Please schedule an

appointment with your 

veterinarian to discuss any 

questions or concerns!

Be prepared for when a disaster or emergency hits.

 Your Veterinary Treatment Facility can help!

Pet Safety Checklist: 

 Develop an Emergency Preparedness Plan

 Develop a Communication Plan

 Identify escape routes and safe areas to shelter

 Create a Family Emergency Kit

 Create a Pet Emergency Kit

 Activate emergency plans as soon as you have 

advanced warning of an approaching disaster

 Know what to do for you, your Family, and your 

pets in case of evacuation

Additional resources:

• https://www.avma.org/public/EmergencyCare/

Pages/Pets-and-Disasters.aspx 

• https://www.ready.gov/considerations/militaryfamily-preparedness for information specific to 

military families

• https://www.fema.gov/ 

http://phc.amedd.army.mil

1-800-222-9698

APHC Animal Health

This information brochure was written by Army 

Veterinary Services personnel and published by the 

Army Public Health Center to inform and educate 

Service members, beneficiaries, and retirees about 

Animal Health. Comments or questions regarding 

content can be directed to ARMY-VSPublications@

mail.mil. Locate your local Veterinary Treatment 

Facility at https://tiny.army.mil/r/JG66r/VTFs

Approved for public release, 

distribution unlimited. 

TA-397-0417

In the Case of Evacuation – 

• PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PET(S) BEHIND. 

• When you evacuate your pet(s) with you and 

your Family, simply write “EVACUATED” across 

the “Pets Inside” stickers so that rescue workers 

do not put themselves at risk by entering your 

home looking for the pet.

• Remember to take your previously prepared 

emergency kits for you, your Family, and your 

pet(s).

Being prepared when a disaster or emergency 

hits can reduce the impact of the disaster on your 

Family and decrease the fear, anxiety, and stress 

that your Family experiences. Following these 

helpful tips will assist your Family in being ready 

to respond to a crisis when it unexpectedly strikes 

home.

If you have horses, livestock, birds, reptiles, or other 

small animals, remember to include ALL of your 

animals in your disaster/emergency preparedness 

planning. 

DOGS CATS POCKET BIRDS PETS RABBITS HORSES REPTILES /

AMPHIBIANS

Army Public Health Center Animal Health

 Emergency

preparedness
Identify Escape Routes and Safe 

Areas to Take Shelter

Explore your home for safe areas to shelter in case 

of emergencies. Identify and label these shelter 

locations on a floor plan of your home, and ensure 

everyone knows where to go. Remember that safe 

areas may differ depending on the type of disaster.

Create a Pet Emergency Kit

Emergency kits are commonly thought of as simply 

First-Aid kits. However, a complete emergency 

supply kit is much more inclusive. Tailor the 

emergency kits to meet the needs of your Family, 

accounting for all members, including pets. 

Inventory the contents at least twice a year to 

check expiration dates, especially for food products 

and batteries. Specific pet emergency kit items 

include:

• At least a 2-week supply of pet food, water, and 

required medications. 

• Food and water dishes, and manual can opener 

(if needed).

• Pet first-aid kit.

• Crate or other pet carrier.

• Collar and/or harness with up-to-date rabies 

vaccination tag and ID tag (include your cell 

phone number) and leash.

• Important documents in a waterproof container 

or plastic bag (veterinary medical record, 

vaccination record, microchip information, 

picture of you and your pet together, important 

phone numbers and contact information for 

your pet’s veterinarian).

• Sanitation items as appropriate, such as 

cat litter, paper towels, newspapers, puppy 

training pads, plastic trash bags, and regular 

household liquid bleach (do not use colorsafe, scented, or bleach with 

additives).

• Bedding, treats, and familiar 

toys to reduce stress.

If You Have Advanced Warning 

of an Approaching Disaster

Start emergency preparations for all members of 

your Family, including your pets.

• Check with designated emergency shelters to 

see if they will accept pets. If not, find out which 

shelters will and, if possible, make advanced 

arrangements for your pets. 

• Know which hotels and motels outside your 

area will accept pets. Keep a list with your 

emergency kit of phone numbers and addresses 

for kennels, pet-friendly lodging, animal shelters, 

and veterinary facilities that are outside of your 

local area.

• All pets should be up-to-date on their rabies 

vaccination and microchipped with an 

International Standards Organization-compliant 

microchip (15 digits). Microchipping will help 

reunite you with your pet in the event you get 

separated before, during, or after the disaster. 

Remember to register the microchip with a 

contact number so the microchip contact 

agency can reach you if you are away from 

home. 

• Discuss any additional preventive measures your 

pet may need in the case of an emergency or 

evacuation with your veterinarian. 

• Check to make sure all your pets have collars 

with up-to-date rabies vaccination tags and ID 

tags with your contact information, including 

your cell phone number.

• Go through your Pet Emergency Kit to ensure 

that nothing is missing or outdated and it is 

ready to go at a moment’s notice.

• Display “Pets Inside” stickers on exterior windows 

of your home. This will indicate to rescue 

workers that a pet may be inside the home. 

• If your pets are outside, bring them inside. This 

will help protect them from outside dangers 

and will keep them close at hand in case you 

have to leave quickly.

Emergencies span the spectrum from large-scale 

disasters to unexpected events. Proper planning 

and preparation are critical to being ready to 

respond when an emergency hits your home 

and Family. Developing a plan for your Family 

members, both two and four-legged, will help 

ensure you are able to effectively respond to any 

scenario. Planning ahead will decrease stress and 

anxiety when an event occurs.

Different regions may experience different 

disasters. When relocating to your new assignment, 

contact the installation readiness and emergency 

management office as well as the local Red Cross 

or the Emergency Management Agency to learn 

the types of hazards that may exist in your area. 

Focus your emergency preparedness planning 

accordingly. Additionally, discover the notification 

system used by your area to warn residents of 

threats (telephone alert, siren, speaker, and so 

forth) so that you quickly recognize and respond to 

warnings when they occur. 

Develop a Plan

Develop an emergency preparedness plan that 

includes ALL of your Family members, including 

your pets. A solid plan includes establishing a 

good communication plan, identifying safe shelters 

for both you and your pets, assembling portable 

Emergency Preparedness Kits for you and your 

pets, and knowing what to do after the disaster to 

help with recovery.

Develop a Communication Plan

Oftentimes when a disaster hits, common lines of 

communication become unavailable (cell phone 

service, social media, and email). Discuss a plan 

with your Family members to establish contact in 

the event a disaster reaches your home. 

• Have a list of telephone numbers for Family (and 

friends) to locate each other during a crisis and 

then determine the next best plan of action. 

• When you cannot establish communication, 

identify a common meeting point and out-oftown point of contact. 

• Make sure each Family member has up-to-date 

contact information for other Family members. 

This emergency contact information should 

be stored in their cell phone “contacts” list and 

should also be posted in an easily accessible 

location within the home. 

Following these helpful tips will 

assist your Family in being ready 

to respond to a crisis when it 

unexpectedly strikes home.