How Can You Be #PetPrepared? Don’t Miss These Disaster Preparedness Tips! @HillsPet #ad

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.

 

How Can You Be #PetPrepared? Don't Miss These Disaster Preparedness Tips! @HillsPet #ad

 

I have written about disaster preparedness in the past – but always from a human perspective.  I work in an urban public school district and risk management is part of my job.  As such though it is always about the human safety (students, staff, visitors) and property protection.  My husband and I also bring many of those safety measures home into our every day lives – we thought we were prepared for as much as we could be.

 

How Can You Be #PetPrepared? Don't Miss These Disaster Preparedness Tips! @HillsPet #ad

 

When New Orleans was hit by the catastrophic flooding, there was great loss of human life but afterwards there were huge issues with found pets.  That storm made it perfectly clear to us as well as many pet parents, that there needs to be a complete disaster preparedness plan for our pets.

 

How Can You Be #PetPrepared? Don't Miss These Disaster Preparedness Tips! @HillsPet #ad

 

FEMA National Pet Disaster Preparedness Day on May 14 – this is a great time to help spread the word about how to keep our pets safe in a disaster.

 

We adore our pets – and sadly on Friday we lost one of our dogs – she succumbed to a combination of medical conditions that modern medicine just couldn’t fix.  We still have a dog that we need to take disaster preparedness steps for.

 

Disasters can happen at any time and we must prepare – we don’t want our pets to be left behind.  A few years ago we were hit by Hurricane Sandy AND Hurricane Irene.  Between the two it was weeks without power and many lost days of school.  But we were still safe.  But the what ifs have been always on our minds.  And always – what about the dog(s)?    In the last five years we have had so many unusual storms – there have been tornados less than a half hour away, earthquakes, hurricanes, blizzards and more.   During some of the recent major storms nationwide – pets were deemed a huge priority.  People became so concerned about the safety and health of their pets that they wouldn’t leave them behind – even when it meant possible death for themselves.  Proper planning can keep everyone – pets and people – safe and free from harm.

 

How Can You Be #PetPrepared? Don't Miss These Disaster Preparedness Tips! @HillsPet #ad

 

Hill’s established the first-of-its-kind national network in 2013 as an extension of its Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love® program.

 

In the last three years, the Hill’s network has delivered free pet food to more than 60 different shelters and veterinary clinics across the country in response to 25 major incidents – including floods in Colorado, fires in Idaho and Arizona, the fertilizer plant explosion in Texas, the mudslide in Washington state and tornadoes in the central and southern regions of the country. In 2015, the Hill’s Disaster Relief Network assisted with three incidents, including the severe tornado damage in Moore, Oklahoma.  I don’t know about you but that gives me a huge amount of hope that my pets will not be left behind in a disaster.

 

How Can You Be #PetPrepared? Don't Miss These Disaster Preparedness Tips! @HillsPet #ad
Hill’s Pet Nutrition

 

Seven Tips to Ensure Your Pet’s Safety in an Emergency

  1.  Ensure your pet can be identified by either a microchip or collar ID tag and that contact information is up-to-date.
  2. Prepare a “Pet Emergency Go-Kit” of pet supplies that is readily accessible in an emergency. Your Pet Go-Kit should include the following: first aid supplies and guide book; a 3-day supply of pet food in a waterproof container and bottled water; a safety harness and leash; waste clean-up supplies; medications and medical records; a contact list of veterinarian and pet care organizations; information on your pet’s feeding routine and any behavioral issues; comfort toys; and a blanket.
  3. Display a pet rescue decal on your front door or window to let first responders know there is a pet in the house. Include your veterinarian’s contact information.
  4. Learn where your pet likes to hide in your house when they are frightened. Finding them quickly will help you evacuate faster.
  5. Identify a location to take your pet if you need to leave your immediate area. Keep in mind that disaster shelters for people may not be open to pets. Scout hotels and motels with pet-friendly policies and ask relatives or friends if they could house you and your pet.
  6. Carry a picture of your pet in the event of separation.
  7. If you need to evacuate, consider taking a pet carrier or crate if possible for transport and safe-keeping.

 

Infographic-Pet-Preparedness

 

 

The Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love™ program is a living, breathing example of how we live out our mission statement on a daily basis and is based on four pillars: Volunteer, Donate, Choose and Adopt Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love® program provided over $280 million worth of food to nearly 1,000 shelters, 365 days a year helping over 8 million pets find a new home…and counting. All pets deserve proper, balanced nutrition – even in a crisis.

 

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You may print the infographic or receive more information HERE

 

Have you suffered through any disasters?  Have you had to worry about the care and/or safety of your pets?

 

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hill’s® Pet Nutrition, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine.

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