10 Fireworks Safety Tips for Pets

May 26 • 1 minute read

Summer is fast approaching and with it come holiday’s like Memorial Day and The 4th of July that are happily celebrated with a brilliant evening light display. The sky lights up with chrysanthemums and flying fish and whistling girandola, with willows and comets and red and green crossettes. The beauty of the colors as they burst to life can bring a bit of magic to a holiday.  However, for our pets the boom, crack, and pop of fireworks can be more than a little scary.  Here are a few tips to keep our pets safe and happy this summer.

  1. Take pet for a walk first so that your pet doesn’t need to “use the restroom” once the fireworks start. Some pets will be too frightened to urinate or defecate outside once the fireworks begin, and this may lead to an “accident” later on.
  2. Keep your pets INSIDE if at all posssible.  Even dogs in a fenced in yard can get scared enough by the loud boom of a fireworks display to find a way to escape.
  3. Give your a pet a comfortable place where the feel safe to hide.  Whether it be a small room, closing blinds or curtains, or in a crate in your home away from windows.
  4. Use other sounds like the television or soothing music to help dampen or mask the scary noise.
  5. Be prepared in case your pet does escape. Sometime, no matter how much we try, pets still pull a Houdini and escape.  Please make sure your pets ID tags and/or microchip information is up to date.
  6.  Sometime you being there with them is all they need. Maybe this year we skip the celebration and spend the evening cuddling with our pets instead.
  7. Keep then busy.  Distraction with play time, toys, or treats can help alleviate nerves and make it a more positive experience instead.
  8.  Try using calming pheromones like Adaptil collars or plug ins for dogs, or Feliway spray or plugins for cats, to help alleviate or lessen a pets anxiety.
  9.  Anxiety wraps, like Thunder shirts, are designed to use acupressure and maintained pressure to reduce a pets stress by providing gentle constant pressure, like a hug.
  10. Some pets with severe anxiety may need a sedative from your veterinarian to  keep them from hurting themselves or becoming destructive.

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