Emergency planning for pets

Emergency planning for pets in Colorado

Colorado’s beauty comes with a wide range of potential emergencies. Wildfires can spread quickly along the Front Range and in mountain communities, winter storms can close roads across the state, and floods, severe thunderstorms, extreme temperatures, smoke, and power outages can disrupt daily life with little warning.

When an evacuation order is issued or travel suddenly becomes dangerous, pets depend entirely on their guardians. They cannot understand an emergency alert, choose a safe destination, or gather their food and medications. Those decisions must be made for them—and preferably before an emergency begins.

A practical pet emergency plan does not need to anticipate every possible disaster. It should answer a few essential questions: How will you safely transport each animal? Where will you go? What supplies will you need? Who can help if you are away from home? How will you remain informed as conditions change?

Planning ahead reduces the number of decisions you must make under pressure. It also gives your pets a better chance of remaining safe, healthy, and with the people they trust.

Sign up for emergency alerts

Emergency alerts are generally issued by local public-safety agencies, so Colorado residents should register with the notification system serving their city or county. Do not assume that your mobile number has automatically been added.

The University of Colorado Denver provides a statewide guide for finding and registering for local emergency alerts. Add your home address, workplace, school, and any other locations where your pets regularly spend time. (University of Colorado Denver)

Keep wireless emergency alerts enabled on your phone, and follow instructions from local emergency management, law enforcement, fire departments, and animal-control agencies. During an active disaster, 211 Colorado’s disaster-response page may also provide information about shelters and community resources. (2-1-1 Colorado)

Identify safe places before an evacuation

Do not assume every public shelter, hotel, or temporary evacuation center will accept household pets. Some communities may establish animal shelters near human evacuation centers, but availability depends on the location, emergency, and resources available at the time.

Identify several possible destinations in advance, including:

  • Friends or relatives who can temporarily house you and your pets

  • Pet-friendly hotels in more than one direction from your home

  • Veterinary hospitals and boarding facilities

  • Local shelters or animal-welfare organizations that assist during evacuations

  • Fairgrounds or livestock facilities for horses and larger animals

Call hotels, boarding facilities, and potential caregivers ahead of time to confirm their policies. Ask about vaccination requirements, size or breed restrictions, the number of pets allowed, and whether emergency exceptions may be available.

The Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region’s disaster-preparedness page offers printable checklists and Colorado-specific guidance for domestic pets and noncommercial livestock. It also recommends creating a network of friends, relatives, or neighbors who can help evacuate animals if you cannot reach home. (Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region)

Build a Colorado-ready pet emergency kit

Store your pet’s emergency supplies together in a sturdy, portable container. Keep the kit close to your carriers and leashes rather than buried in the least accessible corner of the basement, behind the fondue set and everything else you have not used since 2007.

Your kit should include:

  • Food stored in airtight or waterproof containers

  • Bottled water

  • Food and water bowls

  • At least two weeks of essential medications

  • Copies of prescriptions and dosage instructions

  • A secure collar, harness, and leash

  • An appropriately sized carrier or crate for each pet

  • Cat litter, a portable litter box, and waste bags

  • Bedding, towels, and a familiar toy

  • Cleaning and sanitation supplies

  • A pet first-aid kit

  • Vaccination and veterinary records

  • Microchip registration information

  • Recent photographs of each pet

  • Written feeding, medical, and behavioral instructions

  • Contact information for your veterinarian and backup caregivers

  • Proof of ownership, adoption, or licensing

The Colorado Springs Fire Department’s animal-evacuation guide recommends preparing a carrier for each pet and maintaining a two-week supply of food and water. Colorado State University’s pet evacuation kit guidance also recommends keeping several days of food and water and a two-week supply of medications ready to go. (CSU Veterinary Health System)

Review the kit every six months. Replace expired food and medication, update records and photographs, and make sure collars, harnesses, and carriers still fit.

Keep identification current

Emergencies can frighten even calm animals. Smoke, sirens, unfamiliar people, damaged fences, and open doors can cause pets to hide or escape.

Dogs and cats should wear identification tags with a current telephone number. Microchipping provides an additional form of permanent identification, but only when the registration information is kept up to date.

Keep recent photographs that clearly show your pet’s face, body, coloring, and distinctive markings. A photograph of you with your pet may also help establish ownership if you become separated.

Store digital copies of veterinary records, licenses, prescriptions, and photographs where they can be reached from your phone. Printed copies should be kept in a waterproof sleeve inside the emergency kit.

Make carriers and evacuation practice routine

A carrier is not much help when the cat disappears at the first sight of it. Leave carriers accessible and allow pets to become familiar with them before an emergency.

Place treats, toys, or bedding inside, and practice calmly closing and carrying the carrier. Dogs should be comfortable wearing a secure harness, walking on a leash, entering a vehicle, and remaining safely restrained during travel.

Hold occasional household evacuation drills. Decide who is responsible for each animal, who gathers medications, who loads supplies, and which vehicle will be used. Practice at night as well as during the day, since emergencies are famously unconcerned with business hours.

Bring pets indoors when there is an elevated threat. The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends accounting for all pets at the first sign of a potential disaster so they are ready if evacuation becomes necessary. (AVMA)

Create a backup caregiver plan

An evacuation order may arrive while you are working, traveling, hospitalized, or unable to return home. Choose at least two trusted people who can collect and care for your pets.

One caregiver should ideally live nearby, while another should live outside your immediate neighborhood in case the entire area is affected.

Provide them with:

  • A key or another way to enter your home

  • The location of carriers and emergency supplies

  • Written feeding and medication instructions

  • Your veterinarian’s contact information

  • A description of each pet’s usual hiding places

  • Information about behavioral or handling concerns

  • Written permission to seek veterinary treatment

  • Instructions about where the animals should be taken

Make sure the people you name have agreed to help. Quietly assigning three dogs, a diabetic cat, and a parrot to your brother without mentioning it is not an emergency plan. It is an ambush.

Prepare for Colorado wildfires and smoke

Wildfire evacuation planning should begin well before flames are visible. During periods of elevated fire danger, keep carriers, medications, records, and other essential supplies ready to load.

Know at least two routes out of your neighborhood. Keep enough fuel or vehicle charge to leave without stopping, and evacuate early when instructed. Waiting can result in heavier traffic, road closures, reduced visibility, and fewer available accommodations.

Wildfire smoke can affect animals as well as people. During smoky conditions:

  • Keep pets indoors as much as possible.

  • Keep windows and doors closed when it is safe to do so.

  • Limit strenuous exercise and outdoor activity.

  • Keep bathroom breaks brief.

  • Provide fresh water.

  • Use recirculated air in your home and vehicle.

  • Consider a portable HEPA air cleaner.

  • Watch for coughing, eye irritation, unusual fatigue, wheezing, or difficulty breathing.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s wildfire smoke page provides current guidance, links to advisories, and information about protecting indoor air quality. Current conditions and advisories are available through Colorado’s air-quality monitoring system. (CDPHE)

The Environmental Protection Agency also provides specific guidance on protecting pets from wildfire smoke. Older animals, very young animals, pregnant animals, and pets with heart or respiratory conditions may face greater risk and should be discussed with a veterinarian before wildfire season. (US EPA)

After a fire, keep pets away from ash, debris, damaged structures, and cleanup areas. Colorado health officials recommend wiping pets’ paws after they have been outside in smoke- or ash-affected areas. (CDPHE)

Prepare for winter storms and road closures

Colorado weather and road conditions can change rapidly, particularly across mountain passes, exposed plains, and canyon routes. A planned evacuation destination may become unreachable because of snow, ice, crashes, or highway closures.

Before traveling with pets, check current conditions through COtrip. CDOT provides road closures, traffic alerts, cameras, weather information, and travel updates. Colorado residents can also dial 511 for current highway conditions. (Colorado Department of Transportation)

During winter, add the following to your vehicle:

  • Extra blankets and towels

  • Additional food and water

  • A portable phone charger

  • A flashlight

  • Warm clothing

  • A snow shovel and ice scraper

  • Pet-safe paw protection

  • Extra medication

  • Cleanup supplies

  • A brightly colored cloth or emergency marker

Never leave pets unattended in a vehicle during extreme cold. Keep them away from antifreeze, deicing products, frozen bodies of water, and snowbanks that may conceal hazards.

If power is lost, have a plan for keeping pets safely warm without using unvented heaters, grills, or generators indoors.

Plan for floods, thunderstorms, and extreme weather

Colorado thunderstorms can bring lightning, hail, damaging winds, flash flooding, and tornadoes. Move pets indoors when severe weather threatens, and keep carriers and leashes nearby.

Choose a secure interior area where your household can shelter together. Bring pets into that area before the storm becomes intense; frightened animals may resist handling or hide once thunder, hail, or sirens begin.

During flooding:

  • Never leave pets chained or confined in low-lying outdoor areas.

  • Do not allow them to walk through or drink floodwater.

  • Keep pets leashed after the water recedes.

  • Watch for debris, contaminated water, displaced wildlife, damaged fencing, and unstable ground.

  • Follow evacuation instructions rather than attempting to cross a flooded road.

Floodwater may hide sharp debris, chemicals, sewage, damaged pavement, and fast-moving currents. Familiar surroundings may no longer be safe.

Make separate arrangements for horses and other large animals

Horses, goats, llamas, poultry, and other large or outdoor animals require additional time, transportation, and destination planning. Identify available trailers, drivers, loading assistance, fairgrounds, boarding facilities, and alternate pastures before an emergency.

Practice loading animals before a crisis. Keep halters, leads, identification, health records, feed, water containers, and medications accessible.

Large animals should generally be moved earlier than household pets because evacuation becomes more difficult as roads become congested or conditions deteriorate. The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s emergency programs provide information related to agricultural and animal emergencies in the state. (Colorado Department of Agriculture)

Return home cautiously

An evacuation order being lifted does not mean every hazard has disappeared. Before allowing pets to move freely, inspect your home and yard for:

  • Broken glass and sharp debris

  • Downed power lines

  • Hot spots or smoldering material

  • Spilled fuel or chemicals

  • Damaged fences and gates

  • Contaminated food or water

  • Unstable trees or structures

  • Ash and soot

  • Displaced wildlife

Keep pets leashed or contained until the area has been checked. Familiar scent markers may have changed, making it easier for animals to become disoriented.

Stress-related behavior can continue after the emergency. Pets may become withdrawn, clingy, defensive, restless, or reluctant to eat. Reestablish normal routines gradually and contact a veterinarian if concerning physical or behavioral symptoms continue.

Keep your plan ready

A useful emergency plan is not written once and forgotten. Review it whenever you move, adopt another animal, change veterinarians, begin a new medication, or name a different caregiver.

At minimum, every Colorado pet household should have current identification, a carrier for each animal, emergency supplies, a backup caregiver, multiple evacuation destinations, and access to local alerts.

Pets cannot prepare for wildfires, winter storms, floods, or power outages. They simply trust that their people will keep them safe. Emergency planning is one of the most practical ways to honor that trust.