The 22 Best Gifts for Dogs and Dog Lovers

Local Shelters Urge Pet Owners To Prepare For Emergencies

FARGO — While hundreds of pets have been displaced due to the fires in California, local animal shelters want pet owners to prepare for emergencies.

In North Dakota, that could be anything from tornadoes, blizzards, wildfires or floods.

In 2009, staff with Homeward Animal Shelter say more than 200 pets were in their care at a temporary emergency shelter at the fairgrounds because of the Red River flood.

But now, most animal shelters are at full capacity. So they advise pet owners to plan ahead for emergencies.

They say pet owners should ensure collars, microchips or leashes have updated contact information.

They also urge pet owners to have a to-go kit ready.

"Definitely have your medical records, vaccination history with you, because, of course, anywhere you go, they're going to want to make sure your animals are up to date, and then food and anything else that your animal needs," said Heather Clyde, operations director at Homeward Animal Shelter.

"Collapsible bowls, just because they're a lot easier to store, easier to grab, easier to manage, in general, cages, carriers for pets, too," said Emily Kudrna, kennel supervisor at James River Humane Society.

If you want to stay up to date about emergencies that could affect your pets, they recommend checking sites like HumaneSociety.Org .

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New Pet Emergency Facility Opens In Brookfield, Allows Owners To Stay With Pets

BROOKFIELD, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A new medical facility opened in Brookfield Friday morning. It's an emergency room, but it's not for people, it's for our pets. 

It's run by Veterinary Emergency Group, or VEG, a company that operates in more than two dozen states. 

VEG emergency rooms are open around the clock, even on holidays. And the medical director says there's another policy that separates them from other pet clinics. They don't separate pets and their owners. 

"If owners come in, they're allowed to stay here with their animal," said Shanna Reed, VEG Brookfield medical director. "They're allowed to see the treatments; they're allowed to see the surgeries if they want. They can sleep here. We'll make beds for them. We never want to separate people and their animals if they want to stay together."

This VEG emergency room is the second one in Wisconsin. There's one in Madison already. It's located on Blue Mound Road across from Brookfield Square. 

Best Emergency Pet Insurance Of 2025

The best way to determine if pet insurance is worth it for emergency situations is to consider how much an emergency vet bill could impact your finances. For example, the average cost to treat a swallowed foreign object is $5,106, according to a Forbes Advisor analysis of vet visit costs.

Let's say you've been paying $50 per month for dog insurance for three years. So far, you've paid $1,800 in pet insurance premiums. If you have a $250 deductible and 80% reimbursement level, your out-of-pocket cost to treat a swallowed foreign object would be $1,271 ($250 deductible + 20% of $5,356 = $1,271). If you add up the premium for three years and what you've paid toward treatment, you paid $3,071 and saved $2,035 by having emergency pet insurance.

You can find cheap pet insurance for emergencies by getting quotes from several different insurance companies. When you compare pet insurance quotes, make sure it's for plans with similar policy details and plan benefits. For example, not all plans have a 24/7 vet healthline, which could be very helpful in emergency situations.

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