Disasters often strike without warning. That’s why we’re spreading the message for pet families to be prepared. Planning ahead is the best way for families to ensure that all members of their family, including pets, are ready to face an emergency.

Many preparedness tips are relevant to any type of disaster, but you may have additional considerations based on where you live. Think about the most logical scenarios that could happen around your area and the different ways people in your community might respond.

National Preparedness Month, established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the US, occurs every September to inform and educate people about disaster preparedness. We're working with our shelter partners to make sure more people are having this conversation, and to help pet parents include their furry family members in their plans.

Pet parents should immediately contact a local veterinarian or pet shelter if a pet is injured. While a veterinarian should be the first point of contact, local shelters often become hubs for animal care during a disaster and will likely have veterinarians on-site to help treat injured pets.

Beyond our role as a pet food company, we believe in helping pets live their best lives any way we can. While our expertise is creating science-based pet nutrition, we also support the pets and people impacted by a disaster, and we are grateful to partner with shelters, veterinary hospitals, nonprofits, and governmental organizations to ensure that pets and shelter animals are fed and cared for. Established in 2013 through the Food, Shelter & Love program, Hill’s Disaster Relief Network is a first-of-its-kind network that has provided more than 400,000 pounds of food in response to more than 100 disasters nationwide.

It’s part of Hill's mission to provide pets with the best care humanly possible. We’ve always responded to disasters around the world but created the Disaster Relief Network in 2013 to provide a more structured response to communities impacted by disaster in North America. As a direct extension of Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love program, the Network initially partnered with 100 shelters that were already responding in times of crisis, providing them with free Hill’s products to help meet the needs of pets in their care. Today, we work with many more organizations including veterinary clinics, nonprofits and governmental entities that are also focused on animal welfare.

We’re always looking for new opportunities to help more pets. If you work at a shelter and are interested in becoming part of our Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love program, please visit our shelter portal page.