Fireworks can be a beautiful and fun way to cap off a day of celebration for humans, but the loud noises and flashing lights that come with them can cause anxiety for your pets. Dogs, cats and other animals can experience an increased amount of fear, anxiety, and stress during holidays where fireworks are present. Statistically, more pets go missing during the Fourth of July than any other day of the year, with July 5th being the busiest intake day for animal shelters. Luckily, there are ways you can ensure that your pet gets through the night with minimal stress.
Prepare Your Pet and Home
A simple way to make your pet feel calmer is to prepare a room away from windows for your cat or dog to stay in during the night. Add their favorite toys, treats, and blankets to guarantee that they will feel safe and comfortable. Consider putting on calming music or the TV on low to help drown out the sounds of fireworks. For added relief, draw curtains and close windows to reduce the amount of noise and light that can trigger your pet. Staying with them and giving pets and comfort can also ease their anxiety and help them through the event.
Keep Your Pet Inside
A lot of animals are easily scared of the loud noises and vibrations that fireworks make, and bringing them along to fireworks events can cause unnecessary stress for your pet, increasing the chance they may run off and become lost. The loud noise can also damage their sensitive hearing. If you are attending a fireworks event, leave your pet at home in their safe spot that you have prepared for them.
Ensure Your Pet Has Updated ID
Make sure your pet is microchipped and that information is up to date. In the scenario that your pet does get lost by being scared by fireworks, you want to make sure that their finder has a way to contact you quickly. If your pet is not microchipped, please consider talking with your vet today to get that done, as without proper ID it can be hard to return a pet to their family. If your dog wears a collar, make sure they have your contact information on a tag alongside their rabies tag.
Consider Anti-anxiety Tools
Some of our furry friends need more help than others, especially if they already suffer from anxiety. Consider anxiety aids such has compression jackets, calming treats, or contacting your vet for anti-anxiety medication. Do so at least a week before the firework event, so you can guarantee that you have the medication on hand.
Exercise Early
On days you know there will be fireworks, schedule play sessions and walks before dusk so that your pet is less stressed by being outside that night; as the last thing you want if your dog to run off during their daily walk by being spooked by a loud noise or a flashing light.
Other Ways to Celebrate!
Besides causing anxiety for our pets and even some humans, fireworks can wreck havoc on our local wildlife. The loud noises and flashing lights can disturb them, causing stress, disorientation, and panic for birds and other animals. Consider other alternatives to fireworks, such as glow sticks, bubble wands, sparklers or quiet light shows.
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