Independence Day Pet Prep?

[Joe13]

There are more dogs and cats taken in at shelters the day after the 4th of July then any other single day of the year.

I know what I have done for our pets in the past and have my plan for this year but I was curious what others do.

I know some people leave the suburbs and take a trip while others try to mitigate the pet trauma.

There have been a few fires in our neighborhood over the 20 years we have lived here so taking a trip doesn't seem right for us.

We generally have given doggy downers to our dogs as it is better then them bouncing off the walls (mortars are a big thing in our area), keep the house closed up and shades drawn, AC on or on fan if it's too cold but that rarely happens, pop the dvd of the movie Independence Day in on repeat and turn it up as loud is as reasonable and then keep our dogs in their crates.

These last handful of years we do not stay out side until midnight but there is no sleeping until 12:30am or a bit later depending on the year.

We tried the sedative that our dog will need when she gets spayed next month this weekend and she was stoned but not neurotic or aggressive like some peoples dogs we know. Both my wife and I kept saying "dang this dog never just chills and gets pet for hours on end. After having an energizer puppy for months and months I have to say I am not going to be super sorry when she outgrows her puppy energy (or maybe she won't and that's ok too).


Anyway, make sure those pets have collars with your number on them if they aren't chipped (or even if they are) and at our house we have one single door we designate as the in and out door (the back door just in case we get a runner there is still a fence but they have always been in crates but I like redundancy).


Best of luck keeping the pets and yourselves safe this 4th and hope you enjoy it however is good for you.

Cheers!

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[TTSX]

My pet doesn't seem to care a whole awful lot. Gets extra cuddly but that's about it. I'm sure my dickhead neighbor is going to throw fireworks at his dogs for fun. He has a rage problem and serious mental issues to boot but that's another topic. If only he'd burn his house down on accident, the neighborhood would have a block party

 

[Nosferatu]

We usually disappear into the woods far away from the booms.

This year we can't, so Trazadone all around!

 

[Alexx1401]

Vets sell a LOT of sedatives this time of year. We got lucky this time. Of our 4 only one seems to care. She will spend a lot of time hiding under the bed till this stops. The guy in my Avatar was REALLY scared by them. On summer we moved and new place sounded like they were filming a war movie out there. He escaped one day while I was sleeping. When I woke found a note from neighbor that they had him. He had been bouncing around like a ping pong ball till someone finally caught him. He bit the guy right in the face but the guy was a dog lover and hung onto him long enough to get him in a carrier. I left my contact info for the guy to pay if he wished to get medical and never heard back. Was going to send him and his Wife to dinner at a place of their choice too but they did not care. Were just glad to get him back to his home safe. Got to LOVE people who love dogs

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Where I live the week or two before and after Independence Day...sounds like Downtown Beirut.
On the 4th ...well....I've been in quieter firefights.

We keep our critters inside on the 4th ....and Trazodone for our cats and dog.

I enjoy Independence Day..and what it represents....
I dislike all the noise and stress it puts on our pets.

With that said...
I ain't one of the folks that want to see fireworks banned ...they are important and lots of folks do enjoy 'em.
Just want a little understanding that not everyone 4 or 2 legged likes all the booms and whatnot.
Andy

 

[Sharkey]

Thankfully, ours doesn't seem to care. We go to the lake and several dogs get drugged. We usually put her in a room with her bed and a treat and turn TV up a bit.

 

[Nosferatu]

My former dog would get overtly excited at each boom, because it sounded like a shotgun blast, which meant a bird should fall out of the sky.

The Dobermans aren't big fans. We had one who would settle with a thundercoat and some trazadone.

I'm not sure how the new pup will react as he's not been introduced to gunfire yet.

 

[Alexx1401]

My former dog would get overtly excited at each boom, because it sounded like a shotgun blast, which meant a bird should fall out of the sky.

The Dobermans aren't big fans. We had one who would settle with a thundercoat and some trazadone.

I'm not sure how the new pup will react as he's not been introduced to gunfire yet.

LOL, I can just see the poor dog looking around saying "these guys are the worst shots I have ever seen, they can't hit

 

[JRuby]

Every night, not just fourth of July our fur kids are locked inside by 9:00pm. No if ands or buts. I normally carry our cat in from the barn. This is as much for coyotes. I don't go to bed till they are accounted for.

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

I split my time between bundled under a bunch of dog beds and pillows with a sedated but still terrified pitty and hanging out in the backyard with a seriously PO'd chiweenie that wants to fight all the fireworks that are scaring his big sister

 

[MTpockets]

I wish everyone and their pets have a safe and comfortable Independence Day Celebration and/or Hibernation.
We have fireworks going off year round down here...But this is the time of the year that I make it a point to check the fire extinguishers. Old habits.

I've just started enjoying them again...

 

[L84Cabo]

I've always had Labs and none of them have ever cared. Makes sense given they're generally bred to be gun dogs. But man I feel sorry for the ones that struggle with this. Many of them are absolutely terrified.

Some people report good luck with comfort sweaters and such. There's a product called Happy Hoodie and it's generally used for dogs and cats during grooming...particularly the dryer. But many have reported it's helpful for fireworks. Actual ear muffs can help too but you likely have some training to do ahead of time to get them comfortable wearing them.

You can also try to locate them in a smaller, more secure space, play some music or some other form of white noise to try to help drown out the sound, and snuggle the stuffing out of them. Most will probably at least feel a little bit better if you're there with them. I mean if the world is going to end, at least we're all going together.

 

[Joe13]

Our last 3 were absolutely terrified of the booms. We also live in an area where you can pick a direction to look and get a pretty nice show (I made myself sick one year trying to look every which way when someone would point and say ooh look at that one - lesson learned).

I do not begrudge people that like fireworks, I grew up with them and honestly enjoy them still but over the past few years to a lesser degree. The kid is going to a friends house for a party so this will be my wife and my first 4th with no guests so it will be strange but we do have the new pup and she doesn't really seem to be scared of anything.

People have been lighting them off randomly over the last few days and she doesn't even pretend it's an issue but she may change her mind when it's non stop for 4-5 hours.

She is very sensitive to the sound of my wife's hair drier for some reason and will pace a bit if she doesn't close the door and I don't turn the TV up but that's about it for her.

It will be interesting to see how she does. The trial was to see how she did with the meds so I am going to start her off on half a dose and then give her the other half if needed.

This is the same meds she will be on for 2 weeks straight - the vet said no running jumping or getting up and down off the couch after she is spayed…. I said "that's all this dog does unless she is sleeping!". Our vet has a couple dogs and one is a pit so she understands and basically said we were just going to have to keep he drugged and carry her up and down the stairs. So far she is with us or in the crate so I'm sure it will be a long 2 weeks but these meds definitely make her very chill so I think the 4th will be good to go.

 

[Alexx1401]

Our last 3 were absolutely terrified of the booms. We also live in an area where you can pick a direction to look and get a pretty nice show (I made myself sick one year trying to look every which way when someone would point and say ooh look at that one - lesson learned).

I do not begrudge people that like fireworks, I grew up with them and honestly enjoy them still but over the past few years to a lesser degree. The kid is going to a friends house for a party so this will be my wife and my first 4th with no guests so it will be strange but we do have the new pup and she doesn't really seem to be scared of anything.

People have been lighting them off randomly over the last few days and she doesn't even pretend it's an issue but she may change her mind when it's non stop for 4-5 hours.

She is very sensitive to the sound of my wife's hair drier for some reason and will pace a bit if she doesn't close the door and I don't turn the TV up but that's about it for her.

It will be interesting to see how she does. The trial was to see how she did with the meds so I am going to start her off on half a dose and then give her the other half if needed.

This is the same meds she will be on for 2 weeks straight - the vet said no running jumping or getting up and down off the couch after she is spayed…. I said "that's all this dog does unless she is sleeping!". Our vet has a couple dogs and one is a pit so she understands and basically said we were just going to have to keep he drugged and carry her up and down the stairs. So far she is with us or in the crate so I'm sure it will be a long 2 weeks but these meds definitely make her very chill so I think the 4th will be good to go.

The dog in my avatar hurt his back leg somehow one time. He was just a couple years old and ran around like he was on crack all the time. So off to vet, x-rays, no real problem, just keep him calm and contained to bed for a few days. This while he is jumping around in the exam room. I looked at the Doc and he laughed. Sent me home with some meds. I set up a pen in the front room for him with blankets. He would take the meds and could barely stand up. Eyes going all over and he would finally lay down and sleep. Was funny as hell watching him fight the meds till he would give up.

 

[foxmeadow]

It's a five minute hike from the house to the "range" on our property. All of our dogs, except the Chihuahua, would wind up at the range to see what's happening and hope that maybe somebody will throw a tennis ball. We had to ban a Lab that would run out in front of you after each shot.
Our current pup is still afraid of the vacuum cleaner at one year old, but she'll eventually be down there..

 

[Spitpatch]

Ethel, who will turn 1 yr old on the 4th of July, sez:


"Make it go boom again, Dad!"

 

[Camohunter]

We are lucky to be in Sunriver until after the 4th. No fireworks allowed here because of the fire danger. This keeps our nervous Golden much calmer.

 

[JRuby]

I have 70 plus acres of dry grass around my home. Normally they have it off the fields by now. We are concerned a bit about the fireworks.

 

[Mikej]

Our Humane Society 1-1/2 YO One-Eyed Jack the cat wasn't afraid of anything when we got him at 3 months. Now, if I fire up the string trimmer/blower out front he hits the darkest place in a closet. We can't have bedroom closets closed ever anyway because he has to have access to them for some reason. And will wake us up in the night trying to get in. So we'll make a special place for him to nestle in, in the two closets.
Should be easy this year, seeing as "mayor" tod whalen banned fireworks in potland.

What pisses me of is the clods last night that decided it's time to light off some big ones at 10:30 PM! just after we'd gone to sleep.

 

[JRuby]

From where our house sits we can see fireworks going off from Portland to Saint Helens { all along the columbia river } - seems no one is really paying attention to the restrictions.