With what has happened in japan in the last five days I have received more email and personal phone calls with Pet Loving people needing to know what to do if we have an emergency, earthquake or major Fire & Floods! I too have gone to look at my disaster kit and found it to be in need of new fresh supplies , batters and other things which should be up dated at least once a year. I have let life happen and keep saying I will fix this next weekend! Next weekend is here and God Bless the people of japan, if ever there was a Country well prepared it is the Japanese they had learned a lot from the 1995 quake in Kobe This is our walkup call big time and if you are like me on a very tight budget then we must be creative to be sure we are including everything we will need to survive at least two weeks on our own. With our pets in tow I learned from the 1994 Quake here in Los Angeles (Northridge to be exact) my dogs were well out of the bedroom in a safe place all three of them! By the time my Husband had gotten me out from where the things fell in our bedroom we ran to find our dogs to our amazement they were safe under the huge farm table in the living room even though the huge sliding glass doors shattered all of them were safe from any harm. What I learned is our Pets are pretty smart and have the advantage of knowing something's before us humans.
Cappy and The Gang wanted to take this time to talk about a topic that they believe we all may have talked about in the past, but think this is so important; we should update this and go over how and why we need to be prepared all the time for an emergency evacuation with our pets always talk about the important of having a first aid kit in your home and car. It is also a good idea of you are a camper or go boating to have a first aid kit in the camper and on the boat, which should also have a “doggie” life vest if Fido goes boating with you. When it comes to evacuate there are different things you will need to take with you, which is why a plan is so very important, because God forbid if your home is damaged you could lose some very important papers you many never be able to get back. For example you may not be able to recover your dog's registration papers if you have an AKC registered dog. The same can be true if you adopted your dog, you may not be able to get papers replaced from the ASPCA or a place you can retrieve the information back from. Here is what you need to do when it is calm, and there is not an emergency going on, to always be prepared. If you live as I do in the earthquake and fire country then you want to have an earthquake box filled and ready to be used at a moment's notice. Remember to always have plenty of food and water, not only for you but for Fido also as a dog can go two weeks with little to no food but they cannot go for more than twenty-four hours without water, as they will die. So water is very, very important to have stored, and always have extra water to any vehicles you are driving. Another important item to always have copies of is your dog's shot records. If you have to evacuate and travel to another place due to a hurricane or flood, and then they will ask for a health certificate for your dog. You may not have that as they are usually only good for thirty days. However, a current shot record will help a new vet know exactly what inoculations your dog has had, and what they may need to get to another place or stay in a kennel if the emergency calls for that.
Here is a wonderful site to learn first - aid for your pet
http://www.seibert.cc/PetFA.html
HERE IS WHAT TO HAVE READY IN CASE YOU HAVE TO LEAVE YOUR HOME
Pictures – this is something you cannot replace for you, your family and for Fido. So if you need to evacuate it is a good idea to try to keep your photo albums in one place; if you need to go, you can grab all of them place them in a box and off you go with your memories and your loved ones with you. The material things can always be replaced, but the things you cannot replace; these are what you need to be known: where they are and are able to get them packed quickly. Shots records Leashes collars with up-to-date tags Extra stainless steel bowls food and water Towels for the car Dog bed Food – Kibble and canned enough for two weeks is what the Red Cross recommends to keep on hand. They also recommend rotating the food and water every year to make sure it stays fresh and is still usable. It is a good idea to always keep your car with if not a full tank of gas, at least half a tank. I play this game with myself especially because gas is so very expensive I cannot always afford to fill my car. I fill up my car to full then when I get to the half tank I let myself know we are almost out of gas and then if I can only do $15 dollars on that day I still am more on the full side versus being on the empty side, if we have to drive and leave I know I have enough gas to get a good 200 miles away until I have to stop for fuel. Try this game I can promise you that it will come handy for you even if you never have to evacuate. You will never run out of gas at the wrong time and if you are a woman driving at night alone, again this is just a great safety measure to remember. Another good idea is to have a plan practice fire drills with your family and be ready if it is just you and your dog/dogs like it is with me. We have a plan and we practice this once a month, not to make some big deal but once a month I make sure I know where everything important is and I make sure when I call the boys they come right away! This is on-going to training and dogs love to keep their minds active as well as their bodies. So what I do practice a game with the boys, as each dog is well-trained alone. It is when all three get on leashes that I need them to be calm and not going wild with excitement, because they think they are off to the beach, or swimming, to a pool or park. I need them to be trained and calm always so we practice getting all our leashes on and staying calm. Sometimes we do not go out, sometimes we do; the simple fact is now the boys are trained to know when I call for a walk or anything that involves getting ready to go out with leashes on they have learned to all sit and wait their turn to have their leashes put on. If they get all hyper we start all over again until all four of us get it right. This is why I say practice this is a training tool that I promise you will come in very handy. You may say my dog heels beautiful or my dog is calm, when I say let’s go for a walk; but if you know your dog can easily get nervous or excited then you want to start to train him/her to be calm when there comes a time to go out or into the car. This way if of an emergency you will always have full control of Fido and the, both of you can get into the car calmly and move to a safe area never having to worry about the safety of your dog. Trust me; my boys can be a wild PACK. Yes I said pack, this is what it is called when you own more than one dog and with three dogs I do have a pack and if one dog get excited then all three start so I must be the leader of my pack, and I must practice all the time to make sure my pack is listening and ready to go. I do have a release word for the boys it is “OK”, and when they all hear the release word in the happy that the boys tone I use, then and only then do they know “OK it time to play and we are released from the working mind set we are in at that time”. This is one of the best tools you can teach, to have ready if you do have to ever leave your home in an emergency. I hope you never have to evacuate, but if you do the best plan is to be ready and to always remember no matter how prepared we sometimes are, things can and will go wrong, so by not stressing out too much, the best one can do is to try to be prepared and have a sense of humor. As they say “We make plans and then God breaks them”. If that is the case, know you have trained your dog and you have practice for an emergency. No matter what you can take with you or have to leave behind, what you what is known you both are ready and well trained. See training never ends, it just becomes different and you can always find a new idea to train your dog. You can never have too many tools and you can never train your dog too much. Remember, just never do it for more than a few minutes a few times a day. Do not try to train your dog in one day with an eight hour session, as this will not work for either of you. Start off with five minutes a day, work it up to ten minutes a day and then maybe add another session so you have training time twice a day with your dog, but please, as with everything else go slowly and know you are both learning to be prepared.
1. Adhesive tape (several widths is a good idea) 2. Your pet's medication if they take any. You want to have at least two weeks extra, if of emergency. 3. Scissors
4. Cotton Balls
5. Gauze pads & squares
6. Disinfectant (like Hydrogen Peroxide)
7. Rope (for an emergency if you have to tie up your pet) 8. Strips of cotton to stop bleeding
9. Tweezers (Flat slant tip, instead of rounded variety) 10. Neosporin, Bacitracin or any antibiotic ointment 11. Ice packs
12. Thermometer, rectal
13. Bottle water
14. Several sheets or one large towel
15. A sheet with the poison hotline phone number 16. A sheet with your vet's phone numbers (both the regular office, & emergency number) 17. Scissors
18. Sewing needle, sterile if possible (to remove splinters and tick heads) 19. Turkey baster or bulb syringe (for flushing wounds and administering medications) 20. Eyedropper
21. Rubber gloves
22. Nail clippers
23. Styptic powder or styptic pencil (to stop bleeding of torn toenails, etc.) 24. Comb
25. Brush
26. Disposable safety razor (for shaving fur from around a wound) 27. Towels (at least two, bath towel size is good) 28. Paper towels
29. Blanket (a compact thermal blanket works well; uses include keeping an injured animal from going into shock.) 30. Bandana &/or nylon stocking (many uses, including and muzzling or securing a torn earflap. 31. Strips of cloth
32. Dog booties or little sock (to cover wounded paws or to protect paws, so you won't need to treat) 33. Flashlight
34. Matches (sterilizes needle for sliver removal 35. Sterile gauze pads (3" x 3" size)
36. Roll gauze (for bandaging, stabilizing joints, making a muzzle) 37. Adhesive first aids tape (in both narrow and wide widths) 38. Roll of cotton
39. Bandages (including self-clinging or Vet Wrap, and waterproof types) 40. Anti-bacterial wipes or pads
41. Q-Tips
42. Hot/Cold pack
43. Ice pack
44. Hydrogen Peroxide 3% UPS (to induce vomiting and to use on infected wounds; check the expiration date from time to time and keep only fresh solution in your kit) 45. Begin charcoal tablets (effective in absorbing many toxins) 46. Syrup of Ipecac (to induce vomiting)
47. Betadine solution (a type of antiseptic iodine medication for wounds to deter infection) 48. Rubbing alcohol (apply on skin, as a body cooling agent to aid heat stroke or fever; helps break down oils; and acts as a drying agent between toes and skin folds. However do not use on wounds, as it can damage the skin and is not an appropriate antiseptic. 49. Bag Balm (especially useful for treating paw pads) 50. Petroleum jellies (helpful aid for taking temperature) 51. Sterile saline eyes solution (to flush out eye contaminants and wounds) 52. Artificial tear gels (to lubricate eyes after flushing) 53. Eye ointment without cortisone
54. Epsom salts (mix 2 tsp. In 2 cups of warm water for drawing out infection and bathing itchy paws and skin 55. Baking soda (good for soothing skin conditions) 56. Milk of Magnesia (for stomach upset and certain types of poison ingestion) 57. Pepto-Bismol (for stomach upset and some types of poison ingestion; do not give to cats) 58. Kaopectate (OK for cats and dogs)
59. Benadryl (for bug bites and stings)
60. Gentle pet sedative such as Rescue Remedy (available at health food and some pet supply stores) 61. Aspirin (for dogs only, DO NOT USE acetaminophen or ibuprofen.) Do not give aspirin to cats; since aspirin and other pain relievers can be toxic to any pet; consult your veterinarian and first aid books. 62. Can of soft pet food (can help reduce the effect of a poisoning?) 63. Mild grease-cutting dishwashing liquid, such as Dawn® (to clean contaminated skin or sticky substances) 64. Plastic Baggies
65. Muzzle (an injured or scared animal may try to bite) 66. Nylon leashes
67. Pet crate or carrier (This is a safe, calming place for your pet and a safe way to transport them.) 68. Instructions for how to perform CPR
69. Fact sheets describing heat stroke and symptoms
The following items are good things to have in your car, if of emergency: 1. Bottle water
2. Bowl or other container to use for water 3. Spare leash
It is also important to know if you have poisonous plants in or outside your home. The following is a partial of plants that are toxic to pets: Cactus
Mistletoe
Tobacco
Poinsettia
Azalea bush
Daffodil flowers and buds
Wild mushrooms
You can get a more complete list of poisonous plants on the ASCAP's website: ASPCA. Org
DOGS
Vital Statistics:
Take your dog's temperature under normal conditions to get a baseline temperature for comparison, if they get sick or become injured.
Pulse and Heart Rate, Normal resting rates:
Small dogs: 90-120 bpm
Medium dogs: 70-110 bpm
Large dogs: 60-90 bpm
Pulse should be strong, regular and easy to locate.
Temperature: Take your dog's temperature under normal conditions to get a baseline temperature for comparison, if they get sick or become injured.
Normal temperature for dogs ranges from: 98 to 102.5 degrees. Thermometer should be almost clean when removed. Blood showed abnormalities, diarrhea, or black, tarry stool.
* If you prefer to purchase a ready-made first aid kit, good choices include: • Medi+ Pet Deluxe First Aid Kit
If someone is taking care of your pet while your away: show them where you keep the first aid kit and vet records, your vet and emergency animal hospital info, how to contact you, and the name and phone number of these friends or relative if you are unavailable. In addition, let your vet know in advance who you have authorized to take your pet to the vet in your absence, and that you will pay for any emergency visit.
Those who have faced emergencies can tell you it is essential to get your first aid kit together and get familiar with first aid measures BEFORE you are confronted with an accident, emergency or sudden illness. Many situations require fast and correct action to prevent further injury, infection or death. So assemble a first aid kit now, so that you'll be ready when your pet (or a human) needs immediate help.
be honest may be costly expensive,
remember these are just suggestions, so pick
and choose what suits your financial budget and your family most of all your pets!
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