Vet Tips To Help Your Pet During Fireworks

While us humans love a grand fireworks display, it can be a traumatic experience for our furry companions. Fireworks and pets aren’t a good combo, to say the least.

Loud bangs and bright flashes after dark can drive most dogs and cats into a frenzy. So what can we do to help them? Using expert advice from a vet, this article outlines ways you can make fireworks season as bearable as possible for your pets. Let’s pounce right in.

How pets experience fireworks

First off, it’s important to know just why our cats, dogs and other animals get so stressed out by fireworks. According to vet and  Healthy Pets NZ Chair, Dr Cath Watson, some of them experience it as an existential threat:

“Fireworks cause fear, stress and anxiety in many animals, and in some it becomes a genuine phobia. It triggers their fight or flight reflex and they’ll try to escape the noise at all costs, often with no thought to obstacles, direction or distance.

“If they can’t run away, they’ll do everything they can to escape – destroy furniture, doors, windows, cages, whatever is blocking their path to escape. Personal preservation revolves around getting away at ALL costs, no matter the damage to themselves or objects. And so, during every fireworks celebration or thunderstorm, this small subset of animals ends up injured, sometimes severely, all in their desperate need to get away from their phobia.”

Animals also have far better hearing than we do. Noises that may sound like distant bangs to us are incredibly loud, unexpected and frightening to them. Read our piece “‘Fireworks and Pets: Why They Hate It and How to Keep Them Safe” to learn more about how pets experience fireworks.

Assess for medication

So what do we do to ease their anxiety when there are fireworks?

First off, Dr Cath says that you should talk to your vet about medication if your pet is severely scared of loud noises:

“If you have a cat or a dog, or any other pet, that during loud noises is doing itself damage, is damaging property, is trying to escape, and is generally massively overreacting to the sounds and the sights that happen through fireworks season – please go and seek advice from your veterinarian.

“Animals that are truly phobic of loud noises and bright lights will need medication. They also need a plan of what you’re  going to do in the future to help them learn to adapt and cope with loud noises – so please see your vet.”

The below steps will help phobic animals in addition to getting medication. They can also be used to help calm animals that are only slightly nervous during fireworks and don’t require medication:

An indoor safe space

Dr Cath advises keeping your pet inside during fireworks, where the bright lights will be mostly out of sight and the loud bangs muffled somewhat). Being in a familiar space will make them feel more comfortable:

“Try to bring your pet inside well ahead of any fireworks starting. Close the doors, windows and curtains and  dim the lights. This reduces some of that bright visual stimulation that happens with fireworks. Think about the things that make you feel really snug and in a safe place.

“And remember that it’s not only cats and dogs you should bring inside, but also those small pets that live outside – things like rabbits, guinea pigs and birds. Remember that it’s a pretty unusual experience  for them to be seeing bright lights  and loud noises going off well after dark.”

Dr Cath also recommends turning on the radio or TV to create some familiar background noise and drown out the sound of fireworks. Provide them with somewhere to hide. That might be the bed that they would normally use or a crate. Or you can nest cardboard boxes together so that there’s a relatively soundproof but also small space for them to hide into.

Walk them early

Dr Cath recommends taking Fido for their walk before the fireworks start. The same goes for Felix, if you’ve been successful in training your cat to walk on a leash. Tiring them out with a long walk beforehand will shed excess energy and help them relax in the evening.

Microchip your pets

As mentioned, fireworks make some pets bolt. If your property isn’t completely secured they could make it outside and get lost. This makes it all the more important to microchip your cat and microchip your dog. If they were microchipped some time ago, check the registry you registered with to make sure their details are up to date. 

Pets and fireworks: Distract them

Having treats and toys on hand to engage their attention is another good idea.

“Distract them with food, catnips for cats, food puzzles or lick mats. These things take a little  bit more time and are going to occupy them,” says Dr Cath. “Think chew toys and toys that you only bring out when they’re fearful so that they understand what the toys are for.”

PS: Wondering what does catnip do to cats? The results can be pretty amusing (and completely safe for puss).

Keep calm when it comes to fireworks and pets

Dr Cath says it’s important to be calm and consistent during fireworks:

“If your pet is still getting really wound up and clearly a bit agitated, be calm and consistent yourself. It’s okay  to reassure them . You don’t want to be too over-the-top in your reassurance, but you don’t want to ignore them either.

“Think of how you are when you’re upset or fearful about something. The last thing you want is to be ignored, but having somebody be over-the-top doesn’t help, either.”

Thundershirts and doggles

Consider getting them a pet thundershirt. It puts gentle pressure on your pet and gives them a comforting sensation – the same effect swaddling gives babies. These shirts are designed to help dogs and cats who struggle with anxiety during fireworks, thunderstorms, travelling or separation. Find more information about thundershirts – here.

“There are other things that can help that you’ll need to teach them how to use beforehand – like doggles,” says Dr Cath. “These are glasses for dogs that help reduce some of the visual  stimulation. You can also try calming caps or noise cancelling headphones. Another option is to get a noise-cancelling kennel made,  so that all those sounds are drowned out for them.”

Remember that our pets rely on us to keep them safe and happy. Being prepared ahead of time will make all the difference.

Insurance for the unexpected

Fireworks can cause some animals to flee and get injured while trying to escape. Pets can also get hold of the debris that’s left behind – which can be a choking hazard.

That’s why pet insurance is so important. PD Insurance offers award-winning dog insurance and cat insurance plans that cover accidents, non-routine vet visits and a range of treatments. Why not get a quote today?