Helping your dog cope with fireworks
You can make particularly noisy nights more tolerable for your pet by setting up a good hiding place and dressing it up in a jacket for nervous dogs.
DEAFENING bangs, whistles and glaring gunpowder bursts in the night sky might be festive fun for us humans, but this can be deeply traumatic for our pets, especially dogs.
But there are steps you can take to mitigate your pet’s distress ahead of and during the festivities.
If your dog always gets anxious on festive occasions, take it into a quiet room that doesn’t overlook the street and close the shutters or curtains long before midnight.
Pets that are used to sleeping in a bed or box will often retreat there, in which case don’t try to lure them out of their safe space.
If your dog seeks your attention, a gentle scratch with your fingers tips should do the trick. “But you shouldn’t feel sorry for him,” says German dog trainer Chris Maron.
“Because in doing so you show that the situation is unusual and that you’re concerned.”
The main thing is to give off an air of calm. It helps to hug anxious dogs as this is the ultimate way of conveying a sense of security.
“The so-called ThunderShirt is supposed to have a similar effect,” says Maron, referring to the fitted jacket specially made for nervous dogs.
You can also try to drown out the noise with loud music – provided, of course, your dog isn’t afraid of music.
Other distractions include giving tasty treats just before the main cacophony erupts at midnight. Because once the dog gets scared, even its favourite snacks won’t work as a distraction.
Then there is the medicinal option, which while seeming drastic, might be appropriate for individual animals. Dogs that experience moderate anxiety on festive occasions can be helped, for example, with Zylkene, Sedarom or Adaptil tablets, according to veterinarian Ralph Ruckert.
But what about dogs that go crazy with fear?
“Anxiety of such intensity should be suppressed with medication, not least of all for animal welfare reasons,” he says.
However, the vet expressly rules out acepromazine, which is sold under the trade names Vetranquil, Sedalin, Calmivet and Prequillan.
These may cause dogs to appear calm, but on the inside they may be racked with fear. “It’s very nasty stuff, don’t touch it,” Ruckert warns.
In consultation, your vet may recommend Sileo and Pexion, and if these don’t help they may prescribe benzodiazepines such as diazepam or alprazolam, which have proven anxiety-reducing effects. Yes, there is theoretically a risk of addiction, but it won’t be an issue in the case of such isolated usage, according to the vet.
Finally, while it would be unthinkable for many pet owners, Ruckert even vouches for the benefits of a wee tipple of alcohol for your animal, such as eggnog or beer.
He used to give his almost 10kg terrier a tablespoon of eggnog at 8pm and 11pm on New Year’s Eve: “He really liked and it helped a lot.”
Although alcohol is considered poisonous for dogs, the vet assures that such a small amount poses no risk. Your companion will just be ever so slightly “merry” in the critical hours – and after all, it is the New Year.