Green Crumbs: A Pet Emergency
A close call with Minnie, and the pet emergency information, contacts, and trusted resources worth having before you need them
A few summers ago, I stopped by a neighbor's garden while walking Minnie. She was excited to show me something she'd been working on in the backyard. Afterward, Minnie and I walked home.
Moments later, I heard a knock at the door. It was my neighbor again, but this time she seemed a little panicked.
She told me she’d noticed that the mouse bait she had put out had been disturbed and chewed, and that she remembered seeing Minnie around it. Would I mind checking Minnie’s mouth to see if she’d eaten anything green?
I opened Minnie's mouth.
Green crumbs.
I went back to my neighbor's house, took pictures of the packaging and what was left of the bait, and headed straight to the vet.
They treated her, and luckily, she fully recovered.
But here's the thing about emergencies: they're rarely the thing you were planning to do that afternoon.
September is National Preparedness Month. All photos by Parsley & Petal.
Seeing as this month is National Preparedness Month, it seemed like a good time to put together the resources I wish none of us needed: who to call, what information to have ready, what to pack if you have to leave home, and a printable P&P Pet Emergency Contact Card to keep the important numbers somewhere easy to find.
Emergencies aren't the time to start looking for phone numbers, records, or reliable advice. These are the resources worth saving, and a few things worth doing ahead of time.
Know Who to Call
The P&P Pet Emergency Contact Card includes the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center number: (888) 426-4435, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. A consultation fee may apply.
There’s also space for your veterinarian, a 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital, your own number, and another emergency contact.
One thing Minnie's emergency taught me: if you know what your pet may have ingested, take the packaging, or photograph it if you can do so safely, and bring that information with you.
Have Your Pet's Information Ready
Keep your pet's essential information somewhere you can find it quickly: veterinary records, medications, vaccination and rabies records, a current photograph, emergency contacts, and microchip information.
The CDC recommends microchipping pets, registering the microchip, and keeping contact information up to date. Its emergency-kit guidance also recommends keeping identification and veterinary information with your pet's emergency supplies.
Make a Pet Emergency and Evacuation Plan
Don't assume you can take your pet wherever you go during an evacuation. Many evacuation centers do not accept pets, and the CDC recommends identifying alternatives in advance, such as pet-friendly accommodations, boarding facilities, animal hospitals, or friends and relatives outside the evacuation area. The American Red Cross likewise recommends making an evacuation plan that includes your pets.
The CDC also recommends keeping leashes and carriers accessible, identifying someone who can evacuate your pets if you're away, knowing where you could obtain veterinary care at your destination, and practicing your evacuation plan with your pets.
Build a Go Kit
The CDC recommends preparing a pet disaster preparedness kit before you need one. Among the basics:
Pet records and identification
A current photograph
Food and water
Medications
Food and water bowls
Leash, collar or harness
Carrier
First-aid supplies
The CDC's complete checklist includes additional supplies and documents to consider.
CDC: Build a Pet Disaster Preparedness Kit
Save Trusted Resources Now
Rather than trying to remember where you once saw good information when something is actually happening, bookmark a few primary resources now.
CDC — Pet Safety in Emergencies
Pet Safety in Emergencies
CDC — Pet Disaster Preparedness Kit
Build a Pet Disaster Preparedness Kit
ASPCA — Disaster Preparedness
ASPCA Disaster Preparedness
American Red Cross — Pet Disaster Preparedness
Red Cross Pet Disaster Preparedness
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