Pack food and water, regular medication, a first-aid kit, a labeled carrier for each pet, ID and backup leash, sanitation supplies, and a waterproof set of records for each animal. The ASPCA says 7 to 10 days of food, at least seven days of water and a two-week medication supply per pet. This page maps every item to Ready.gov, the ASPCA, AVMA, the CDC or the Red Cross, with per-animal quantities and the math shown. Where we add something beyond the authorities, we say so.
Brand names are trademarks of their respective owners; EmergencyPetPrep is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
The Quick-Print List
Download the printable PDF checklist gives you one page to print and check off. Prefer a version filtered to your household? The pet emergency kit builder tailors this list to your pets and your biggest hazard. Sourcing and math for each line are below.
- Food: several days minimum (Ready.gov), 7-10 days recommended (ASPCA), in an airtight, waterproof container, rotated every two months
- Water: several days minimum (Ready.gov), at least 7 days per pet (ASPCA), plus a bowl
- Medication: a 2-week supply in a waterproof container (ASPCA, CDC), with copies of the prescription
- First aid: a pet first-aid kit and guide book, with contents chosen with your vet (ASPCA, Ready.gov, CDC, Red Cross)
- ID and containment: collar with ID tag, harness or leash plus a backup, carrier or crate ideally one per pet (Ready.gov, ASPCA, Red Cross)
- Sanitation: litter and litter box, newspaper, paper towels, trash bags, household chlorine bleach (Ready.gov)
- Grooming: pet shampoo, conditioner and other cleanup items (Ready.gov)
- Documents: vaccination and rabies records, medical summary, registration copies, physical and electronic (Ready.gov, CDC, AVMA)
- Photos: a recent photo of you with your pet (Ready.gov, Red Cross)
- Comfort items: a favorite toy, treats and bedding (Ready.gov)
Food: How Much and Which Container
Ready.gov is deliberately non-specific: keep several days’ supply of food in an airtight, waterproof container. The ASPCA gives a number: 7 to 10 days of canned (pop-top) or dry food per pet, rotated out roughly every two months so it does not go stale. The CDC lists a 2-week supply of food for each animal. Our duration standard table reconciles the authorities’ numbers and is where the deeper shelter-in-place reserve lives.
If storage space and budget allow, pack to the ASPCA’s 7-10 day figure or higher. If you are tight on space, several days is the floor, not the target.
Per-animal math, using the ASPCA’s 10-day ceiling:
| Animal |
Daily food |
10-day go-bag amount |
| Medium dog (30-50 lb) |
Follow your food’s own feeding guide |
10 days at your dog’s normal daily amount |
| Cat |
Follow your food’s own feeding guide |
10 days at your cat’s normal daily amount |
Exact amounts vary by food brand, formula and your vet’s guidance, so this page does not publish a universal ounces-per-pound number. Check your food bag’s feeding chart or ask your vet, then multiply the daily amount by the days you are packing.
Water: The Math Most Checklists Skip
A single bowl and a couple of bottles look like enough until you run the numbers.
Ready.gov says several days of water. The ASPCA says at least seven days of bottled water for each person and pet, stored in a cool, dry place and replaced every two months. The CDC lists a 2-week supply per animal.
For daily amounts, general veterinary guidance (not a disaster-agency figure) puts dog needs at approximately 1 oz of water per pound of body weight per day, per PetMD. Needs vary with diet, exercise and temperature. Cornell’s Feline Health Center puts cat needs at about 4 oz of water per 5 lb of lean body weight per day and notes that cats eating wet food may drink less.
Worked example, 7-day ASPCA minimum:
| Animal |
Daily water (general vet guidance) |
7-day go-bag amount |
| 60 lb dog |
~60 oz (about 7.5 cups) |
~420 oz (about 3.3 gallons) |
| 20 lb dog |
~20 oz (about 2.5 cups) |
~140 oz (about 1.1 gallons) |
| 10 lb cat |
~8 oz |
~56 oz |
Run your own pet’s weight through the same math. A 60 lb dog’s 7-day requirement is over three gallons, which a 12-ounce collapsible bowl and a couple of bottles do not cover. Use the bowl for serving; the storage container needs to hold the full multi-day total separately.
Medication and First Aid
The ASPCA and the CDC both list a two-week supply of any regular medication your pet takes, kept in a waterproof container with copies of prescriptions and medical records (the ASPCA says photocopies or a USB backup). This is per animal: two pets on different medications each need their own labeled supply.
Your veterinarian decides amounts. Any medication amount, substitution or dosage decision beyond your pet’s existing prescription must come from your own vet. This checklist tells you what to pack, not how much to give.
For first aid, Ready.gov says to talk to your veterinarian about what is most appropriate for your pet’s emergency medical needs, and the ASPCA lists a pet first-aid kit and guide book, asking you to check with your vet on what to include. AVMA’s first-aid page lists kit items that include phone numbers for your vet, an emergency hospital and poison control, a copy of your pet’s medical record, a spare leash and collar, gauze, nonstick bandages and tape, blunt-end scissors, disposable gloves, a flashlight, tweezers and saline solution. It says first aid care is not a substitute for veterinary care and that, in an emergency, you should call your veterinarian or local veterinary emergency hospital. The Red Cross list of kit items also includes a first aid kit, a manual can opener if your pet eats canned food, and information on feeding schedules, medical conditions and your vet’s contact details.
If you suspect poisoning at any point, call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. The ASPCA says it is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and mentions a one-time consultation fee. This checklist does not include induce-vomiting steps or dosing information of any kind; that call is where those decisions belong.
ID, Carriers and the Backup Leash
Ready.gov, the ASPCA and the Red Cross converge here: a collar with an ID tag, a harness or leash plus a backup, and a carrier or crate, ideally one per pet.
Ready.gov specifically asks for a backup leash, collar and ID tag. Take that literally: in a chaotic evacuation, a slipped collar or a snapped leash clip is how a pet gets lost.
Sizing matters. The Sherpa Original Deluxe Medium carrier referenced below fits pets up to 16 lbs per Sherpa’s size chart (Small 8 lbs, Large 22 lbs). A dog beyond the size you buy needs a bigger soft-sided carrier or a hard crate. For more than one pet, multi-pet go-bag math runs the per-animal supply and carrier arithmetic.
Microchips. AAHA’s page, citing AVMA, gives these return-to-owner rates: microchipped dogs 52.2% versus 21.9% for dogs without a chip, and microchipped cats 38.5% versus 1.8%. AAHA also says the chip’s registration must be maintained, with your phone number, address and emergency contacts kept current for the chip to be useful. Confirm the registry has your current details before you need it.
Sanitation and Grooming
Ready.gov’s sanitation items are pet litter and a litter box (if appropriate), newspapers, paper towels, plastic trash bags and household chlorine bleach. Its grooming line is pet shampoo, conditioner and other items in case your pet needs cleaning up.
The ASPCA adds, for cats, a pillowcase, toys and scoop-able litter. For dogs it adds an extra leash, toys and chew toys, and a week’s worth of cage liner.
Documents: Per Animal, Not Per Household
The CDC’s list is the most useful starting point. It names photocopied veterinary records, a rabies certificate, vaccinations, a medical summary, prescriptions for medications, registration information (such as proof of ownership or adoption records), a pet description (breed, sex, color, weight), recent photographs of each pet, microchip information and a waterproof container for documents. It adds heartworm test results for dogs and FeLV/FIV test results for cats.
AVMA adds two items: a signed veterinary medical treatment authorization, so your vet can provide care if your pet must be treated during your absence, and an emergency contact list with 24-hour numbers, kept with the evacuation kit in a waterproof container close to an exit.
Build one complete document set per animal, not one shared folder. A shelter or emergency vet needs to pull a single animal’s paperwork without sorting through everyone else’s. See waterproof pet document kits for the physical setup.
Photos and Comfort Items
Ready.gov and the Red Cross both call for a recent photo of you together with your pet. Ready.gov says it helps document ownership and lets others help identify your pet if you are separated. Its comfort-item line is favorite toys, treats or bedding, because familiar items can reduce stress.
What We Added Beyond the Authority Lists
Two items are ours, not from Ready.gov, the ASPCA, AVMA, the CDC or the Red Cross:
- A printed, laminated contact card per pet: name, your phone number, your vet’s phone number and any medical condition, kept in the outside pocket of the carrier, separate from the main document set. Our reasoning: the waterproof document container may not be the first thing a stranger or shelter volunteer sees, but a card attached to the carrier is. (The ASPCA separately advises writing your pet’s name, your name and your contact information on the carrier.)
- A labeled per-pet zip pouch inside a shared kit: a clear pouch per animal with the name written on it, instead of one loose pile of medications and documents. Our reasoning: it applies the per-animal documentation approach to the physical packing.
Use your own judgment on whether they are worth the extra few minutes.
The Two-Kit System
Ready.gov recommends two kits: a larger one if you are sheltering in place and a lightweight version if you need to evacuate. This checklist is built for the evacuation go bag. If you already have a shelter-in-place stock, trim it down to the quantities above instead of duplicating it.
Review both kits regularly. Ready.gov says to check that contents, especially foods and medicines, are fresh. Photos go stale, and a pet’s weight or prescription can change enough to throw off the math above.
When to Call Your Vet or an Emergency Hospital Now
This checklist is for packing ahead of time, not for treating a crisis. AVMA says first aid care is not a substitute for veterinary care and that in an emergency you should call your veterinarian or local veterinary emergency hospital so they can be ready when you arrive. If you are unsure whether something is an emergency, Cornell’s Riney Canine Health Center says to call your vet or a local emergency clinic. These are the signs the sources below tell you to act on now:
- Seizures, loss of consciousness or trouble breathing. In its poisoning guidance, AVMA says to call your veterinarian, an emergency clinic or a poison hotline immediately if an animal is having seizures, losing consciousness, is unconscious or has difficulty breathing. For a seizure on its own, AVMA says to take your pet to a veterinarian immediately after two or more seizures in 24 hours, one lasting longer than 5 minutes, or seizure activity that does not stop.
- Bleeding. AVMA says to take your pet to the closest veterinary hospital immediately if bleeding is severe. It lists bleeding from the nose, mouth or rectum, coughing up blood, bloody urine, pale gums, collapse and a weak, rapid pulse as signs of internal bleeding, with the same instruction.
- Choking. AVMA says that if your pet can still breathe, keep them calm and seek veterinary care immediately.
- Heatstroke or shock. AVMA says to take your pet to the closest veterinary hospital as soon as possible for heatstroke, and immediately for shock.
- Eye injuries, burns and snake bites. AVMA says to seek immediate veterinary care.
- Suspected poisoning. Call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.
- Signs the ASPCA lists as needing emergency care: pale gums, rapid breathing, weak or rapid pulse, difficulty standing, apparent paralysis, loss of consciousness, seizures and excessive bleeding.
- For dogs, Cornell’s Riney center also lists: straining to urinate or producing no urine, repeated vomiting or diarrhea within 24 hours (especially with blood, lethargy or refusal to eat), and signs of severe pain or distress.
If you see any of these during or after an evacuation, stop reading and get your pet to the nearest emergency vet.
Buying the Gaps in Your Kit
Three categories are usually where people are missing gear rather than supplies they already own: a pet-specific first-aid kit, a bowl that packs flat, and a carrier sized correctly for the animal. Which part of the wider list deserves money first is a different question; our budget planner sorts a kit into which categories to spend on first, which are fine cheap, and which you can skip outright. The picks below rest on manufacturer listings and specs, not hands-on use.
The EVERLIT Pet Medic kit is a reasonable single purchase for the first-aid line, though its vet-approved claim is the manufacturer’s own marketing language. The Guardians collapsible bowl 4-pack covers the bowl requirement and packs flat, but its 12-ounce capacity is not a day’s water once you have run the math above. The Sherpa Original Deluxe carrier covers the one-carrier-per-pet line for a cat or small dog up to 16 pounds in the Medium; anything larger needs the 22 pound Large or a different carrier. For the water itself, the WaterBrick 6-pack holds the multi-day total the math above asks for.