It is important to be prepared for whatever may come. This could be inclement weather, injury, food shortages, and many other unknowns. While we may prepare for ourselves, what about our furry friends? Today I’m going to share with you, things I do to be prepped for my dog and whatever comes our way.
Stockpiling Food and Treats
Food security is something that I am very passionate about. This goes for not only my human family but our dog as well. I make sure to always have about three months of food and treats. There are two ways that I save on dog food to ensure I have a stockpile while maintaining my budget. Firstly, is that I have a loyalty membership through PetCo and set up a reoccurring delivery. With reoccurring delivery, there is a 5% discount, combine that with my loyalty membership and every 8th bag of dog food is free. Secondly, is to check for sales. The dog food brand we use regularly goes on a “truckload” price at a local store, I make sure to keep an eye out for this sale and will pick up a few bags. Subscribe and Save with Amazon is a huge win for stockpiling treats as well.
Water
On the note of food, we should also think about how will we give water to our dogs? Again, you will need to know how much your dog consumes. My dog drinks about a gallon a day, this means I need to find space for all those jugs or another storage option. I do have plastic gallons on hand in the event of an emergency, but a water filter is a great option that does not take up much space.
Variety of Leads
There are many situations in which having a lead for your dog is necessary. Therefore it is important to have a variety of leads to fit these different situations. For example, in our city limits, this means you need a tie-out if unable to get fencing. We also have a 50ft lead that is bright orange for when having our dog out in the woods with us. A slip lead is great when you need to maintain good control of your dog, and also can be utilized for everyday walks. The final type of lead we use is a hands-free lead. This type of lead has a waist belt and is great for when you are exercising with your dog.
First Aid kit
First aid is necessary and I have already written an article on first aid kits for dogs, including the one I put together, that you can check out here. It’s nice not to need a first aid kit, but it’s amazing to have one when you do need it. Make sure you have one for home and for travel because you just never know. I’m going to throw in grooming supplies here as well because grooming keeps your dog healthy. A nail trimmer is going to help keep your dog comfortable by keeping their nails from getting overgrown. A brush to groom out any extra fur to keep your dog from getting matted and overheated. Thirdly for grooming, pet wipes to give them an in-between bath and help if they get into anything messy.
Emergency Plans
Preparing for emergencies means practicing how you are going to handle these situations. For example, if there is a tornado, where is the safe place to take cover? Can you bring your dog to that safe place? Have you practiced with your dog to help ensure things go smoothly in a stressful situation? You can come up with plans and ask questions for many different scenarios including fires, SHTF, any type of storm, and many other scenarios.
Prepping for the unknowns and what-ifs should be an important part of our lives, just like our dogs are. They are family, so being prepared to take care of them in an emergency brings comfort to us. Let me know what you do to be prepared for your dog in an emergency!