Prepare Your Pets for Emergencies

Last week was National Pet Week, so make sure your pets are prepared. Include your pets in your household emergency plan. If you must evacuate, you should evacuate your pets, too – it’s not safe to leave them behind.

Service animals as well as pets are allowed in certain shelters. Plan for your pet's safety now, before an emergency and put together a Pet Emergency Kit with the following items:

• A three-day supply of water, food and containers, non-spill bowls, and a can opener.
• Sturdy leashes, harnesses and carriers/cages to transport pets safely and ensure that they cannot escape.
• Information on feeding schedules, medical conditions, veterinarian’s phone number, proof of vaccination, pet license numbers, and microchip numbers.
• Medication for your pet (if needed).
• Plastic bags, paper towels, and wipes for clean-up.
• Recent photos of your pet for identification.
• Tech Ready - store recent pictures of your pet on your mobile phone along with pictures of your pet's prescription medication or other important information.  

The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management has additional pet preparedness tips on the Pets and Tech Ready pages of www.phila.gov/ready. For more information, visit the Pennsylvania State Animal Response Team website at http://sart.cas.psu and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals website at www.aspca.org.