Get Your "Go Bag" Ready for Your Diabetic Dog
It’s that time of year again… Time to be ready to evacuate with your pup(s) should the need arise. Before you build your mental argument for why you don’t need to, just play along and consider it. I hope you’ll trust me when I say that being prepared even if you never need it, will save you much angst and time should the need arise.
Now is the time to start preparing. It’s time to start filling water jugs with your water from home. In the event that you need to evacuate, changing water can cause tummy upset and we don’t want that on top of everything else. Just start filling gallon jugs with water or start refilling the water bottles that you use. It’s always good to have some water jugs filled in case you are without power for an extended period of time. Most water pumps are electric and it would be nice to be able to flush your toilet!
Next is food. Start measuring out meals and putting them in zip lock bags. Obviously, this is easiest if you feed kibble. If you feed home cooked, start measuring out your ingredients and putting them in the freezer. If you use toppers that are home cooked like chicken, you’ll want to get some of that in zip lock bags and into the freezer.
You can also buy some canned chicken breast at the grocery store and put it in your “go bag”. Just be sure to rinse it before you feed it. There are some products that are prepackaged that you can buy for your “go bag”. They are called Simply Shreds by Wellness. Also, you can start stockpiling jars of baby food to put in your bag.
Now we move on to the most important things, your testing supplies and insulin. If you don’t have a Stor-More, perhaps think about getting one if your budget allows. It makes it so much easier to just have your supplies all in one place to just throw in your bag. Let’s run down the list: your meter, strips, lancets, syringes, ketone strips, D-Mannose, insulin and any other meds that your pup is on.
How do you keep your insulin cold without a fridge? I had a Frio insulin wallet that I bought on Amazon. You just soak it in water and it’s good for 2 days. At the end of 2 days, just soak it again and you have another 2 days and so on. You can also freeze some small bowls of water to put in a cooler, just be sure that your insulin isn’t right up against it. We don’t want our insulin to freeze.
Be sure to always have your pup on a leash if you are having to evacuate. If they are scared, it’s when they tend to “bolt”. They will know that a storm is coming long before you do. They can sense barometric pressure changes long before the weather hits. So protect them from their fear and keep them safe on a leash.
This is also a good time to check that your microchip information is correct. Make sure that it includes your current address and also the fact that your pup is diabetic and insulin dependent. If you don’t have a tag on your pup that says that he/she is diabetic, please get one! It doesn’t have to be fancy, it can just be one from your local pet store that can be engraved with that information and your contact information. If there’s room, add your vet information.
As you go through the next few days, make a list of everything that you use and keep it near your supplies. Don’t assume that an evacuation will be short, take your once a month meds (heartworm, flea and tick) with you too. A couple years ago we had a member in our group that had to evacuate to a different state and couldn’t go back home for several months. Please be prepared for any eventuality.
As always, better safe than sorry.
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Until next time…