The 4th of July is a celebration for humans, but it can be an overwhelming stressful event for your pets! Their acute senses tend to go into overdrive with the loud, booming fireworks.
Here are some tips for keeping your pet calm and safe:
- Make sure your pet has identification on them in case they escape from the house or get loose from a leash.
- Do not bring pets to noisy parades or fireworks if they show any indication of being terrified in these situations. If you do bring your pet outside make sure their harness is secure. Do not use a leash on a collar alone since they can pull on their necks when trying to get away from the noise possibly causing injury to themselves.
- Bring your pet to another location (relative or friend’s house) where there are no fireworks.
- Keep doors secure so your pet cannot escape and run away. Keep blinds and doors shut until the fireworks are over and turn on some calming music or the air conditioner to block outside noise.
- Set up a crate with a heavy blanket over it so they can hide if they choose.
- Set up a bathtub with a blanket – pets gravitate to tiled areas during thunder and fireworks since noise is reduced there.
- Place cotton balls in your pet’s ears to minimize loud noises from being heard (remember to remove after.)
- Try using a ThunderShirt and/or Rescue Remedy for Pets (test these out before an actual event.) Just a drop or 2 on your pet’s gums can be very effective to calm their nerves, but you can use more if needed.
- Try calming chews to take the edge off of your pet’s nerves.
- Set up hormone diffusers (Feliway or Adaptil) or use hormone collars to keep your pet calm. Preferably start using these a day or a few hours before the stressful event for best results.
- Make sure your pet gets plenty of exercise the day of a potentially stressful event.
Most importantly stay calm! You don’t want to add stress to an already stressful situation.
If you know your pet actually becomes destructive during these events, then seek help from your veterinarian. They can prescribe medication to be used at the time of an event to minimize the chances of your pet harming themselves.
Enjoy the holiday!
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