Taking care of pets during 4th of July

Jul. 1—For most, the Fourth of July is a joyous holiday filled with celebration capped off by setting off brightly-colored — and noisy — firecrackers and fireworks. But for our four-legged companions, the sudden loud noises can cause anxiety and fear.

That can, in turn, cause pets to flee their homes in panic, which can cause them to become lost.

There's a reason July is Lost Pet Prevention Month, and it's specifically because the loud noises associated with Independence Day celebrations cause an inevitable round of missing pets each year.

As Marguerite Arnold from the Somerset-Pulaski Humane Society points out, more pets go missing during the Fourth of July holidays than at any other time of the year. Pets who are not used to the noise, or pets who have been abused and neglected in their past lives, can run off in a panic trying to escape the sound of fireworks or gunfire.

"A pet is like a child," Arnold said. "They can't fend for themselves, and they get terribly scared and can't tell you that except by body behavior. So it's up to us to understand what scares them and protect them from it."

There are ways for pet owners to keep their dogs and cats calm and safe during Fourth of July, she said. And one of the biggest ways of helping them is to make sure they are inside in some capacity.

"We recommend for people who have outdoor dogs, particularly big dogs or farm dogs, if they have anywhere where they can put them inside safely, like a garage or a barn — not a shed because usually it's too hot at this time of the year — but somewhere that they are at least contained and the noise is somewhat muffled, we recommend they do that," Arnold said.

She also encouraged owners of dogs who might get loose or run off to either paint or write their phone number in an easy to find place on the dog's collar.

The problem with dogs, Arnold explained, is that if one is scared and runs away, it could be miles before it stops running.

Cats, on the other hand, tend not to travel as far, she said.

"If a cat dashes out the door — unless it's not neutered — it's not going very far. It's scared, it's going to hunker down somewhere close to home," she said.

But dogs may travel a much further distance, and may be completely lost and unable to find their way home, she said.

If a dog does run away, Arnold said there are a few steps owners can take. One is to post the information to Facebook — making sure to include exactly where the dog went missing from.

Arnold said she has seen many posts on Facebook where people will just say "my dog is missing" but don't give a location, so folks don't know which area to be on the lookout for it.

Arnold also said that dog owners are going to have to put in the legwork to search for their dogs. They need to walk the neighborhood for them — not just drive around and hope they see the animal, she said.

Owners also need to inform their vet and anyone who lives near them who is familiar with the dog that the dog is missing, Arnold said.

And, finally, the owner will need to go in-person to the local animal shelter, in this case, the Pulaski County Animal Shelter, located on Adopt Me Lane in Somerset.

"Because the shelter is so overwhelmed, (staff) will not remember that any person called and said, 'My dachshund or my husky is missing.' You've got to go," she said.

Having an indoor pet leads to its own set of challenges. Cats can usually run and hide, as it is easier for them to find places they feel safe, she said.

But owners of dogs may need to take precautions during nights when fireworks might be going off around their home.

"For inside animals, we recommend people close all the windows, turn on the television, and turn it up loudly with music playing or anything that can help drown out the noise of fireworks," Arnold said.

There are also items owners can buy that might help keep a dog calm, such as thundershirts.

Thundershirts are vests that can be strapped onto a dog, as loose or as tight as is needed.

"The theory is similar to tightly swaddling a baby," Arnold said. "It's calming if you wrap them tightly in a receiving blanket."

However, Arnold said results vary from dog to dog, and in her experience she noted that the larger the dog, the less chance for success with thundershirts.

Another option is for owners to buy calming treats which may contain ingredients like hemp or melatonin. Those treats may help dogs that are prone to anxiety.

It's not just pets that Arnold said owners need to look out for during this time of year. Livestock can be susceptible to problems as well.

"Many types of livestock are also affected by gunshots, loud bangs, that sort of thing," she said. "We've also had cases in the past where either llamas jump a fence because they're so scared, or livestock have had heart attacks."

Unfortunately, there is not much an owner can do for livestock other than to make sure that fences and gates are secure and in good working order, she said.

The only other course of action is to encourage neighbors not to hold big firework shows next to where cows and horses are being kept, she said.

Carla Slavey can be reached at [email protected]