Pet Tips for the Fourth of July

Here are some tips to keep in mind for the upcoming holiday: Create a quiet haven for your pet. Make sure it is cool enough, comfortable enough and away from the celebrations. Once you have located the spot, make it off-limits to guests and minimalize family member’s interference on the solitude. Leave a radio or television on. If your animal requires prescriptions to cope with the fireworks, make sure you get them well before the 4th. Most veterinarians are closed for the holiday and emergency clinics will not prescribe tranquilizers. Follow your veterinarian’s instruction for administration. Most tranquilizers require dosing before the fireworks begin. Plan ahead! So you’re having a cook-out. Remind your guest to watch their plates and garbage disposal. That finished steak bone/chicken bone or that expended corn cob is appetizing but deadly to your dog or cat. Post notes on back gates or front and rear doors that an animal is present and to be careful to close doors and gates when entering or exiting. Make sure that your animal has on their rabies tags for identification purposes in case of escape. Commercially available swaddling devices work on some animals but often prove more effective against the lower pitch rumbles of thunder and lightning and ineffective against the high pitched sharp cracks of fireworks. Watch your animal before the 4th. People start setting off firecrackers prior to the actual holiday. See where your animal seeks quietude and make that their space. If they seek your comfort, locate a place of solitude for the animal and leave comfortable articles with your scent in that area.