Disaster Preparedness for Livestock – Vet Guide 2025 🐄🌪️

I'm Dr Duncan Houston BVSc. In 2025, extreme weather and disasters are more frequent. For livestock owners, planning ahead saves animals—and livelihoods. Here's your comprehensive disaster‑ready checklist.

1. Why Plan for Disaster?

• 🐄 Livestock are vulnerable and hard to move during storms, floods, fires.
• Unplanned crises lead to panic, injury, or loss of animals.
• Having a plan ensures safety—for you, your herd, and property.

2. Identification & Records

2.1 Animal Identification

• Cattle: Use ear tags, brands, non‑toxic paint for temporary ID.
• Sheep & Goats: Keep intact ear tags; consider microchips.
• Horses: Maintain microchips & Coggins test documentation.

2.2 Medical & Ownership Records

• Carry current vaccination & disease‑testing (e.g., Coggins, TB) records.
• Include photos of each animal for visual ID.
• Compile ownership and health certificates in a binders or digital scans.

3. Evacuation Planning

• Connect with local law enforcement to identify evacuation routes & shelters.
• Establish safe zones—higher ground, open-shelter barns, or evacuation centers.
• Pre‑identify feeders/foster farms that can shelter your animals temporarily.

4. Equipment & Transport Readiness

• Keep livestock trailers, trucks, points of contact and mounts ready.
• Check tires, hoses, batteries, and brakes every quarter.
• Keep them clean & organized—no clutter or debris blocking pathways.

5. Feed & Water Stockpiles

• Store a minimum of 3 days’ worth of feed and clean water.
• Include: hay, minerals, pasture supplements, grain, electrolytes.
• Keep backup bowls, buckets, water tanks in case troughs are not available.

6. Veterinary Preparations

• Pre‑arrange emergency contacts—vet practice, 24/7 clinics, extension agents.
• Discuss medical needs: pregnant cows, neonates, injured animals.
• Keep antiseptics, antibiotics, minor-surgery kits on‑site.

7. Communication & Roles

• Create a written plan with contact numbers, routes, and tasks.
• Assign roles: who loads animals, who grabs records, who drives.
• Share the plan with family, farm employees, neighbors.

8. Safe Zones & Shelter Strategies

• Utilize high ground to avoid floods.
• Stockpile hay or feed near known shelters.
• For wildfires, clear defensible space & locate rescue pastures.

9. Practice Evacuations

• Quarterly drills: trailer loading, route timing, checklist runs.
• Adjust plan based on issues—equipment failure, animal behavior.

10. Post‑Disaster Actions

• Check each animal—hydration, injury, trauma.
• Review food/water sources—replace unsafe supplies.
• Update records to reflect health checks & vaccinations.

11. Long‑Term Plan Review

• Assess what worked during drills or real events.
• Re-stock, repair, update contacts annually.
• Refine evacuation routes and shelter plans annually.

12. Ask A Vet Integration—Shopify Easy

• Livestock Kits: Easily add emergency tags, microchips, trailers to cart.
• Record Upload: Sync health certificates with Shopify, print-on-demand.
• Prep Reminders: Seasonal check alerts via Ask A Vet app & Shopify integration.

13. Why It Matters

• Save lives: faster response ≈ fewer losses.
• Compliance: proper ID & records allow return post‑evacuation.
• Peace of mind: staff know their roles & responsibilities.

Conclusion

In 2025, proactive disaster planning is essential. Identify, plan, practice, and prepare your equipment and livestock kit now. Whether storms, wildfires or floods hit this season, your readiness will save animals and livelihoods. Ask A Vet integration makes prepping easy—shop tags, upload records, and receive season alerts.

Need help building your disaster strategy? Contact us at Ask A Vet—your partner in livestock safety, readiness, and peace of mind.