I have never been a big fan of fireworks, I think the risk doesn’t outweigh the reward and I wonder what kind of environmental damage they do. It seems to always rain after a big fireworks show, I don’t know if that’s coincidence or not.
My dad was a firefighter and his job on July 4th was often to be one of a few firefighters stationed near the head guy controlling the show. That’s because these guys catch on fire a lot and it was my dads job to put them out. He said their shirts were always covered with burn holes. He thought they were nuts, but then he also thought hippies with their “damn candles” started a lot of fires.
Since I started sharing my home with dogs and cats, I dislike fireworks for a different reason; they scare the shit out of animals. More dogs go missing on the 4th of July than any other time. So, here are some ideas for ways to calm your pets. No one way works for every pet, it’s an Edison sort of thing — there are a thousand ways to calm your pet, you just have to find the one that works for your particular beloved critter. These same ideas work for a fear of thunder as well.
Environment:
~Try dampening the noise.
*You can use a noise machine with the ocean, crickets and whatever, or just a window fan to provide white noise. If you have thick drapes, close them.
*Music can block out the firework explosions sometimes, but don’t assume any old kind of classical music will do. Some classical pieces are pretty booming. I prefer reggae which has a steady beat or new age, air pudding, types of music, like Enya. Animals seem to love Enya.
*Calming scents can be, well... fairly calming. In the world of aromatherapy, scents like lavender or anything woodsy; cedar, pine etc. can be calming. You can use plug in’s, sprays, incense, or buy essential oils with all kinds of dispensers.
Safety:
~Try dampening the danger factor.
*Keep your pets in the house and supervise them when they go out, usually starting the day before a holiday.
*If you have to keep your pet outside (and good luck trying to convince me you have a valid reason to do so), make sure your pet is in a fenced in area that there is no way to get out of.
*Wherever your pet is, be sure it has a collar on. Micro chipping is not a bad idea either.
Drugs and Such:
~Try dampening your pet from the inside.
*There are synthetic pheromones that are calming for some animals. They currently make them for dog, cats, horses, and kids. Yep. Some pediatricians use them in their exam rooms! They can come in plug in form, or in a spray. With the spray you can get your pet a little neck scarf, spray it and have them wear it for a calming effect. It’s called Feliway for cats and DAP (dog appeasing pheromones) for dogs.
*There are some homeopathic remedies such as Calm’s Forte and Rescue Remedy. These often work well, especially when combined with the pheromones and environmental measures.
*You just have to know your pet and how freaked out they get. I always start with the least invasive, so I’m going with music, aromatherapy and Rescue Remedy. If none of that works, I break out the big guns, the pharmaceuticals!
Even then I like to use the least powerful, if I can. So, I go for Xanax or Valium. Something fast and short acting, and soothing. I tend to prefer Valium, but Karen Overall MA, VMD, PhD, DACVB, ABS Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, author of the Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats, told me once that she found Valium to be too sedating, and that a pet who is sedated can feel a bit out of control. For that reason she prefers Xanax; which decreases anxiety without the sedating effect.
Good luck getting either one of those from your Vet! You will have to know them pretty well and have an established relationship, since these two drugs are so often abused. For that reason, most Vets give Acepromazine, which is a long acting sedative. So, while I don’t like it for thunder storms it might be quite good for fireworks. It takes about an hour to kick in and lasts for about 10 hours, which is often how long the idiot neighbors spend setting off their illegal fireworks.
*In a pinch, for dogs, you could try Benadryl, it has a sedating effect. Buy a generic brand for a huge savings in money. The dose is 1mg per lb. So, a 50lb dog would take 2 tablets, a 75lb dog would take 2 tablets. For dogs under 25lbs. use the liquid Benadryl for children to get the precise dosage.
***Don’t muck about with whatever stash of drugs you may have about your house, be sure to consult a veterinarian.***
Equipment:
~Try dampening your pet from the outside.
*There are special vests for your pets to wear than can be calming. A very popular one is called the Thundershirt and is made for cats and dogs. I have only met one dog it’s ever actually worked on and I work with animals for a living. I also find them to be hot, so maybe not the best thing to wear in July.
You can make a wrap yourself with ace bandages, and that seems to work better than the vest. There is an illustrated guide here on how to wrap your pet.
My favorite is called a Har-Vest, twice the price of a Thundershirt, but I’ve never had this one NOT work on a dog or cat and it’s a 3 in one harness, so works for dogs as a no pull harness, a back pack and other things as well.
Activity:
~Try dampening your pets energy level.
*Tired out pets have little energy for anxiety so play, play, play, early in the day before the fireworks start. Go for walks, playdates, swimming or even long drives in the car.
*Give special treats during the times of the worst noise. Nice meaty bones for dogs or the ones that come stuffed with marrow, that will occupy dog for hours. You can stuff a Kong toy with peanut butter, freeze it overnight and keep a dog occupied for quite a while. Some cats like these with frozen tuna juice inside. Cats often like little bones or fun treats, and both cats and dogs like the toys that they have to work at to get the treats to dispense.
* This is a great time to play interactive games with your pets or break out special toys. I use one of those crinkly tunnels for the cats that normally drive me nuts, but are great during storms and fireworks. Very distracting.
Modeling:
~Try dampening the fear level of those around your pet.
*People often try to reassure their pets that all is well by fussing over them; “It’s ok, my sweetie baby boy, those big scwary, scwary, fireworks aren’t going to get you, daddy won’t let them”. Yeah. That doesn’t work. Your pet is following your lead and if you’re fussing about like a ninny it sends a clear message that something big is wrong here, “OMG! We're all going to die.” Probably not what you’re trying to communicate.
Instead, try being nonchalant, shrug you’re shoulders, “Yep. Fireworks again. Big whoop”. Your pet is looking to you for guidance, so put up a calm front for them to follow.
*For dogs especially, it can be helpful to have a least one at your house that ISN’T fazed by noises like thunder or fireworks. During the holidays I often have quite a few dogs at my house. I have had 7 that were afraid of noise and just 1(mine), who wasn’t. In that case I had to employ many of the measures listed above to have a calm household.
I have also had holiday times where I had 8 dogs at my house, with only 3 who had a fear of noises. In these cases, they followed the lead of the calm dogs and did fine; playing and eating and sleeping normally, regardless of the noise around them. I’ve never paid attention to what the tipping point was; how many calm dogs it takes to chill out the nervous ones, all I do know is that it can help.
Hopefully, some of this will help you and your pet make it through this celebration of America. Am I the only one who thinks romanticizing the “rockets red glare and bombs bursting in air” is somewhat odd?
I also know how to desensitize a pet to loud noises such as thunder and fireworks so that you don’t have to go through all this stuff for every storm and holiday, but for that info, you’ll have to hire me for a consultation.
Everything I write, including my name, Tracy B Ann, belongs solely to me.