Fireworks may be a fun celebration for us, but they can cause severe anxiety for our pets. Between July 4 and July 6, more pets are lost than any other time of year and local shelters become overwhelmed with the amount of strays entering their doors.
With the Fourth of July quickly approaching, the Arizona Animal Welfare League recommends taking the following precautions to ensure your pet’s safety during this holiday week and weekend.
Create a relaxation zone
If you have an anxious pet, help them to distress during the festivities by creating a dark and quiet space for them to get away from the noise. You can also try to minimize the noise by running a fan, a white noise machine, a TV, or a radio. If you know your pet tends to be anxious around loud noise, you might want to invest in a ThunderShirt for your dog or cat, which applies gentle, constant pressure to help calm anxiety.
Consult your vet
If you’re concerned about your pet, be sure to consult your veterinarian. Your vet can provide insight into the best techniques to keep your pet calm or prescribe medication to help ease their anxiety during these stressful times.
Exercise your pup
Exercising your pet is a great way to reduce their anxiety by the time fireworks start. Research when nearby firework displays will occur and plan to exercise your pup hours before. Walks or a game of fetch aren’t the only way to exercise your pup, you can also plan some brain puzzles to help tire them out before nightfall.
Update your pet’s IDs
Make sure to double check that information on your pet’s ID tag and microchip is up to date in case they get separated from you. A microchip is a permanent form of identification for your dog or cat that is embedded under their skin. It stores a unique code that can be scanned by animal shelters or vet offices to pull up your contact information, which makes it easier for you to be reunited with your pet in case they become lost. If your pet isn’t microchipped, it’s a very quick procedure that takes less than 30 seconds and will last their entire lifetime. The procedure is relatively painless for your pet and can be accomplished during a quick visit with your vet.
Keep them secure
Pets become lost when they try to escape the loud noise of the fireworks, so it’s important to keep pets inside as much as possible during the Fourth of July. You want to make sure that your gates are secured and there are no holes in your backyard that your pet can get through. It’s also best to keep your dog on a leash when they need to go outside, even in a fenced yard. Cats who are allowed to wander outside should be kept inside to ensure their safe and secure during the holiday weekend.
If you take these simple precautions, you are not only protecting your pet, but you are also helping limit the burden to local shelters who are already overwhelmed with animals in need. For more information, visit aawl.org.
Kimberly Vermillion is the director of marketing and communications at Arizona Animal Welfare League.
