FIREWORKS AND PET SAFETY

WITH the festive season around the corner occasions such as Guy Fawkes, Diwali, Christmas and New Year’s Eve, are often celebrated with firecrackers. It is no secret that fireworks upset animals.

Pedigree and Whiskas spoke to Allan Perrins, spokesperson at the Animal Welfare Society of SA, for some tips and tricks to keep animals safe and calm.

If you know your pet will be very distressed, there are a number of off-the-shelf or prescribed calming remedies that one can give to pets to help lessen the trauma – just speak to your local vet.

Keep them in a familiar secure room Keep your pet in a safe and secured room for two reasons. First, doing so will keep them from running away. Second, try select a room that will muffle the outside noise from outdoors and surround pets with familiar and comforting items. You can even turn on the TV or play music to drown out the noise. Keep the curtains drawn to prevent animals from trying to escape through glass panes.

Distract them. Have a selection of healthy treats you can keep on hand to use as a distraction during a fireworks display.

Encourage hydration. Fear makes animals pant, and while they might want to hide and avoid the water bowl, make sure your frightened pet is staying hydrated and keep their food and water bowls nearby.

Don’t leave windows open. Even with secure screens, a cat or small dog may be able to escape in a panic. Animals have very sensitive hearing and noses, and the burning scent of fireworks can be distressing, so rather keep the windows closed and if it is hot, put a fan on in the room.

Check name tags/discs and microchips. Make sure your pets have nametags with phone numbers and home addresses that are up to date, so that if they happen to run away someone can call you. |