It’s almost Fourth of July and a lot of people are starting to freak out about what to do when the fireworks make their furry friends freak out.
“The Fourth of July weekend is always one of our busiest weekends of the year at DoveLewis,” says Dr. Sarah Tauber, a veterinarian at DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital. “And this year, with the July 4 holiday falling during a period of unusually hot weather, our medical staff is preparing for an increase in heat-related pet emergencies as well as Fourth of July related hazards over the holiday weekend.”
Want to get some ideas for how to help your pets?
Loud noises can be very stressful for dogs and cats, and they can hurt themselves trying to get away from them. So here are some ways to help your pets make it through the festivities:
• Keep them inside. Vets at Portland’s DoveLewis clinic say dogs sometimes jump over fences in an attempt to get away from fireworks and that they’ve treated dogs that have run right through glass doors out of fear. Ouch.
• I know it’s hot, but close all the windows and turn on some white noise, like a fan, to muffle the staccato pops.
• Keep calm and carry on. If your animal is nervous and sees you’re nervous too, it’s likely to get more agitated.
• Buy a K-9 Calming Vest, ThunderShirt and Anxiety Wrap for dogs wrap them tightly to make poor Fido feel safer and more secure. If you don’t want to shell out the cash, wrapping your pet in a think blanket or towel has a similar effect.
• Make sure your pet is wearing a tagged collar or is microchipped just in case they manage to get away.
• Some pets get so upset that vets prescribe drugs, like Valium or Xanax. If you don’t want to go that route, try melatonin. It’s a synthetically produced hormone that can calm dogs. The dosage, according to the folks at PETA, is 6 mg for 100+-lb. dogs; 3 mg for 50-lb. dogs; 1.5 mg for 30-lb. dogs; and 0.5 mg for 10-lb. dogs. PETA warns that very small percentage of dogs might get excited instead when given melatonin, so they recommend testing it out first.
• “If your cat hides on top of cupboards or under furniture, leave him alone and do not try to coax him out,” recommends a website called YourCat. “This ‘bolthole’ is where he will feel most secure. It is important that your pet can access his favourite bolthole at all times.” I quoted it directly because I wanted to write ‘bolthole.’ *snicker*
And now, since you’re such a great pet parent for taking these precautions, please enjoy this video of a GoPro flying through a fireworks display:
Don’t wrap your pet in a blanket. That’s asinine. They could die from becoming overheated.