For many people, pets are an integral part of their family. In an emergency situation pets should not be forgotten. While gathering emergency preparedness items and survival gear, your pet’s needs should be highlighted on your list. If you do not prepare with extra water and food you for your animals, you may be in danger of watching your pet’s health diminish or sharing your own food storage and water with your pets.

In addition to extra food storage and water storage for your pet’s needs, you will also need to think about evacuation necessities. Depending on your pet, you will need an appropriate crate or travel carrier. Even if your dog or cat is normally well behaved and has a calm personality, you cannot foresee how their attitude may change in a natural disaster or emergency situation. It is important to have items that will help to keep them safe and secure when they are under stress. A high quality crate with a soft blanket is recommended.

Keeping your animals up to date on all vaccinations is key to having a healthy pet in emergency situations. Also, keep copies of records for vaccinations with your own personal identification documents. If you are forced to seek shelter in a community area you may need to prove that your pets are healthy and have had their vaccines before they are allowed to enter the community area.

You may also need to add items to your first aid kit that are specific to your pets health needs. Emergency preparedness gear for pet owners will include extra leashes or leads, animal toys, poop scoops or , medications and more. This of course will depend on the animal and their age. There are many other items that will be required based on the animals that you have and their current health status. There are several informational sites that have detailed lists for pets of all types including dogs, cats, reptiles and other small animals, such as the ASPCA disaster preparedness site.