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| NorthStar Vets |
Dogs may be people’s best
friends, but the reverse isn’t always true.
For instance, what best friend would bring her canine buddy to a parade
on a scorching hot summer day? What
human pal would force his dog to pick her way through throngs of people at a
shad or cranberry festival?
And what kind of person would think
for a moment that the family dog would like nothing more than accompanying his humans
to the July 4 fireworks show? Ai-yi-yi!
Such people should know these facts:
* Many animals are extremely frightened and
stressed at the sight and sound of fireworks
* Animal control officers see a 30-60% increase in
lost pets each year between July 4-6.
* July 5 is one of the busiest days of the year
for animal shelters.
"Independence Day" ought to be just that for pets too: a day when they can do what they might wish – and that does not include enduring fireworks.
An excellent flyer (produced by the
animal control officer in Lawrence Township, NJ, for the health dept. there) shares the
facts above as well as the following tips for easing pets’ 4th of
July stress. The first one is most important:
1 – Do not take your pets to
fireworks displays.
2 – Designate a “safe space” inside for your pets to retreat to
during the July 4 festivities. Keep
windows and doors shut to prevent escape
attempts and cut down on anxiety-causing noise.
Keep curtains shut to block out bright lights.
3 – Play calm music at low volume
to block out some of the outside noise.
4 -- Distract your pets from the
fireworks chaos with playtime, a favorite toy and treats.
5 – Double check to make sure your pets are wearing their
collars with license and/or ID tags
with current information. Have your pets
microchipped.
It should be noted – and applauded too – that only a few
years ago, Lawrence residents could, and
Here’s very recent news about “the first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for canine
noise aversion (a term encompassing mild discomfort to phobia).” It’s now available to care for animals
who find noisy events like fireworks and thunder storms disturbing to the point
of panic and flight:
Wishes for a happy, and safe for all, 4th of July!
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Good advice. I'm copying this to post at the library.
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciated! Thanks for spreading the word!
ReplyDelete