80% of pet owners have had at least one terrified of fireworks. Are you constantly worried about your furry friends when pyrotechnics shows are held near your home? Are you afraid of going home and finding that they are unwell or that, even worse, they died from the extremely loud noises? If fireworks cannot be avoided, you will need to do your best to comfort your pet. Here are some ways to keep it safe and secure during firework shows.
Steps
Step 1. Find out about the expected time of fireworks and what impact they will have on your home
Contact your local council to find out when a pyrotechnics show is likely to take place in your area. Mark the dates on a calendar so you can keep track of the event and make sure you can take care of your pets. If you know or suspect that fireworks will be heard from your home, take the precautions suggested in the next steps.
- Check your pet's ID collar and microchip to make sure it is up to date; mark on the calendar when you need to renew it and make sure you remember it. If your furry friend runs away during pyrotechnic events, it is much easier to identify where he came from if he is wearing a collar or a microchip.
- Fireworks agitate animals because of the sound effects, the smell of the chemical elements that compose them and the flashing lights.
Step 2. Sound desensitization helps prevent annoying noise phobia, so use a CD like Sounds Scary before fireworks season starts or after the event
Step 3. Prepare the house
The house becomes the safe area for your pets, so it is important to prepare it thoroughly.
- Keep some lights on. Turning on a light will calm your furry friend and make him feel safer by not letting him startle in a dark room.
- Dampen the noise. Close the curtains in the room, and if your pet is in a cage, cover it with a heavy blanket, but make sure it allows them to breathe so they don't choke. This will also help prevent the glow from bothering him.
- Plan to use familiar sounds to overpower the noise of the fireworks. The music coming from a stereo or the sounds emitted by the television can help calm the animal. Just make sure you don't turn the volume too high, as this can get annoying too.
Step 4. Prepare the room
Select a suitable room where you will keep the animals for the duration of the fireworks. A more internal room that receives less impact from noise is ideal. This should be a room that you can close to prevent the animal from running around the house, getting hurt, breaking furniture, etc. If you have more than one four-legged friend, make sure they don't mind being confined to the same room, or choose different spaces for different pets. For example, dogs and cats usually prefer to be kept apart.
- Make the room cozy. Place a familiar, clean bed in a pleasant place, for example under a table, on a chair or behind it, etc. Add chew toys that the animal usually uses, a scratching post, balls, etc. to keep him entertained and distracted.
- The room temperature should be pleasant; warm if it's cold outside or cool if it's hot.
- You may want to consider adding sounds that are relaxing. If your pet is used to music, put on a CD at normal volume. In addition, the sound of rain also calms the animals a lot.
- Use lavender. This is optional, but it might be a good idea to use items that taste like lavender to help calm down. Use a spray or gently sprinkle some fresh plant leaves or flowers. Just make sure they are out of the reach of your four-legged friend. Using heated scented oils or frankincense is not recommended, as an agitated pet can drop them and start a fire or get hurt.
- Add a cat litter box.
- Remove any sharp objects from the room - your pet may start jumping or running from one spot to another.
Step 5. Prepare yourself
With the desire to relieve our pet's suffering, we sometimes transfer some of our anxiety to him and make him fidget. If you have prepared yourself properly in advance, there is no need to feel upset and worried, because you have done everything you had to do to be sure of your four-legged friend's safety.
Understand that your pet's frightened and agitated reactions are often the root cause of your concern. Preparing for her responses to the event can help calm you down too
Step 6. Confine your furry friend
Half an hour or an hour before the scheduled fireworks time, take your pet to the room of your choice. If you're worried that you can't locate it (for example, cats aren't always easy to find), you may want to search for it several hours in advance and keep an eye on it. Feeding time is a good time to bring the animal closer, as long as it falls before the fireworks display begins. If your dog needs a walk, be sure to take him outside before confining him.
- If your pet is staying in a cage, place it in a safe and comfortable room chosen in advance.
- If your furry friend is a horse or other farm animal, make sure they have a clean bed and stay in the stable or barn.
Step 7. Provide food and water
You should leave enough food and water supplies for the animal within the confinement space. Many pets will feel uncomfortable or fidget. If yours has access to water, drinking will calm him down, and food served based on your four-legged friend's regular portions will make him feel like it's a normal day.
Step 8. Keep an eye on your pet and stay with him if possible
Calm him down and talk to him. Be friendly, but don't let him get too excited - this can increase his anxiety if he absorbs yours and can fuel and encourage your fearful behavior. If it is not possible to be with him, perhaps because you are out or busy (you may be at the pyrotechnics show), don't worry: the previous steps should be enough for your four-legged friend to be properly protected.
Allow your pet to hide somewhere in the room if he wants to. This could be his way of dealing with fear, so leave it in its "hiding place"; don't force him out. Dragging him out of a place he deems safe can increase his anxiety levels. Don't make him shake too much
Step 9. Check your furry friend to see how he is doing after fireworks
Reassure him and remove the protection (blankets, etc.), provided you are sure that the noisy fires are over. Let him run freely around the house to see how he behaves before considering letting him out again (it might be better to wait until the next morning if possible). Look for signs of stress in your pet:
- For cats, signs of stress include running away, littering the house, hiding, or refusing to eat.
- For dogs, signs of stress include barking a lot, running away, littering the house, hiding and retreating, clinging to owners, whining, shaking and fidgeting, walking up and down and panting, and refusing to eat.
- If your four-legged friend is stressed, let him stay indoors all night. If you have a cat, keep a litter box somewhere in the house or, if you have a dog, take him for a walk after the fireworks, but don't leave him without a collar and make sure you stay with him all the time.
Step 10. Sweep the yard before letting your pets out again
Collect any fireworks debris as well as party items (if you have kept one) and broken items. This will prevent your furry friend from getting hurt due to elements he is not familiar with.
Advice
- Behave normally and calmly with your pet. Transmitting nerve vibrations won't help.
- The tips in this article can also be applied to other noisy events, such as automobile parades, storms (with thunder), large crowds of people near your home, etc.
- See your vet if your pet doesn't seem to have recovered after the event.
- If your pet has been educated to use the litter box or pee mat, arrange these items in the house; it is not a good idea to let it dirty everywhere!
- Vets may prescribe sedants or mild tranquilizers, but some expect the administration to occur weeks in advance. Horses and dogs may need it. Medicines should only be given on the advice of a doctor.
- Noise sensitivity can increase as pets age.
- Desensitization techniques may help your four-legged friend feel less anxious when there are annoying noises; you can use CDs containing recorded sounds of fireworks, trains, thunder and so on; start with a low volume and gradually increase it. This should only be done following the vet's advice.
- Putting plugs in your dog's ears can help muffle the sound, but your furry friend should let you.
Warnings
- Never punish a pet for its reaction to fireworks; this is not only wrong, it will reinforce the fear.
- Never bring your dog near fireworks.
- Be careful what you put in the room if you intend to leave the pet alone inside. Better to put out the fire in the fireplace and the lamps on the tables, because accidents could occur. Also, remove all sharp objects, which could injure your four-legged friend.
- Don't leave your furry friend outside, as the noise will be unbearable outside and will likely hear reverberation much more easily. Don't leave him tied up outside during the fireworks, he won't have any shelter. Your pet will find the combination of noise and constriction traumatic.
- Lock the doors and windows if you are not at home. Pets can be stolen during pyrotechnics shows if they are left outside and it is easy for someone to take them away.
- Don't take your pets to the pyrotechnics show.
- Make sure there is nothing of value in the room, your pet could break or damage objects around him when he is scared.
