Wildfire Preparedness Guide for Pets & Animals

Why Wildfires Pose Unique Risks for Pets and Animals

Pets and other animals face wildfire risks that most family emergency plans overlook, since evacuation routes often only account for families and children.

Pets and other animals may face increased risks during wildfires due to:

• Dependence on their owners for food, water, and shelter
• Fear responses that cause hiding, bolting, or aggression
• Limited tolerance for smoke and heat exposure
• Restricted mobility for animals kept in cages, tanks, or enclosures
• Separation during fast-moving evacuations

These factors can make it harder for animals to escape a fire safely or be found quickly if they become separated from their owners. However, creating and practicing a pet evacuation plan can meaningfully reduce these risks.

How to Create a Wildfire Preparedness Plan for Your Pets

A pet wildfire evacuation plan needs to exist before wildfire season begins, not after the smoke is already visible.

Here’s how you can make a pet-friendly wildfire preparedness plan:

• Collect your pet’s identification documents and medical records
• Gather your pet’s supplies in their own go-bag
• Make special considerations for horses and livestock, if you have them
• Prepare for power outages

Planning how to keep your pets safe before a fire is crucial. Many public emergency shelters do not accept animals. Owners who wait until an evacuation starts have no time to find pet-friendly places to stay.

Also, people who live on larger rural properties or have several animals may need more time to gather every pet safely before leaving home.

Practice your wildfire preparedness plan by timing how long it takes to load pets into carriers or your car. You could reduce your stress and save valuable time if an actual evacuation becomes necessary.

Collect Pet Identification Documents and Medical Records

An animal separated from its owner during a wildfire is often reunited through some form of identification, like a collar tag, a microchip, or a vaccination record on file. However, these are only helpful if the information is current and accessible.

This step of your wildfire planning for pets should include:

• Checking that their microchip registration information is up to date
• Discussing emergency medication refills with your veterinarian
• Keeping a written list of medications, dosages, and prescribing veterinarians
• Maintaining a supply of any regular prescription medications
• Storing copies of your pet’s most recent vaccination records and medical history
• Updating collar tags with current contact information

A recent photo of your pet, ideally with you in the frame, can also help establish ownership if a shelter or rescue team finds them. Many animal control agencies ask for this kind of proof when reuniting pets with their owners after wildfires.

Gather Supplies for a Pet-Specific Go-Bag

A go-bag built for a person rarely includes what their pet would need during an evacuation. Make your pet a separate go-bag so you won’t have to worry about gathering their most important belongings if a wildfire gets close to your house.

A pet emergency go-bag should include:

• A carrier, crate, collar, or leash
• A list of one pet-friendly shelter, hotel, or boarding facility along each of your potential evacuation routes
• A note about your pet’s temperament, like if they’re friendly with other animals
• Bowls for food and water
• Comfort items such as a blanket or toy
• Copies of vaccination records and medical history
• Food and water for at least 7 days
• Pet shoes to protect their paws from hot pavement
• Photos of your pet in case you’re separated
• Recent medications and a printed list of dosages
• Sanitation supplies like waste bags or cat litter
• Written contact information for an emergency caregiver or veterinarian

Store your pet’s go-bag somewhere that’s easy to find, like near an exterior door or alongside your own emergency bag. Remember to check the bag’s contents every few months, since food, medications, and records can go out of date quickly.

Make Special Considerations for Horses and Livestock

Horses and livestock require far more time to evacuate than a cat or dog. Arrange a trailer, driver, and safe destinations well in advance.

Otherwise, you may be forced to choose between turning animals loose or leaving them in a barn.

Wildfire planning for horses and livestock should include:

• Building a network of trailers, haulers, or neighbors who can help transport animals
• Confirming fairgrounds, equestrian centers, or other large-animal shelters along your potential evacuation routes
• Identifying each animal with tags, brands, or photographs
• Keeping halters and leads accessible near each animal’s enclosure
• Practicing loading animals into a trailer before an emergency
• Printing copies of their vaccination and other health records
• Removing dead trees, brush, and other fuel from around barns and stables
• Storing containers of dry food near your go-bags
• Writing down any medication dosages and schedules

If you can store dry food in a go-bag for your livestock or horses, replace it every few months so it doesn’t go stale. You can also use those moments as opportunities to double-check their vaccination and health records.

Prepare for Power Outages With Pets

Wildfires frequently cause outages, whether through planned shutoffs or damage to electrical infrastructure. Even if you don’t live in an evacuation zone, a wildfire can damage power lines that make large regions lose electricity for days or weeks.

Pets are affected by power outages as much as people are. They may overheat without air conditioning, and pets that require aquarium equipment or refrigerated medications are at more risk without electricity.

Power outage planning for pet owners should include:

• Charging backup batteries, generators, or power banks for aquarium pumps, heat lamps, or incubators
• Identifying an alternate location with reliable power for temperature-sensitive pets
• Keeping a list of emergency contacts
• Knowing how long refrigerated pet medications remain safe without power
• Storing flashlights and extra batteries in an easily accessible place

Reptiles, fish, and other animals that rely on heating or filtration equipment can be seriously harmed by even a short outage, so having backup equipment ready matters as much as any other part of your plan.

If you decide to use a generator, it should always run outdoors. Keep it away from open doors, cracked windows, and enclosed spaces like barns. Generators create carbon monoxide, which poisons people and animals if the gas builds up indoors.

Smoke Safety Tips for Pets and Animals

Wildfire smoke can seriously harm animals, even when the fire itself is many miles away. Birds are especially sensitive because they inhale nearly twice the oxygen per breath as mammals.

Here are smoke safety tips for common pets:

• Birds: Attach a MERV 13 filter to a fan to purify your indoor air and protect your bird’s lungs.
• Cats: Bring outdoor cats inside when wildfire smoke makes your local air unsafe to breathe.
• Dogs: Keep them indoors as much as possible, especially if they’re prone to exercise like running around your yard.
• Horses: Watch for coughing or nasal discharge and contact your vet right away if they show those signs of lung irritation.
• Rabbits: Move your rabbit enclosure indoors until it’s safe to breathe outside again.

If your pet has been exposed to too much wildfire smoke, they may experience gagging, eye irritation, fatigue, and other symptoms. Smoke can also worsen existing lung and heart issues for animals and humans, so closely monitor your pets with medical conditions.

Your veterinarian can give your pet a check-up once the wildfire is gone, but you can also stop by an emergency vet clinic at your evacuation point if you have immediate concerns.

Manage Your Pet’s Stress and Behavior During a Wildfire

A wildfire’s noise, smoke, and lifestyle disruption can trigger fear responses in animals, making them harder to handle when staying calm matters most.

You can reduce your pet’s stress during an emergency by:

• Avoiding unfamiliar or loud environments when possible
• Keeping familiar bedding or toys nearby
• Maintaining routines like their meal times
• Providing calming treats from their go-bag
• Speaking in a soothing, reassuring tone
• Switching their collar for a harness for more secure handling
• Using a carrier or leash at all times

Handle and secure an animal showing extreme fear or aggression with caution. A frightened pet can bolt into a dangerous area without warning, even if they don’t normally wander far from you.

Practicing your pet’s wildfire evacuation plan could also help ease their stress in a real emergency. They’ll be familiar with everyone rushing around and getting in the car, which may reassure them if a wildfire actually occurs.

Plan Post-Wildfire Steps for Your Pets

If you’re able to return home after a wildfire, take extra care to support your animals as you piece your life back together. Knowing how you’ll care for and reassure your pet could help reduce your stress as your family recovers.

Take these precautions with your pet after a wildfire:

• Check your property for hot spots, sharp debris, lingering embers, or downed power lines
• Confirm that your standing water sources are not contaminated with ash or chemicals
• Inspect your fencing, gates, and enclosures for damage that might let your animals out
• Keep your pets leashed or crated until your indoor and outdoor living spaces are confirmed safe
• Watch for signs of paw or hoof injury from hot surfaces or debris

Also, take time to figure out the best way to start searching for your pet if you lose them during your evacuation. Contact local animal control and shelters directly, since many set up dedicated hotlines or lost-and-found listings during major fires.

Checking their microchip registry and posting your pet’s picture to local lost-and-found networks can also help. Pets are sometimes found several miles from home, since fear and unfamiliar surroundings can cause them to travel farther than owners expect.

Make a Wildfire Preparedness Guide for Your Pet and Get Help

Creating a wildfire preparedness guide for your pets or animals can help your family stay safe during an evacuation.

Contact nearby animal shelters, humane societies, and veterinary offices for regional guidance on keeping your pets safe if a wildfire threatens your home.

Get inspired by pet-specific evacuation plans and make one for each member of your family too. Fire Help Center has a preparedness guide for seniors and caregivers and another for kids and teens that covers what to plan for them based on their ages.

Our team can also help you explore legal resources if you were harmed by a wildfire started by negligence. Get a free case review or call us at (866) 866-0753 to see whether you qualify for wildfire compensation.