DAVENPORT, Iowa — 4th of July festivities are full of a lot of fun for humans, especially fireworks, but can leave our precious fur babies feeling scared or panicked.
The Quad City Animal Welfare Center and the American Veterinary Medical Association want to remind pet owners of what the holiday means for their animals.
Here are some tips from the two organizations to help mitigate any negative reactions and emotions to the holiday festivities.
Before you go
- All pets, regardless of the time of year, should have identification tags with information that is up to date. However, a spooked pet could run away so it's important to make sure they can be identified and returned home.
- Owners can also get their pets microchipped to help with finding their pets if they escape. The QCAWC offers microchipping for a low cost to owners. Making sure the home or area a pet is kept in is secure is another way to keep them from escaping.
- Owners should talk to their veterinarians about calming devices if their animals normally have anxiety issues on the 4th of July - or in general. These include things like thunder shirts, calming collars/sprays and composure treats. If needed, veterinarians might also want to start pets on anxiety meds.
During the 4th of July celebrations
- If you plan on attending parties, firework displays or any loud festivities, leave your pets at home. "Loud fireworks, unfamiliar places and crowds can all be very frightening to pets, and there's great risk of pets becoming spooked and running away," according to the AVMA. It's important to keep them in a quiet and comfortable area.
- Keep pets in a safe area where they are unable to escape if you plan on hosting a party. Along with this, ask guests to keep an eye out to make sure your pets don't run away.
- Ambient noise from music or the television can help keep pets comfortable during 4th of July events.
- Food puzzles and Kong toys can help keep pets entertained and distracted from loud fireworks.
- Sparklers, fireworks and any items that might be harmful to your animal should be kept away from them.
- If it's hot out, monitor and make sure your pet isn't overheating if they do go somewhere outside with you. In addition to this, do not leave your pet in your car when it's hot out.
After the festivities
- Even if you didn't set fireworks off, make sure there isn't any debris in your yard before letting pets out. Debris could still be in your yard from other places, according to the AVMA.
- All food and party debris, if you hosted an event, should be removed from the yard as well.
- Finally, and maybe most obviously, make sure you give your fur baby a lot of love at the end of the night.
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