Home >
Specials & Sales >
Help dogs & cats that are nervous with fireworks | HealthyPets >

Help dogs & cats that are nervous with fireworks | HealthyPets

America's Fourth of July holiday is fast approaching. It's a time for sparkly exploding bright lights and grand firework finales. For humans, this can be a great celebration, but our pets have a different reaction to them. Animal control services across our nation see a 30 percent increase in lost pets around this time. The big noise from fireworks causes anxiety in dogs and cats, so they become frantic and often runaway. We care about your pet, so we have some tips for you on keeping them calm and safe when they are around fireworks.

Physically preparing your pet to be around fireworks with the right supplies is key. Pets do not understand fireworks at first, so it's always a good idea to get ready for the worst scenario.

] PET ID TAGS [

Make sure your dog or cat can be properly identified if they get lost with a pet ID tag. 30-60% of lost pets are Veuthanized because they cannot be identified and returned to their owners.

] First Aid Emergency Kit for Pets [

Now we generally do not want to see our pets get hurt, but it can happen especially around fireworks. A dog might bark and try to chew a sparkly firework on the ground which may result in a burn or something worse.

] FOOD [

Keeping your pet on their normal diet will help them cope. You do not want to unnecessary over feed them and upset their stomach. A big bang from an exploding firework could stress them out resulting in a big pet mess.

] Shelter [

It is a good idea to not let your pet outside and keep them indoors. Their first instinct when surrounded by loud noises caused by fireworks is to run, get away and hide. Creating a shelter with a kennel or crate will keep your pet comfortable and safe. Try not to leave them alone and close windows while creating other noise from a radio or television to drown out the loud explosions.

] Exercise or Play [

Have your pet exercise or play as long as possible before being around fireworks. Get all of their energy out, that way they will be too tired to care about the loud noises.

] Anxiety Solution [

To reduce anxiety in dogs when around fireworks the Thundershirt is a proven method. The constant pressure from the Thundershirt has a calming effect for dogs that are anxious or scared.

Since pets do not understand where the loud noises are coming from, it is best to desensitize them and get them to think of fireworks as a normal thing. They need to hear loud firework noises on a regular basis before the big celebration really happens. Play a video of loud fireworks in the background while playing with your pet. Do this each day by starting off with the volume low, then increase the volume day by day.

It is also important to act normal yourself. Pets can sense if there is something wrong with their owners. Go about your daily activities like normal while talking to your pet in a upbeat and confident voice. They will pick up on your cues and become unafraid.

Sometimes the tips above are just not enough to ease the anxiety and stress pets feel around fireworks. So extra steps with nutritional pet supplements is a smart way to treat them. It is safe and a healthy over-the-counter alternative than prescribed medicines. Below are the most popular and top recommended calming pet products: