How to DIY Your Own Pet Emergency Kit with Nature's Recipe

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Y’all should know by now that I am one proud dog mom and I take care of Gatsby and Hemingway as if they were actual people. That’s why I got my ish together and created a “go bag” for them in case of an emergency before I even made one for myself! If we’re being honest, I still don’t have one for myself… oops. Anyways, with all the natural disasters happening in the world right now, I figured it was a great opportunity to elaborate on the pet portion of my DIY Emergency Kit post from a few weeks ago.

Now if you’re a dog mom but you’re thinking “I don’t live anywhere near a hurricane” then hold up just a minute. Emergency situations happen to everyone and can happen at anytime so wouldn’t you rather be prepared for yourself and your precious fur babies in case anything were to happen? I know it’s scary to think about but you honestly never know when an emergency will strike, whether it’s a snowstorm, house fire, or emergency trip back to your home state. This tutorial will have you DIYing your own emergency kit for your pets in no time! Honestly, the hardest part about this DIY is getting everything you need so there’s really no excuse. Easy peasy is what we’re all about here so let’s get right into creating your own pet emergency kit!

What You’ll Need:

• Bag or backpack

• Collars and leashes with ID tags

• Food (three days worth in an airtight, waterproof container)

• Three days worth of water specifically for pets

• Collapsible travel bowls

• Medical records and other important documents (kept in ziplock baggy)

• Medicine and Flea/Tick prevention

• Doggie bags

• Toys and comfort items

• A picture of you and your pet(s)

Step One: Gather Supplies

I told y’all this DIY was going to be super easy. The first part of preparing your own emergency pet kit is to gather all of the necessary supplies. Start by looking around in your apartment or house for the stuff you already own. I know we have more than our fair share of extra collars and leashes lying around which will also save a little extra cash and who doesn’t want that? One of the things I am sure to stock up on, however, is dog food. Hemingway has some serious allergy issues, grains included, so I don’t want to risk not having access to the right type of food during an emergency. Gatsby and Hemingway are actually OBSESSED with Nature’s Recipe which has been helping Fuel the Wag of dogs everywhere with 35 years of premium recipes.

Until recently, Nature’s Recipe was exclusively sold in pet specialty stores which makes grabbing it for your DIY pet emergency kit super simple. I just ran by my local Hannaford’s Supermarket to grab an extra bag (because you can never have too much extra dog food lying around, amiright?)! Having a dog food that’s made from high quality ingredients is super important to any dog mom and not something we should have to worry about while trying to outrun a hurricane or shelter in place for a snowstorm. Nature’s Recipe is also sold at a great price point which is great for those of us on a budget. Have you checked the price of other grain free dog foods recently? I know I’m getting a resounding AMEN (hands up emoji) from all you dog mom’s out there who want to be sure your pup is eating food made with high quality ingredients without breaking the bank. Bonus: You can even save an extra $3 right now when you use this Checkout 51 Offer! Once you’ve got all of your supplies rounded up it’s time for the next step!

Step Two: Print or Make Copies of Important Documents

It may not seem like a big deal to have your pet’s vaccination records or even a picture of you and them included in your emergency kit but hear me out. If you have to relocate for any amount of time it may be difficult for you to get in touch with your pet’s veterinarian in order to get another copy of those records. Vaccination records may be required by hotels, shelters, and kennels even during emergency situations. Printing these documents out ahead of time takes maybe one minute now but can save you and your pets a lot of hassle down the road.

You should also include a picture of you and your pets along with vaccination records. Not only does having a picture on your person prove ownership (can you imagine someone trying to steal one of your precious babies?) but it can also be used to provide more identifiable information in case your pet is lost or stolen. You should include important information such as species, breed, age, sex, color, and other distinguishing features. Having a picture can also make it easier for other people to assist you in a worst case scenario.  Secure documents in a sealed ziplock baggy to keep them safe!

Step Three: Pack Food and Water Safely

You should have three days of dog food (per dog) and water in your emergency kit. For me, this means 1 cup of food for each dog twice a day. That means I need approximately 12 cups of my Nature’s Recipe dog food to account for three days. Water is a little more difficult to measure since I don’t actually monitor how much water Gatsby and Hemingway drink on a daily basis but I think including three or four water bottles should be enough for them (because you should always have enough water for yourself for three days in addition). Bottle water is also fairly easy to keep so that’s why I chose bottled water for my kit!

Step Four: Choose Comfort Items

Honestly choosing the comfort items for Gatsby and Hemingway was probably the hardest part of putting together this DIY emergency kit. Hemingway loves to carry around any type of bone or toy in his mouth and basically prance back and forth so I chose this little orange bone he seems to favor to include. Gatsby was a little more difficult because he doesn’t really get attached to anything. I made sure to grab some Bully Sticks to include in our bag to keep them occupied. I included one squeaky animal just so they had some variety. I also included an old t-shirt I don’t wear anymore. Having something that smells familiar for dogs is very comforting so I think this is a nice little extra comfort item to include!

Step Five: Pack it Up!

The final step in this seriously easy DIY is to pack everything up in your bag of choice. I chose a backpack that I had lying around because I knew I wouldn’t be using it for anything. There’s also enough room that I can probably go ahead and pack a change of clothes for myself in this bag, knocking down the number of things I have to carry in the event of an emergency. Keep your bag in an easily accessible location so you can grab it in a hurry, too. That’s why they call it a Go Bag! I’m going to leave this one sitting on top of the storage container that holds all of our shoes, easy to grab as I’m running out the door in the event of an emergency! I also keep a separate emergency pet kit in my car because I spend a lot of time traveling with the dogs. There is no such thing as being too prepared when it comes to emergency situations!

I hope you found this tutorial helpful and please tag me in any pictures you share of your own DIY Emergency Pet kits! You can be sure to Fuel the Wag by keeping your precious fur babies safe in the event of an emergency situation. For more inspiration on how to Fuel the Wag with your dog, check out the Nature’s Recipe website.