Prepare

Hazards

Recovery

Considerations

FAQ

Resources

What is Pet Emergency Preparedness?

Being prepared means planning with all household members in mind, including pets, livestock, and large animals. Each member has a role to play in ensuring the safety and well-being of our animal companions. Ensuring your animals are part of your plans means taking steps to keep them safe, comfortable, and well-cared for in the event of an emergency.

Your active involvement in creating a pet evacuation plan and assembling the necessary supplies, such as food, water, and medications, is crucial. You are the key to your pet’s safety in an emergency.

Please remember to give your animals the right identification, including ID tags and microchips. Keeping a recent photo of your pet can also be a helpful step in reuniting with them if you become separated.

What Can I do to Prepare my Pets, Livestock, and Large Animals Before an Emergency?

  • Leave early: Don’t wait for a mandatory evacuation order. An unnecessary trip is far better than waiting too long to leave safely with your pets. If you wait to be evacuated by emergency officials, you may put your pet in jeopardy.
  • Prepare Pets for Travel: Familiarize your pets with a carrier, crate or trailer. In an emergency you may need to travel with your pets, it is important that they’re comfortable with the experience.
  • Never leave pets behind: If you evacuate, do not leave your pets behind. Animals left behind in a disaster can easily be injured, lost or killed. Animals turned loose to fend for themselves are likely to become victims of exposure, starvation, predators, contaminated food or water or accidents.
  • Be mindful when leaving the home: If you leave, even if you think you may be gone only for a few hours, take your animals. Conditions can change quickly, and you might not be allowed to return right away.
  • Develop a buddy system: Plan with neighbors, friends or relatives to make sure that someone is available to care for or evacuate your pets if you are unable to do so.

Emergencies can happen quickly and without warning. Just like people, pets need things like food, water, and comfort. Get ready by putting together an emergency kit for your pet(s) using the items below:

  • Add a collar with ID tag
  • Refer to Resource Pet Disaster Kit video:
  • Download the Pet Disaster Kit Checklist

Sign up to receive emergency alerts and warnings. During a major disaster,
San Bernardino County uses a system known as the Telephone Emergency Notification System or TENS to send high-speed mass notifications by telephone and text messages.

This system helps us get you critical updates, such as evacuation information, as quickly as possible.

Know your Hazards

Knowing what type of emergencies might happen in your community can help you get prepared. These hazards can be
earthquakes, wildfires, bioterrorism, power outages and extreme weather, including storms, winter and extreme heat. Make
a plan with these in mind. To learn more about the top hazards in your area visit:

Recovering After a Disaster

Follow these tips to help your pets recover after a disaster situation:

Survey the area inside and outside your home to identify sharp objects, dangerous materials, dangerous wildlife, contaminated water, downed power lines, or other hazards.

Remember that familiar scents and landmarks may have changed, and this can confuse your animals.

Allow uninterrupted rest and sleep to allow animals to recover from trauma and stress.

Comfort each other. The simple act of petting and snuggling can reduce anxiety for both people and pets.

Examine your animals closely and contact your veterinarian immediately if you observe injuries or signs of illness.

Reintroduce food in small servings, gradually working up to full portions if animals have been without food for a prolonged period of time.

The disruption of routine activities can be the biggest cause of stress for your pets, so try to re-establish a normal schedule as quickly as you can.

If you notice any signs of stress, discomfort or illness in your pets, contact your veterinarian to schedule a checkup.

For more information about pets and disasters, please click Pets and Disasters below

Special Considerations

  • Keep a clean and tidy stable and pasture. Remove hazardous and flammable materials, debris and machinery from around the barn’s walkways, entrances and exits. Regularly maintain and inspect barn floors and septic tanks. Inspect your grounds regularly and remove dangerous debris in the pasture.
  • Keep equine veterinary records in a safe place where they can quickly be reached. Be sure to post emergency phone numbers by the phone. Include your 24-hour veterinarian, emergency services and friends. You should also keep a copy for emergency services personnel in the barn that includes phone numbers for you, your emergency contact, your 24-hour veterinarian and several friends.
  • If you own a trailer, please inspect it regularly. Also, make sure your towing vehicle is appropriate for the size and weight of the trailer and horse. Always be sure the trailer is hitched properly – the hitch locked on the ball, safety chains or cables attached, and emergency brake battery charged and linked to towing vehicle. Proper tire pressure (as shown on the tire wall) is also very important.
  • Get your horse well-socialized and used to being handled by all kinds of strangers. If possible, invite emergency responders and/or members of your local fire service to interact with your horse. It will be mutually beneficial for them to become acquainted.
  • Set up a phone tree or buddy system with other nearby horse owners and local farms. This is useful to have support for evacuations or share resources like trailers, pastures or extra hands!
  • Birds should be transported in a secure travel cage or carrier.
  • In cold weather, make certain you have a blanket over your pet’s cage. This may also help reduce the stress of traveling.
  • In warm weather, carry a spray bottle to periodically moisten your bird’s feathers.
  • Have recent photos available and keep your bird’s leg bands on for identification.
  • If the carrier does not have a perch, line it for paper towels that you can change frequently.
  • Items to keep on hand: catch net, heavy towel, blanket or sheet to cover cage, cage liner.
  • A snake may be transported in a pillowcase, but you should have permanent and secure housing for it when you reach a safe place.
  • Take a sturdy bowl that is large for your pet to soak in. It is also a good idea to bring along a heating pad or other warming device, such as a hot water bottle.
  • Lizards can be transported like birds (see “Birds” tab).
  • Small animals, such as hamsters, gerbils, mice and guinea pigs, should be transported in secure carriers with bedding materials, food and food bowls.
  • Items to keep on hand: salt lick, extra water bottle, small hide box or tube, a week’s worth of bedding.

FAQ Section

Plan ahead for where to take your pets in an emergency:

  • Contact your veterinarian for a list of preferred boarding kennels and facilities.
  • Ask your local animal shelter if they provide emergency shelter or foster care for pets.
  • Identify hotels or motels outside of your immediate area that accept pets.
  • Ask friends and relatives outside your immediate area if they would be willing to take in your pet.

During an emergency, your local animal shelter may offer support. San Bernardino County Animal Care operates the Big Bear and Devore Animal Shelters providing services to Mt. Baldy, San Antonio Heights, unincorporated areas of San Bernardino County, and the cities of Big Bear Lake, Highland, and Yucaipa. If you live outside these areas, please check our list of other animal care agencies serving your location. See which animal control agencies and shelters serve your area: Service Areas Map– Animal Care

Make sure your pet can be identified quickly and easily:

  • ID tags: Ensure your pet wears a collar with an ID tag that includes your current contact information.
  • Microchip: Microchip your pet and keep your contact information updated in the registry.
  • Photos: Keep recent photos of your pet (both digital and printed) to help others identify them if you get separated.

When preparing for emergencies, a pet is considered any animal in your care. This includes domesticated animals like dogs and cats, as well as birds, livestock, large animals, fish, sea creatures, reptiles and amphibians. If you’re responsible for the animal’s well-being, it is considered a pet.

  • Evacuation Warning: Potential threat to life and/or property. Those who require additional time to evacuate, and those with pets and livestock should leave now.
  • Evacuation Order: Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access. Don’t wait, evacuate immediately and take your pets, livestock, and large animals with you.
  • Shelter in Place: Go indoors. Shut and lock doors and windows. Prepare to self-sustain until further notice and/or notified by emergency personnel for additional direction. Identify the safest room in your home that you and your pets can stay in for several days. Large animals and livestock should stay in an enclosed shelter with adequate food, water and bedding.

If you have pets such as horses, goats, pigs or other large animals on your property, be sure to prepare before a disaster.

  • Ensure all animals have some form of identification.
  • Evacuate animals earlier, whenever possible. Map out primary and secondary routes in advance.
  • Ensure that appropriate vehicles and trailers are available for transporting and supporting each type of animal along with experienced handlers and drivers.
  • Ensure destinations have food, water, veterinary care and handling equipment.

Your pets may be traumatized, confused or stressed. Be patient and support them as they adjust and return to their regular routines.
In the first few days after an emergency, make sure you control your pets when they go outside. Familiar scents and landmarks may have changed. Pets can become confused or uncomfortable. The stress may make them unpredictable. Contact your pet’s veterinarian to help you with any behavioral or health issues.

Additional Resources