is it still within its recommended date?

Is the packaging intact?

Has it been sitting in a hot garage or vehicle?

Is it still the same food your pet currently eats?

Mimi's Tip: When it's time to rotate emergency pet food, feed the older food to your pet as part of their normal meals or treats—while it's still good—and replace it with fresh food.

Use it. Replace it. Don't waste it.

And if you change your pet's regular food, remember to update the emergency supply too.

Don't Forget Their Water!

On Day 3, we started storing emergency water for our families.

Did you include the pets?

Pets need emergency drinking water too.

How much you'll need depends on the animal, its size, diet, health, activity and conditions, so plan appropriately for your own pets and keep some extra.

Don't forget something for them to drink out of!

A collapsible bowl can be especially convenient in a Grab-N-Go Bag.

Check Medications

If your pet takes medication, today's a good day to review your emergency plan for it.

Check:

• What medication does your pet currently take?
• Are the emergency supplies current?
• Do you have your veterinarian's information?
• Do you have the medication name and dosage written down?

Talk with your veterinarian about an appropriate emergency supply and how medications should be stored.

Check Their Identification

If you become separated during an evacuation, identification can make a huge difference.

Check your pet's collar and ID tag.

Can you still read it?

Is the phone number correct?

Does the collar or harness still fit properly?

If your pet is microchipped, make sure the registration contact information is current.

Mimi's Tip: Put a recent photo of your pet in your emergency information too.

Even better, keep a photo of you WITH your pet.

It may help show ownership and gives you another useful photo if you become separated.

Make a Little Pet Information Card

Put basic information in the Grab-N-Go Bag:

Pet's name:
Your name:
Phone number:
Veterinarian:
Veterinarian phone:
Medications:
Feeding instructions:
Allergies/medical needs:
Microchip information, if applicable:

You can keep a paper copy in a waterproof pouch or protective bag and a digital copy on your phone.

Don't Forget the Leash!

During an emergency, even a normally calm pet can become frightened.

Keep an appropriate leash, harness or carrier readily available.

For cats and other small animals, think about how you would safely transport them if you had to leave home quickly.

Do you know where the carrier is?

More importantly...

Could you get to it quickly?

If the cat carrier is buried behind the Christmas decorations in the back of the garage, today might be a good day to move it. 

Add Something Familiar

A familiar smell or object can provide some comfort during a stressful situation.

Consider packing:

• Favorite small toy
• Small blanket or towel
• Favorite treats

It doesn't have to be big.

We're still following Mimi's Grab-N-Go rule:

SMALL. LIGHT. USEFUL.

Prepare for the Messy Stuff Too!

Pets don't stop needing bathroom breaks because there's an emergency.

For dogs:

• Waste bags
• Wipes
• Extra plastic bags

For cats:

• Small amount of litter
• Portable/disposable litter solution
• Disposal bags

Pack what makes sense for your particular animal.

Use Pouches to Keep Things Organized

Just like our human Grab-N-Go Bags, smaller pouches can help keep pet supplies organized.

A PackFreshUSA Stand-Up Pouch can be useful for grouping dry, lightweight items such as treats, waste bags, wipes or other small supplies.

You might have one pouch labeled:

PET SUPPLIES

That way you're not digging through an entire backpack looking for one roll of waste bags.

Add the Pet Bag to Your 6-Month Check

We've already started building our twice-a-year preparedness routine.

Let's add the pets!

Every six months:

• Check batteries and backup power
• Rotate family Grab-N-Go snacks
• Rotate pet food and treats
• Review pet medications
• Check ID tags
• Update pet information
• Check the condition of the bag and supplies

And remember—puppies, kittens and young animals grow!

That harness or collar you packed six months ago may not fit today.

TODAY'S EASY PREPAREDNESS CHALLENGE

Find your pet Grab-N-Go Bag—or start one.

Then check:

☐ Food
☐ Water
☐ Bowls
☐ Treats
☐ Leash/harness/carrier
☐ ID tags
☐ Medications
☐ Vet information
☐ Recent photo
☐ Waste/litter supplies
☐ Wipes
☐ Small comfort item
☐ Any special needs

Then put the bag somewhere you can actually grab it on the way out the door.

✅ DAY 8 — DONE!

Our pets depend on us.

They can't grab their food.

They can't find their medication.

They can't update their phone number on their ID tag.

And they definitely can't pack their own Grab-N-Go Bag.

That's our job. 

Take a few minutes today to make sure your furry, feathered or other little family members are part of your emergency plan too.

One little preparedness job at a time.

See you tomorrow for Day 9!

— Mimi 

Preparedness is for the whole family—paws included.

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