Hill’s Pet Nutrition Inc. is looking to sell more of its premium pet food with a little help from plastic.

The Topeka-based company is partnering with Bank of America to offer a new Visa credit card featuring the most personal of touches: a picture of the family pet.

The program, dubbed PetRewards, allows consumers to personalize their cards with a picture of their dog, cat, fish or other pets. Consumers then receive points with each purchase, earning discounts on Hill’s products and items from participating veterinary clinics, or enough to send a $10 donation to one of more than 1,000 animal shelters nationwide.

“Pet owners are always looking for ways to show their love for their pet and give them the best products and services possible,” said Stefano Pettinella, associate marketing director at Hill’s, in a statement. “Through the PetRewards Visa program, Hill’s is offering another way to help pet owners show devotion to the pets that depend on them, and at the same time offer an innovative tool to help offset pet-related expenses.”

Pet owners are a growing demographic for companies. The American Pet Products Manufacturers Assn. Inc. reports that 63 percent of all U.S. households own a pet, up from 56 percent in 1988, the first year the association compiled such a count.

Such owners will spend $38.4 billion on their pets this year, up $2.1 billion from 2005 and up from $21 billion a decade ago, the association said.

Hills is the maker of Prescription Diet and Science Diet pet foods, which are sold through veterinarians and selected pet-oriented retailers.

The company, owned by Colgate-Palmolive, has more than 2,500 employees worldwide, including about 700 at its headquarters in Topeka. Hill’s had sales of about $1.5 billion last year, up 6 percent from 2004.

The PetRewards card carries an introductory interest rate of 1.9 percent and has no annual fee, the companies said. For more information, consumers can click on www.bankofamerica.com/petrewards or call (800) 349-2632.