Wildfires: Do You Have a Plan for Your Horses and Other Livestock?
With fire season right around the corner it’s time to prepare the whole family. Even your larger livestock. Have a plan and know what you are going to do before the time comes.
If you are home when a fire starts, evacuate your family and animals immediately. Fire moves fast and can change direction at any time. Make sure your documents, proof of ownership and veterinary documents are packed and ready to go well before the fire.
If you are not home when a fire breaks out you will likely not be allowed back onto the property. Only certified people on the responders team are allowed to evacuate animals during an emergency. This is set up so that vehicles are not blocking the fire trucks and first responders.
Before tragedy strikes make sure that your horses (or other livestock) load in a horse trailer. Not just your trailer but a different trailer and with a stranger loading them. Pair up with neighbors to help each other’s livestock load in different situations.
For Cattle and large herds of animals you may need to cut fence lines so that they can flee the fire if it comes through.
Make sure you have some form of identification for that animal. Either write on your animal with animal marking sticks. Or you can use a standard dog/cat microchip. If you microchip your animal make sure you mark their neck so that someone knows to scan for it. Horses should be checked at a rescue for a chip but it’s not standard to check other animals. Also make sure you have copies of ownership information, purchase, photos, and brand paperwork in a location that you can get to if your entire house is burnt down. Consider using an online data storage like google drive, cloud or even giving a copy to a friend or relative that is not near your home.
Keep your animals safe.
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