Keeping your pet calm during fireworks
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — Fireworks are a major part of any 4th of July celebration, but the loud noises and flashing colors can lead to fear, panic and anxiety for our four-legged friends.
“Fireworks can be scary for pets,” said Jai Hamilton, the cruelty investigator at Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control.
Hamilton adds, “if you have an animal that’s especially sensitive, I would recommend that you stay home with the animal. You can turn on music to help drown those noises out and give them things to distract them from what’s going on. Some things that you could use would be like a Kong filled with peanut butter, where they make lick mats, which you would put treats on the lick mat, or a bone that is new and novel, something that they would really enjoy just distract them from the loud noises.”
Essentially Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control says distracting your four-legged best friend is the best way to keep them calm.
“In June, we’ve actually had almost 600 animals come in, so there is a lot of animals out there, and especially these loud noises they’re getting out. They’re absolutely terrified. We want to be able to reunite them outside of the shelter, if possible,” said Hamilton.
She adds that it is important to make sure your pet has some type of identification in case it gets lost, which makes it much easier to track down.
She recommends a name tag or a microchip.
“When I said that, we almost, we had almost 600 animals come in in June, only 14% of the stray animals that came in were reunited with their owners, so that’s a sad fact, and microchip will greatly increase those chances,” says Hamilton.
She says the loud noises can cause a lot of animals to run away during this time of year.
Also adding that its important to make sure your pet feels comfortable and secure goes a long way.
You can also buy dog-calming treats or anxiety vests to help keep them calm.
For more information you can visit Lexington-Fayette Animal Care and Control at lfacc.org.
