Prepare Your Pets For The Fireworks
The 4th of July festivities can be traumatic for many dogs. Dr. Caroline Stark, DVM, Staff Veterinarian at VCA Holly Farms Animal Hospital, urges you to take steps to get your dog ready to deal with the loud and scary noises.
1. Plan ahead! Get things in place prior to the fireworks starting. Contact your veterinarian for a plan TODAY.
2. Keep your pet inside and ideally have someone present with them. Keep them comforted in a kennel or provide a safe spot in the house.
3. Use blankets, thunder-shirts and calming music or white noise machine to muffle the sounds. The musical recording, “Through a Dog’s Ear” uses classical music to soothe them.
4. Use counter conditioning. High value food rewards can also help during fireworks or thunderstorms to associate the loud sounds with good things and make them not so scary.
5. Calming remedies: pheromone products (adaptil/feliway), or composure treats, (zylkene, anxitane) are drug-free supplements.
6. Behavioral-modifying Meds: Prescription medications can help with noise aversion. We tend to use these in more severe cases of anxiety.
Contact your veterinarian early to go over a good plan for your pet!
