A tough fact of life is that emergencies happen. When we think about emergency plans, we often think about insurance and that is great. Insurance is important to make sure you and your family are taken care of in desperate situations. Something we don’t often think about is what happens to our pets in different situations. There is more to think about in a practical situation than just monetary coverage. Here is a list of things to consider when thinking about how to deal with certain situations

1. Fire: Does the fire department know what animals are living in the house? Many organizations provide stickers that affix to your front door that notify them of what and how many animals are living in the house. Also to consider is do they know how to find them? This is particularly the case with cats who may have a tendency to favour difficult to find and out of the way spots to sleep in. If your cat or dog has a favourite spot to hang out in, consider writing that on that sticker in the front window.

2. Incidents While on Vacation: You’re on vacation and you have a professional boarder/pet sitter taking care of your pets. Something that they should be informed of is what happens to your pets if something happens to you? You should inform them of who to take your pets to whether that be a friend or a family member. As well, make sure you have that discussion with a friend or family member about taking care of your pet if something happens to you.

3.Flooding: This pertains to any reason that you may have to move out of your house for a period of time. Where are you going to go? You should keep in mind a pet-friendly hotel so if something happens in the middle of the night, you don’t have to sit around researching a hotel that will accommodate your furry family members.

4. Nearest Emergency Clinic: Have you put thought ahead of time about where the nearest emergency veterinary clinic is? When an injury or emergency health concerns happens, the last thing you want to be doing is wasting time and searching online for somewhere to take your pet. Which clinics are also open after hours? This is also something to consider.

These are just a few examples of things that you should consider being prepared for. While insurance is a great way to make sure that these issues don’t put you in a financial burden, you still need to consider the practicality of what to do in an emergency situation.