By Shanna Lewis
Evacuating horses and other large animals during a wildfire needs to happen fast.
Chris Rourke knows how crucial it is to get a beloved horse to safety. She boards her daughter’s retired show horse, CD Shane Charm, near Cimmaron which is about halfway between Gunnison and Montrose. The ranch owner there started evacuating animals last night as the Gold Mountain fire burning on the Western Slope grew rapidly.
“This horse, she's family, and you worry,” Rourke said. “I'm just trusting that everything's going to work out … but I'm just sort of holding my breath.”
Rourke said she’s thought it through in the past that evacuation due to a wildfire could be a possibility, “but until it comes on your doorstep, it's a practical task that you kind of check off in your brain as having a plan,” she said. “But then when something comes up like this, you're like, have I done everything? Is everything going to be okay?”
Colorado State University Veterinary Health System has these tips to help prepare for evacuating horses and large animals.
Put together your animal’s go kit in advance. Here’s a list of key essentials for each animal:
- Halter and lead rope
- Feed/water buckets
- Five- to seven-day supply of feed and supplements
- At least two weeks’ worth of any daily medications
- A basic equine or large animal first aid kit
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