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The Fourth of July is a time of celebration by us humans. We enjoy gathering in large groups for outdoor picnics, setting off firecrackers, and watching firework displays. There’s no question it’s a fun time of year for us, but not such a fun time for the fur kids. This is the time of year where shelters see a spike in the number of “strays” that show up in their buildings. This is in large part due to what I call the “fireworks freak-out factor”.
Firecrackers and fireworks are a scary thing to pets, much like thunderstorms. Your pet can get spooked easily, and when an animal gets spooked their natural instinct is to flee the area and find someplace to hide. It can happen in an instant and you’re left wandering the streets of your neighborhood trying to find your beloved pooch.
If you’re lucky you will find your pet right away and everything will be fine. If you’re not so lucky, your pet could end up injured or in a shelter and risk being euthanized. The best thing you can do for your pet this time of year (cats and dogs), is to keep them inside, and never leave them unattended outdoors – even if they’re tied up or inside a fence. Your dog is perfectly capable of digging out of or jumping over your fence. If your pet is tied out, he may very well strangle himself trying to break free. I wouldn’t rely on an invisible fence either. The urge to flee will be greater than the fear of the shock collar.
There are some things you can do to help ease your pet’s anxiety. One would be to turn on some music during the time of the fireworks. The music will help drown out the sound of the fireworks. You can start out with the music at normal volume, and if your dog still seems anxious try turning up the volume a little more.
There are also a couple of products I’ve heard about but have not personally tried. I’ve heard good things about both of them though and the products are Rescue Remedy and Thundershirt. Rescue Remedy is a supplement made up of flower essences that you give your pet orally to create a calming effect. The product can be used on all animals. They even have a version available for humans.
Thundershirt is a product for dogs that is a piece of clothing much like a dog sweater, but it is designed to fit very snuggly on your dog. The Thundershirt provides a gentle, constant pressure to the dog. The belief is that the pressure provides a calming effect on the nervous system. Have you tried either of these products? We would love to hear your feed back on them.
One last thing you should do as a precaution is to make sure your pet wears some sort of pet id tag. This is the best way of getting your pet returned to you should he take off. For added security you should also consider getting your pet microchipped.
Note: The Shelter Shack has not tried either of the products mentioned above and encourages you to research them further before purchasing. We also suggest you speak with your veterinarian before beginning the use of either of these products. You’ll want to make sure to rule out any underlying medical conditions first.
