6 Steps to Help Your Pets During the Noise of Summer Fireworks

The Humane Society of the United States recommends the following 6 steps to help your pets during the noise of summer fireworks. 

While the steps won’t alleviate all their fears, they will help to keep your pet calmer and safe while going through the frightening ordeal of hearing  loud, unexplainable noises. We are the only ones who can help them so let’s do all we can!

1. Resist the urge to take your pet to fireworks displays.
2. Do not leave your pet in the car. Breathing the hot air in the car can lead to serious health effects and even death in a few short minutes. Partially opened windows do not provide sufficient air. The opened windows are simply an invitation for your pet to be stolen.
3. Keep you pets indoors at home in a sheltered, quiet area. Some pets can become destructive when frightened, so be sure that you remove any items that could be destroyed by your pet or that would be harmful to your pet if chewed. Leave a TV or radio playing at normal volume to keep him company while you are attending firework celebrations.
4. If you know that your pet is seriously distressed by loud noises like thunder, consult with your veterinarian for ways to help alleviate the fear and anxiety he or she will experience during fireworks displays.
5. Never leave pets outside unattended, even in a fenced yard or on a chain. In their fear, pets who normally wouldn’t leave the yard may escape and become lost, or become entangled in their chain, risking injury or death
6. Make sure your pets are wearing identification tags so that if they do become lost, they can be returned promptly. Animals found running at large should be taken to the local animal shelter, where they will have the best chance of being reunited with their owners.

You can’t always be home to reassure your pets when the fireworks go off  but  you can follow the above 6 steps to help your pets during the noise of summer fireworks and make them feel safer.