Prepping and Pets

Hey,
Pets are good in Prepping, especially Dogs (personal preference here.)
They provide;
security
companionship
they sleep with both ears open, whereas most humans sleep so soundly you could park a car on top of them before they wake up
they can carry their own packs
can be trained to pull or carry a Cart
pull a sled
help keep vermin away, unlike lazy cats, when they get a mouse they keep looking for them, cats, go have a nap after just ONE !
help keep other critters away while in the bush
provide comic relief, laughter is good medicine
yup so if you have a little dog, it can pull a little sled or cart, at least its own food and water
help with security of your vehicle, home, camp site, bug out location
can be your fist and last line of defence
if you are lost or loose your blanket, they cuddle up and can help keep you alive in the winter and rainy seasons
eat the leftovers so to keep vermin away
last but not least in case my mother is reading this, they can help be the pre dish washer 😈 so save on water conservation (my mother says she will throw out any plate a dog has licked first, no not clean it after throw it out! )

welcome to the forum, 2nd positive and polite post, cheers to you

Hi, I certainly do look at preparing for my pets and for all my animals, I also prep a home vet kit, extra supplies for both the pet (as I have cats and dogs, they are working animals, not just pet) plus my barn animals.

I do keep up medical to date, and I take a number of vet tec course each year to round out my own knowledge, I have good supply of medical vet books, many of them well beyond the average pet advice, and true vet medical books, I have taken pet first aid etc.

However, I am going also point out that Dh and I have had a few very hard talks about just how many of our current house and barn critters we would be able to support in our growing/perserving yearly outputs and without extra's coming in from outside sources, just as my sheep flock would need to be cut down by 40% in order for me to be able to pasture them, and grow/hand cut, and haul hay for the winter, and my bird flock would have to be reduce by half, same with my winter rabbit breeding programs.

I am aware that I have to many barn cats, it would need to be very long term issue before I would a problem with most of my hounds but as two of them are on meds daily (due to old age), just like knowing that there are humans that are medical dependent, in my case, I am aware that my much beloved pups that are in that same boat, in one case , I can use over the counter meds and stock a two year supply before they get outdated, but in the other case, I can't, and while I have been able to get up to a three month supply, that is far ahead as I have been able to get..

So while I am not! a kick to the curb owner, I am aware that when I really need to think about it, that the odds are good that I would need to provide a humane passing for aleast one of my hounds.. sad and I hope never to have to make that call but I would not leave her to suffer as she would once her medication ran out.

As for the cats, it would depend on a number of factors, I would certianly do my best until it became clear that I had no other choices left..

My prepping plans do include all my pets (2 dogs, 2 cats, guinea pig and a goldfish) and my mother's pets (2 cats and a small dog) as well. Animals don't judge you if you make a mistake, they don't hold grudges, they don't stab you in the back - so why shouldn't they be included in your prepping plans. My animals go where I go (I'm a dog person but my daughter loves cats) the guinea pig is my composter and the fish (it's there to tease the cats). 😀

Thank you for re-affirming my decision to include my animals in my preparations. This renews my faith in human nature in general and preppers in particular. Much appreciated!

We also have three dogs, one is older and running down, the other two are about 5 years of age. Madie, a Coon hound/Lab, was rescued at 7 month after she her sister had been on their own for 3 month after getting out of the barn that they were being raised in, in Mennonite country. Since we’ve got her over 4 years ago, she has killed and mostly eaten, 5 skunks and 6 squirrels. Jake, is a Golden/doodle, Tall, blond and dumb, friendly as all hell but at the slightest noise, he will raise an alarm that starts all the dogs yapping. All three, together, make the best alarm system going, But, in a hide they would be a major deterrent. For Madie, she can take care of herself if food was scarce, if Jake isn’t with her. Jake is a picky eater, and would depend too much on us for food. Dogs, are a boon to us, but they could also hold us back. The good with the bad. If all went bad, and you could not support your dog any more, would you set them loose, or put them down, and could you. 🙁

Both my dogs are capable of getting their own rabbits (proven fact - yay!). Both dogs eat raw meat but I do cook their vegetables & rice. I've stocked up on rice and they get their vegetables from my garden like we do. The cats eat raw meat too and so I've no doubt that some of the rabbit meat (caught by the dogs) will go to the cats. Both my dogs recall when I whistle for them (very slowly when they have fresh meat), and I can and do take things from them as a training exercise (just in case someone tries to bait them). None of my animals has a medical condition or require medication. My animals will all be fed from my prepping and the hunting abilities of my dogs will provide the needed meat for them. None of our animals is really fussy about their food (my furry babies eat what I give them).

Hey,

last but not least in case my mother is reading this, they can help be the pre dish washer 😈 so save on water conservation (my mother says she will throw out any plate a dog has licked first, no not clean it after throw it out! )

WildeE, you are so gonna be in trouble if your mum reads this! 😯

I love my cat but if my son is going hungry I have a roasting pan in mind.
Dog would be a different story. They are a bit stringier meat. Cats are chickeny-ish.
And yes I've eaten both. Quite a lot of various protiens and I'm not French!

Noted. But my question was: are you including their needs (pet related food, vitamins, litter if necessary, etc.) as part of your preparations? Or are they just a back up food source for you just in case, and they will just have to starve or fend for themselves untl you decide to use them? No disrespect intended - I'm just gathering feedback.

As someone who has been rescuing and fostering animals for about 30 years and keeping their welfare in mind as part of my prep, I'm wondering if anyone else has been on the receiving end of "animals are a liability" regarding prepping. What has your response been?

I remember near the end of 1999, when the non-event of Y2K was the buzz, I went to my local Global Pet store to stock up and was thrilled that they had lots of everything. After maxing out the remainder of my credit card on food, treats, vitamins, etc. I complimented the store owner on being so prepared - and was met with a completely blank look. When I explained, she just sighed and said I was the first (and probably only) person to think of their animals, as most people would just throw their pets out in the street when the excrement hits the roters without a second thought to their welfare.

The animals I've fostered (from pocket pets to cats, dogs, ferrets, rabbits as well as chinchillas) have provided me with love and been early warning systems for humans and vermin (some were one and the same) intruders and in a couple of cases, attacked and saved me from harm. Excluding them from my prep (I keep a 3 month supply that I rotate) is unthinkable.

I have aligned myself with a rescue group and what I spend on food, meds, vet, etc. I get back in a donation-in-kind tax receipt each year, which has saved me an incredible amount when I do my taxes (for the past few years, I've filed early because of this and got a large refund). Since they get food donated, I ask for what I need and top up my pet food storage. As well, I bring my own pets to their vet (under their banner) and pay a reduced amount.

So, if anyone else can comment (politely) regarding this topic, it would be most appreciated. Thank you.

I have heard that they are a liability and it is true due to the kinds of critters that I have, there is no way that I could bug out. Either I leave before or I stay until the end. Since I haven't managed to get my one bearded dragon to eat something that does not move, I finally found and have started to try to breed crickets for him. Next on my list for the bearded dragons is silk worms or horned worms. For my fish and axolotl, I keep 6 months supply of food. My cats, well I am working up to having a six month supply of food and litter. I am also still working on 6 months supply for the tank bits such as filters, light bulbs but I still haven't figured out how to run them with a power failure. Work in progress

great topic btw

How about feeding composting worms to your dragon? You could start vermicomposting in a plastic container indoors and it's a win win situation - you have critters that will eat your compostable veggie leftovers and since they are so prolific, they can feed your bearded dragon as well as supplying compost for your garden (or in my case, apartment window boxes). I've been vermicomposting for a while and I'm pleased to have reduced by garbage footprint to a size small.

Solar batteries can be purchased easily and will keep small devices (like tank stuff) going for a while on each charge. They are available online as well as some health supply stores. I've even seen a portable solar panel at Canadian Tire, for about $99 that's supposed to be able to power up a car battery, so that would probably help you with your needs.

Here's a suggestion for your cats: align yourself with a small cat rescue group in your area and volunteer at events with them, as several cat food manufacturers have booths with samples and bags to sell. At the end of the event, they always have leftovers that they don't want to transport back and your group can ask for them (and you can take home a case). This is a tried and true method that has enabled me (and the others I volunteer with) to gets lots of cat food for free - and it's always good quality stuff, like Royal Canin. Also, if any of your own cats need a vet, you can always ask the group if you can use their vet under their banner (they would have to call to make the appointment) for a reduced rate.

With the number of animals I am now fostering, bugging out is not on my agenda either. Fortunately, I've built all kinds of shelving into my closets and am freecycling (www.freecycle.org) as much as I can to suppliment what's been purchased. Freecyclers are just really nice people to deal with.

Hope this is helpful. Thanks for being part of the discussion.

thanks for the ideas. I had to google to find out about feeding composting worms, its a no no but earthworms are ok. I have no clue what the difference is yet - more reading on my part. I could do pinkies but I just can't bring myself to do that. I like mice too.

I am working on the solar system but I still have a lot of learning to do before I start buying the bits. 🙂

Ugh - no pinkies! When I worked at PJs pet store back in the 1990s, I had to put s shipment them in a freezer for snake food (which was my incentive to quit).

Before you buy the bits for solar, do investigate Freecycle. You can always post a WANTED ad and hey, you never know. Someone may just want to get rid of stuff and you'd be helping them out.

Good luck, hon. All the best.

I'm just curious how many of us produce our own pet food.Do you use commercial pet food or do you "cook" for your animals?