Fourth of July Pet Safety
Who doesn’t like parades, BBQs, fireworks, and a paid day off from work? While the Fourth of July is a national day of fun, feasts, and revelry, it’s not always as fun for pets as it is for their people. Depending on your family’s activities, summer pet safety can mean different things on different days. Fourth of July pet safety strategies focus on elevating their comfort and well-being in order to prevent anxiety, fear, and holiday-related emergencies.
Terrifying Soundscapes
Pets answer to a primal fight-or-flight instinct when they become scared or confused. Unfortunately, Fourth of July fireworks can disorient pets so much that they escape their yards or dart out of car windows, which can lead to sudden loss or separation (temporary or permanent), injury.
The Case for Identification
A major tenet of Fourth of July pet safety is ensuring accurate and clear pet identification. Update your pet’s microchip with current contact information and check to see if their collar’s ID tags are easy to read. If you need help accessing your pet’s microchip records, please let us know.
Most pet owners have hundreds of pet photos saved to their phones. Have a couple recent pictures of your pet printed up in case you need to make flyers or show them to others looking for your pet.
How to Mitigate the Noise
If you know that your pet reacts to loud, unpredictable noises, make arrangements to stay with them during scheduled fireworks shows, or ask a friend or neighbor to check on them. Check that doors and windows are sealed and encourage your pet to stay in a darkened room away from the noise.
- Provide comforting bedding, toys, and treats
- Always have fresh water on hand (stressed pets are always thirsty)
- Play white noise or soft music
- Try to give your pet the opportunity to make positive associations with loud noises so they become less triggered in the future
If your pet continues to show extreme fear or stress, let us know. We can work with you on behavioral strategies and prescription medication if needed.
Desensitization can work to reduce a pet’s fear of loud noises, like fireworks and storms. This process can take time but by slowly rewarding a pet for withstanding the known trigger they will eventually accept these noises as unthreatening.
Other Tactics for Safety
Crowds can be very tricky for most pets, even those that appear relatively calm and relaxed. This Fourth of July, it may be a better idea to avoid all the action and stay at home or another low-key place. That said, even a laid back backyard cookout can lead to poisoning, pancreatitis, burns, GI obstruction, and choking. Close supervision of a pet during a BBQ is critical to Fourth of July safety.
Fourth of July Pet Safety
If you have any questions about your pet’s safety or behavior, please let us know. Our team at Animal Medical Hospital & Urgent Care is always happy to address their needs in order to keep them safe, healthy and happy.