This post is sponsored by Hill’s Food, Shelter, & Love® Initiative and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping Promote National Animal Disaster Preparedness Day, but we only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.
When emergencies like floods, forest fires, tornadoes or mudslides occur animal shelters are often overwhelmed with requests for help. They see a large increase in the amount of requests for pet food and supplies, as well as requests to take in animals that are found lost when they get separated from their owners.
Hill’s understands that when disaster strikes, local animal shelters have an increased need that they need help to meet. The Hills natural relief network includes the Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love® program and aims to provide food to communities who are hit with emergencies like natural disasters. In the 3 years since the national program was created, the Hills network has provided food to over 60 different animal shelters and veterinary clinics across the country in response to 25 emergencies. They’ve helped out after flooding in Colorado, fires in Arizona and Idaho, a fertilizer explosion in Texas, a mudslide in Washington state and after tornadoes in the southern and central regions of the US. The Hills natural relief network is just one way that they give back and stand behind their brands four pillars which are donate, volunteer, choose and adopt. The Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love® program provided over $280 million worth of food to almost 1,000 animal shelters. They have helped over 8 million pets find homes.
FEMA national pet disaster preparedness day is coming up on May 14th. It’s a great time to make sure you are prepared for emergencies, not just for your human family members but your pets as well. Here are some tips from Hills for making sure your pet is prepared for emergencies:
- Have your pet(s) microchipped or use an ID tag. Make sure the contact info is up-to-date. This way, if you get separated from your pet they have a higher chance of getting back home to you.
- Create a pet emergency go kit full of supplies that you could use with your pet during an emergency. Include first aid supplies, a guide book, food and water for your pets, a harness and leash, waste clean up supplies, medications, medical records and a contact list that includes your vet’s information and pet care organizations. Also write down your pet’s feeding routine, any behavioral problems, comfort toys and a blanket.
- Buy and display a pet rescue decal in your front window or door to let first responders know a pet is inside the home. Include your vet’s contact info. Learn where your pet likes to hide so you can guess where to find them if they get scared.
- Have a plan in place for where you could leave your pet if you need to evacuate. Often times disaster shelters for people are not open to pets. Consider making a list of pet-friendly hotels and motels, or friends and family members houses who would be open to taking in you and your pets.
- Have a photo of your pet for identification in case they get lost.
- If you need to evacuate, have a pet carrier or crate for keeping them safe while away from home.
- Keep at least a week or two worth of pet food on hand at all times.
Get more tips and advice for disaster preparedness for pets on the Hill’s disaster relief program page. Follow Hill’s on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to keep up with their volunteer and donation initiatives.
Do you have a disaster preparedness kit for your family? Does it include items for your pets? What advice do you have for preparing for an emergency as a pet owner?
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hill’s® Pet Nutrition, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine.
Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.
This post currently has 26 responses.
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These are great tips. I have multiple dogs and cats and we make sure to keep extra of everything on hand at all times. Our pets are family too!
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My mom has dogs and these would all be great tips for her. I have cats and I could manipulate this for them as well.
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These are great tips. I don’t have a dog, but I will share this with my friends who have pets.
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These are great tips and something you may not think of for your pet. With multiple pets it’s espeically important.
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justin tan
Oh my!! these are all great tips. I’ve never thought of my pets in case of emergencies like flood and all. Good that I found this post. thanks for sharing
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Great tips! I have 2 dogs and I’ve never thought of what I would do in a case of an emergency. Now I’ll be prepared thanks for the checklist!
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Brenda Disimone
Thanks for the tips. During hurricane Katrina a lot of people left their pets behind because they didnt know where to go with them because most places say not pet friendly !
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Kathy
First I have to say how adorable your dog is! What a cutie! I love all your great tips. We never know when something bad like this can happen. It’s always very important to be very prepared for any situation.
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Ann Bacciaglia
It is so important to be prepared in the case of an emergency. These are great tips. I will have to make a plan for my cats.
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These are awesome tips that I will share with my pet owning friends. I have a bird that well…eats like a bird, so she always has tons of food. 🙂
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This sounds like a wonderful program. I have three furbabies and if there was a natural disaster, I would hope that someone would be there to help take care of them. Especially, if we are displaced and stuck in a hotel or something.
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Chrysa Kieke Duran
This is such great information for pet owners to know! It is important to be prepared!
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Deb E
I’m a nurse for human, but would have loved to have been a pet nurse. My cousin is a veterinarian and I try to learn all I can about keeping pets and animals safe. I revived my beloved Yorkie twice with doggy CPR–it does work!
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Michelle S
You see so often on TV that in a disaster that the animals are not taken care of. Having one of these kits would really help in these situations.
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Lauryn R
Hills is a great company! I think that it is fantastic that they help out pets durig national disasters. I definitely think it is important to have your pet microchipped. It doesn’t hurt them and it’s the best way to locate a missing pet.
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desiree
the vet here give a id here they take a pic of the dog or cat when you take the pet in and then the info is on his info and up to date picture
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These are such great tips for pet owners! It’s important to also make sure to secure our pets’ safety during emergencies. Disaster kits are important and name tags.
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Lilly
The Hills network is so great. I’m glad these tips are here for people to see! So many people underestimate the importance of preparedness, especially regarding their animals, so it’s great that you’re working to get this information out there. Thanks for sharing!
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Susan P.
Thanks for the tips. My cats are microchipped and because I have to be ready for hurricanes, I have an emergency kit for them and cat carriers. The Fort McCoy fires really bring the importance of being prepared to the forefront.
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Mary W
Owners do not realize how valuable micro-chipping an animal can be until it’s too late. Floods, fire, storms, tornadoes or hurricanes can separate you from your pet and a micro-chip can reunite you quickly.
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DENISE SMITH
we have 2 dogs and 3 cats we have them all chipped just to be safe i want to make sure taht my pets are safe from harm if they get lost or stolen i can find them more easier
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Bev
To go bags are a great thing to have as you never know when you’ll need one. I’m getting mine together for the cat soon. Thanks for the checklist. I love the photos of your puglet.
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kathy downey
These are awesome tips that I will share with my friends who have fur babies
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Maryann D.
These tips are so important and helpful. I know when I get another pet I will definitely have them microchipped.
I have two dogs, and we have a disaster kit just for the two of them. I want to be sure they’re well taken care of in an emergency.