Sunday, July 1, 2012

Fourth of July Safety

This Wednesday, folks in the U.S. will be celebrating Independence Day.  And along with a day off in the middle of the week, we get treated to the sights and sounds of tons of fireworks. But what's fun for humans can often be traumatic - sometimes tragic - for our pets.

Did you know more pets go missing on the Fourth of July than any other holiday?

Here are a few tips to help ensure your pets stay safe, healthy and happy this week:



DON'T:
Never take a pet to a fireworks display. Even the most even tempered animals can spook - and bolt! - at unfamiliar, loud noises.
And it's not as if we can explain to them what they're about to experience - all they would understand is that sudden, frightening loud noises are assaulting their tender ears!








DON'T:
And it's not okay to leave your pet in the car while attending a fireworks display, either. While the temperature outside is a comfortable 80 degrees, the temperature inside your car could reach as high as 120 - and this can prove fatal to your pet.




DO:
Provide a secure, comfortable, quiet place for your pet to rest while you're out.

You can encourage rest by participating in a fun, vigorous playtime before the fireworks begin. That way pup or kitty will have run off any nervous energy!






DO:
Consider turning on the TV, radio or even a fan for your pet. This creates "white noise" that may help minimize the sound of the fireworks.







DO:
And make sure your pet is identified, either by collar or microchip (or both!) so if they accidentally get away from you, their chances of recovery are greatly increased.






      Wishing you all a fun and festive 4th of July!





10 comments:

  1. That was a great post! We don't like those boomy things, they go off until all hours here!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well put. Have a lovely Sunday.
    Best wishes Molly

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very informative and colorful post! Emphasis on the colorful! We don't have a fourth of July in our country but we do have New Year's Eve. Our tradition is to light up lots of fireworks to keep the bad spirits from staying in the house (that's the superstitious belief we've adapted).

    Huggies and Cheese,

    Haopee

    ReplyDelete
  4. Do you know what? Sometimes we have those fireworks things here in Canada, too. And sometimes, they're close enough so that we can here them when we're in our house. And personally, I don't like that sound any more than I like the sound of a thunderstorm which scares the mouses out of me... if you know what I mean... purrs

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good advice! Jules and Vincent are always get anxious during the fireworks.

    Thanks for participating in Weekend Cat Blogging!

    ReplyDelete
  6. These are great tips! My human does not worry about us kitties too much since we are indoor only and can always find a quiet hiding space if we don't like what is going on outside. She worries about the dog though because she gets REALLY stressed out!

    ReplyDelete
  7. You always have such great advice! I have been wearing my Calming Collar for about a week now in preparation for the big day (I also had a vet visit yesterday and it helped me a lot).

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oddly enough, although I am skeered of almost efurrything, loud noises outside don't bother me. The Human can't understand that. She always tries to comfort me when fireworks go off and I look at her like, WTH?

    But this is all really really good advice!!! Specially not leaving pets in the car!!

    The Human says Fank U for the good wishes. She hopes that STONE gets OUT soon!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Well, being in the UK, we are not celebrating 4th July lol, but we do have 5th November and new years and several other really stupid excuses for fireworks! very good advice xx

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is excellent information! We had boomers going off last night and we're sure tonight will be the same thing. Fortunately, it's been hot and our cold air blower is on and all the windows are closed so the boomers aren't so loud to scare us.

    ReplyDelete

Coolio! A comment? For US?