Emergency Evacuation With Your Rabbit

Earlier this week, I was reminded how blessed our family is to live in an area of the world that is quite unexciting when it comes to natural disasters. We were asked to pray for the family of some friends at our church who live on the west coast and were under evacuation orders due to an approaching wildfire. They had a lot of animals to move, including horses and goats, so it was no small task to get them and the family to safety with all the things they needed to survive until they could return home. Northern Ohio may see some heavy rain or snowfall, and perhaps the occasional tornado warning, but, by and large, we don't have to give much thought to being prepared for evacuating our homes due to the threat of wildfires or hurricanes.

Having said that, it is still very important to be prepared in the event of an emergency. Pets rely upon our care and ability to keep them safe in the event of an emergency. Being prepared with a list of the essentials and being able to grab everything at a moment's notice can save your rabbit's life...and your own.

The general rule of thumb is to plan for 3-7 days away from home when disaster strikes. You should have a safe way of transporting your rabbit, food, water, and medication, if your rabbit has been prescribed something.

Items in red are ranked as essential.

Items in blue are helpful for your rabbit's comfort and safety, but can wait if you need to get to safety immediately.

Items in green are nice to have, but only if you have time to gather them and space in your vehicle to bring them.

• Safe transport - your bunny will need a carrier so you can safely move him to and from your vehicle. If you have multiple rabbits, each one should have its own carrier, as stressful situations can cause even the most bonded of bunnies to resist or fight when you least expect it. The last thing you need to worry about is finding a veterinarian to put stitches in a wound cause by bickering rabbits.

Carriers inevitably can't be found when you need them the most, so here are some alternatives to use when time is of the essence and you can't spare even a minute to look for it. A sturdy cardboard box with a lid can serve in a pinch. Two square or rectangular laundry baskets can be tied/bungie-corded/zip-tied together, with one serving as the bottom,, and the other serving as the lid, or a sturdy plastic tote that has breathing holes drilled into it will do the job. Put a towel or mat in the bottom to give the bunny some traction.

Make certain that whatever you use for transporting your bunny also contains your name, phone number, and address, in case you get separated from your pet.

• Veterinarian prescribed medication

• As much hay as you can manage to bring that will last at least seven days (your bunny can survive if it runs out of pelleted food, as long as she has hay to munch and water to drink)

• A bag of pelleted food that your bunny is accustomed to eating

• A jug of water and the bunny's water bottle or bowl

• A litterbox and, if there's time and space, a supply of the bedding you use in the litterbox.

• You veterinarian's phone number and copies of your bunny's medical records, kept in an airtight, protective bag.

• An exercise pen, if there's time and space. It would be very difficult for a bunny to be stuck in a carrier for several days without much opportunity to stretch her legs.

• Photographs of you with your bunny (for identification purposes if you get separated)

• Towels, fleece mats, blankets, puppy pads...whatever you use in your bunny's living space normally for his comfort and sanitation.

• Grooming supplies (brush, comb, nail clippers, shaving clippers)

• Harness and leash, if you use them with your bunny

• Hidey house or cardboard box so bunny can de-stress and feel safe in an unfamiliar environment

• If the weather is hot, ice packs or frozen water bottles can be helpful in keeping your bunny cool

• Toys (if time permits)

• Treats/fresh veggies and herbs

If you live in an area where the threat of evacuation emergency is a very real thing, you can prepare most of the blue and green suggestions ahead of time by keeping spares packed into a bag or box in your vehicle, That way, you just need to gather your bunny, carrier, food, hay, water, and any medications your rabbit might need, and head out the door.

Although this type of emergency is never pleasant to think about, taking the time to prepare and have a "go bag" ready is very helpful. Sadly, we rarely have little warning when an actual event is occurring. In those situations, grab your family, your pets, and get to safety!

We were very relieved to receive an update that the family for whom we were praying did reach safety, as did all of their animals. May we all take time for advanced evacuation planning with our pets and never need to use it.