Since I obtained pets, the Fourth of July weekend has been bittersweet. I am excited about what it represents and celebrations are widespread.  However, for those of us who have pets, it can be a very challenging time because most pets hate the noise from fireworks.

Of course you cannot get the people who set the fireworks off to not do it.  They have a legal right to do so.  I do not know about where you live but where we are many people start setting fireworks off a month before the actual Holiday.  This creates anxiety in many cats, dogs and other animals.  Trying to comfort them is difficult because they have no idea where the next loud boom is coming from and have no way of knowing it is not close enough to hurt them.  Here are some tips I use around the Fourth of July Holiday.

1. Beginning a month before the Holiday, make sure your pets are indoors as much as possible.  Many pets have outdoor enclosures (i.e. a catio for cats or a dog house for dogs).  A pet who hears a loud boom often will run in fear and can get lost. Therefore, it would help if they were not outside at the time the fireworks are set off.  Make sure your pets are microchipped and that you have registered their information with the microchip manufacturer in case your pet gets lost.

2. Monitor your guests.  Explain to your guests how fireworks affect your pet(s) and ask them not to set them off near your pet.

3. Give your pet extra opportunity to be held to comfort them.  (Don’t worry about spoiling them – most likely you already have :-).

4. If you see that your pet has extreme reactions to firework noise, take your pet to the vet and see if anti-anxiety medication is recommended for your pet.

The Fourth of July only comes once a year.  Enjoy your family and friends.  Make a conscious effort to be patient with those who set off fireworks.  It will be over soon.