Neighborhood fireworks are tough on furry friends

For LMQC Outdoor blog-dog, Kaia, the 4th of July is full of bright lights, fun in the park, and – unfortunately – loud noises when the fireworks go off. Here are some things to keep in mind to make such a noisy holiday a little less stressful for the four-legged members of your family.

By Teri Stickler and her Samoyed, Kaia

As we approach our Independence Day and all its celebrations here in the Quad Cities, I can tell you, Kaia has already picked up on what is to come and, she for one is not looking forward to the festivities. Like many animals, she’s got a refined sense that recent neighborhood noise is going to lead to more, not unlike the animals, that during the Japanese tsunami, high-tailed it for hills in fear, before the two-legged inhabitants ever suspected what was coming.

Kaia and Terry are ready to celebrate Independence Day – but ask friends and neighbors to be mindful of the loud fireworks.

Having had dogs in the family from as far back as I can remember, it was evident early on that for most dogs, our human reaction of “oohs and aahs” to the loud booms and flashing colors in the skies, was not always shared by our canine companions.

Kaia is no different. She loves the people and the kids and the festivities and happiness of the holidays, but fireworks are absolute torture for her. This is quite reasonable, as none of this is normal to everyday life. And given the acuity of a dog’s ears when compared to humans, dogs, for the most part, can hear four times as well as humans, so what are loud sounds to us, are much louder sounds for our dogs. They also hear a wider range, both lower and higher decibels of sounds, and all this only adds to their discomfort and agitation from fireworks as well as from thunderstorms.

But what are we to do to comfort them during the barrage of 4th of July booms and bangs?

Here is what is helpful at our house: exercise, eat early, snuggle up, and consider talking to your vet about anti-anxiety medications. At least on the 4th of July, we know there will be a lot of noise in the evening, so it is always a good idea during the day to stay busy. I get Kaia out to play and exercise and to expend some energy. If possible, I will even try to feed her earlier in the day, since once all the noise starts, she has no interest in food, no matter how special it is.

As the day progresses, Kaia generally lets me know one or even two hours prior to the real event starting. She will hear a few early booms and that is enough to set her to pacing and nudging me to let me know she is frightened and not at all comfortable with what she is hearing.

And so, I do my best to make sure she has a chance to get outside and do her bathroom duties before the noise gets worse, and then I bring her in and generally try to have some sound going on in the house, whether that’s TV or music — just something to balance out the scary and unpredictable noises from outside.

She generally shows no interest in her toys at this point, but each dog is different, and toys might prove to be a worthy distraction. In Kaia’s case, all her attention is channeled toward avoiding what is scaring her. If we know, as in fireworks displays, that the noise is not going to let up for some time, we generally migrate to the basement. It is cooler and more sheltered below ground level, it can be darker and more ‘den-like, and again, having the TV on is helpful as well.

But even those steps can prove to be not sufficient. And I think another factor that we humans may not consider — our dogs can also pick up on the acrid smell of the fireworks. Like rotten eggs, as some describe and unfamiliar to their senses and thus, only adds to their fear and uneasiness.

Kaia as a tendency to want to be close to me when she’s uneasy or frightened. She’ll be panting and pacing and will come and nudge me or want to lay close. I try to accommodate her needs and remain calm myself and reassuring. Some pets like to lay on one’s lap or be held. There are even products available such as the Thunder Shirt which can be wrapped around the pet, and these wraps give the dog a safe and protected feeling and aid in calming them.

I do not use these for Kaia, but I’ve had a smaller dog, a Shih Tzu, and she benefited greatly by wearing one of these shirts. Of note though, it was necessary I have the shirt on her at least one hour before a storm or firework celebration if it were to work well.

Because Kaia is so terribly troubled by storms and fireworks, I did seek additional help from our veterinarian. There are calming, anti-anxiety medications your vet can prescribe. These medications work well and safely reduce the dog’s sensory input. Dosage is based on your pet’s size and weight. I have found such medications especially helpful during extended storms displaying lots of lightning and thunder as well as being helpful during fireworks season. Be sure to consult your vet about them before dosing them with any medication.

And finally, remember that a frightened pet may also try to seek safety wherever they can find it and they will not always be thinking straight, so be certain to have identification on your pet, a collar with contact information, and of course have your pet Microchipped, just in case they run out the door and don’t know where to go.

Whatever you do to celebrate the Fourth, please keep in mind that what you find thrilling, might just be a frightening ordeal for your pets. They don’t always understand why all the booms are happening. They just want to be safe, and they want to keep you safe as well.

As we approach our Independence Day and all its celebrations here in the Quad Cities, I can tell you, Kaia has already picked up on what is to come and, she for one is not looking forward to the festivities. Like many animals, she’s got a refined sense that recent neighborhood noise is going to lead to more, not unlike the animals, that during the Japanese tsunami, high-tailed it for hills in fear, before the two-legged inhabitants ever suspected what was coming.

Kaia and Terry are ready to celebrate Independence Day – but ask friends and neighbors to be mindful of the loud fireworks.

Having had dogs in the family from as far back as I can remember, it was evident early on that for most dogs, our human reaction of “oohs and aahs” to the loud booms and flashing colors in the skies, was not always shared by our canine companions.

Kaia is no different. She loves the people and the kids and the festivities and happiness of the holidays, but fireworks are absolute torture for her. This is quite reasonable, as none of this is normal to everyday life. And given the acuity of a dog’s ears when compared to humans, dogs, for the most part, can hear four times as well as humans, so what are loud sounds to us, are much louder sounds for our dogs. They also hear a wider range, both lower and higher decibels of sounds, and all this only adds to their discomfort and agitation from fireworks as well as from thunderstorms.

But what are we to do to comfort them during the barrage of 4th of July booms and bangs?

Here is what is helpful at our house: exercise, eat early, snuggle up, and consider talking to your vet about anti-anxiety medications. At least on the 4th of July, we know there will be a lot of noise in the evening, so it is always a good idea during the day to stay busy. I get Kaia out to play and exercise and to expend some energy. If possible, I will even try to feed her earlier in the day, since once all the noise starts, she has no interest in food, no matter how special it is.

As the day progresses, Kaia generally lets me know one or even two hours prior to the real event starting. She will hear a few early booms and that is enough to set her to pacing and nudging me to let me know she is frightened and not at all comfortable with what she is hearing.

And so, I do my best to make sure she has a chance to get outside and do her bathroom duties before the noise gets worse, and then I bring her in and generally try to have some sound going on in the house, whether that’s TV or music — just something to balance out the scary and unpredictable noises from outside.

She generally shows no interest in her toys at this point, but each dog is different, and toys might prove to be a worthy distraction. In Kaia’s case, all her attention is channeled toward avoiding what is scaring her. If we know, as in fireworks displays, that the noise is not going to let up for some time, we generally migrate to the basement. It is cooler and more sheltered below ground level, it can be darker and more ‘den-like, and again, having the TV on is helpful as well.

But even those steps can prove to be not sufficient. And I think another factor that we humans may not consider — our dogs can also pick up on the acrid smell of the fireworks. Like rotten eggs, as some describe and unfamiliar to their senses and thus, only adds to their fear and uneasiness.

Kaia as a tendency to want to be close to me when she’s uneasy or frightened. She’ll be panting and pacing and will come and nudge me or want to lay close. I try to accommodate her needs and remain calm myself and reassuring. Some pets like to lay on one’s lap or be held. There are even products available such as the Thunder Shirt which can be wrapped around the pet, and these wraps give the dog a safe and protected feeling and aid in calming them.

I do not use these for Kaia, but I’ve had a smaller dog, a Shih Tzu, and she benefited greatly by wearing one of these shirts. Of note though, it was necessary I have the shirt on her at least one hour before a storm or firework celebration if it were to work well.

Because Kaia is so terribly troubled by storms and fireworks, I did seek additional help from our veterinarian. There are calming, anti-anxiety medications your vet can prescribe. These medications work well and safely reduce the dog’s sensory input. Dosage is based on your pet’s size and weight. I have found such medications especially helpful during extended storms displaying lots of lightning and thunder as well as being helpful during fireworks season. Be sure to consult your vet about them before dosing them with any medication.

And finally, remember that a frightened pet may also try to seek safety wherever they can find it and they will not always be thinking straight, so be certain to have identification on your pet, a collar with contact information, and of course have your pet Microchipped, just in case they run out the door and don’t know where to go.

Whatever you do to celebrate the Fourth, please keep in mind that what you find thrilling, might just be a frightening ordeal for your pets. They don’t always understand why all the booms are happening. They just want to be safe, and they want to keep you safe as well.