Keeping your pet calm during firework season

August 14, 2023

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Ou nurse, Natalie, believes that it is never too early for pet owners to start preparing for the upcoming firework season. The bright lights and loud noises of fireworks can cause dogs and cats an unprecedented amount of stress. To minimise stress levels and to reduce the risk of injuring themselves during firework season, we recommend that you book an appointment to discuss what options are available to help.

There are many products available to help keep your household calm during firework season, however, as each animal is unique, so it is important to find out what will suit them best. Examples of these are:

Calming supplements – These promote relaxation and come in various forms, such as dog chews, tablets and liquids. They tend to use ingredients thought to contain calming properties such as chamomile, valerian root and L-theanine.
Thunder shirts – A vest that provides constant but gentle pressure to your dog’s body. This will have a calming effect, similar to a baby being swaddled.
Pheromone diffusers – These release synthetic, man-made pheromones mimicking the natural calming pheromones released by dogs. These diffusers will help to reduce their anxiety levels during firework season.
Prescription medication – There are a number of different medications that could be prescribed by our team. Anti-anxiety medication can medically help to reduce your dog’s anxiety by reducing the serotonin levels in their brain. There are either long-acting or short-acting options available and both will need to be dispensed and their dosage prescribed by a vet who has examined your pet.

As well as the products above, there are a number of different management techniques you can try at home to make firework season a little less stressful for everyone:

Walk your dog during daylight hours and make sure they are snuggled up indoors when it goes dark.
Create a safe space for your pet to hide when they’re feeling anxious. This could be a quiet corner of a room, away from a window and its essential they feel like they’re in control in this area. Once they take themselves to that area, do not interfere with your pet while they are in their safe space.
Use their favourite toys/bedding/treats in this area so they start to associate positively with it and ensure they have access to it at all times.
Muffle the sound of fireworks by shutting windows and black out the light flashes by drawing the curtains/blinds.
Putting on the television or playing music in the background will help distract your dog – Classic FM’s pet classics is a hit for pets across the country, learn more about this here.

There are a number of different ways that owners can help their dogs during firework season, but our team of experienced vets can also advise and help when needed. Book an appointment with us at least 6 weeks before any planned events to give your pet the best chance at a calm firework season. Don’t forget that the consultation fee is included in our NEW Premium Wellness Plan membership.