Prep for your Pet

Emergency Preparedness is not limited to that which we need as humans to survive, let us not forget about the survival of our pets.

Why? Here’s why…

 
You have a pet for a reason. Why would you risk losing it?

During times of disaster, our pets may become more valuable than ever, in the sense that they will provide stress relief and happiness during a time when we will undoubtedly be overwhelmed with uncomfortable stresses.

For the most part, the pets that we’ve had over the years have been dogs. They have provided countless moments of joy and happiness – like when you return home from an errand or work and they’re always so happy to see you. Unconditionally. After a hard or stressful day, the wagging tail and happy eyes might be the best therapy to unwind… They become part of the family – a special bond.

In a SHTF life, a pet dog will most likely make for a very good early warning system for approaching friendlies or unfriendlies. They will be a deterrent in some instances.

They will become very much worth their weight in food; so plan ahead and store extra so that you can feed them, and be better prepared to keep them alive…

Be aware that most typical ‘dry’ dog food will last about a year. Eventually the oils will begin to rancid. For my dog, I’m always rotating from an equivalent storage of just about 6-months to 1-year of his food. This way I always know that I have enough food for him and will not have to worry about supplementing for awhile.

Also, for your 72-hour kit (typically for your vehicle or quick bug-out), in addition to your own 3-day food supply, also keep enough for your pet! It’s easy to overlook…

We also keep a small water bowl in the truck too — a Tupperware-type plastic container with seal-able lid. This way we can pour some of our water bottle into the bowl while on the road if necessary. In fact, he has ‘trained us’ such that when he wants a drink while in the truck, he bumps his nose on one of the water bottles in the cup holders… smart dog ;)

 
So, that is my short message today… think about your pets versus your preps…