8 Ways to help your pet during firework season

Firework season seems to last longer and longer each year. Instead of waiting for the traditional firework season, Diwali and Bonfire Night, October and November instead have become filled with ad-hoc garden displays, stretching the fireworks frenzy over several weeks. Unfortunately, these prolonged festivities can be extremely distressing for some pets.

Dogs, for example, hear sounds at twice the frequency of humans, making the loud bangs and whistles of fireworks not just alarming, but potentially painful for their sensitive ears.

Below are our tips on how to protect, treat and desensitise dogs that become highly anxious during the fireworks season.

Signs of noise phobia in dogs

Dogs show they are stressed or anxious in lots of ways, including:

• panting excessively
• drooling
• shaking
• yawning
• putting their tail between their legs

Although it is difficult to stay calm when your pet is stressed, try not to let your dog know you are worried as it may make the problem worse.

Here are some ways to help your dog:

• Let them pace around, whine, and hide in a corner if they want to. Once they have found a safe space, try not to disturb them.
• Offer refuge in a crate or create a den to hide.  Cover with a heavy blanket/cushions as a partial sound barrier.
• Close all windows and curtains to reduce outside noise.
• Turn on TV/radio to override the noise.
• Supplements: Pheromone collars and diffuser, calming food and natural supplements. Pressure wraps (such as Thundershirts) can also help.
• Cuddle, comfort and play with your dog.
• Offer positive distractions, such as a Kong toy / favourite chew to focus on.
• Medications are available to help your pet relax (see below).

Help! - I can't get my dog to relax

If you know your pet is going to struggle with the noise, then book an appointment with one of our vets to discuss treatment options.

There are a range of medications available, which can significantly help a pet relax and respond more positively to firework night.

The following medications are often used, to provide light sedation/relaxation, but equally can be considered in a training plan to desensitise our pets;

• SILEO OROMUCOSAL GEL
• PEXION
• TRAZODONE
• GABAPENTIN
• DIAZEPAM
• ALPRAZOLAM
• FLUOXETINE

Each of these medications is considered very safe, and we'll select the most suitable one for your pet, ensuring the ideal dose is tailored to their unique needs.

How can I manage this long-term?

Ideally, it is advisable to consider sound therapy, which can slowly desensitise your pet to the sounds of fireworks.

Working closely with a behaviourist, you can slowly train your dog to associate this fearful sound with positive cues, such as playtime, cuddles and most importantly treats.

Any training should really start 3-6 months in advance of firework season, but  the process involves exposing your pet to audio recordings of fireworks over a few months, very quietly at first and gradually increasing the volume. Your pet will learn to associate these sounds with positive cues, such as rewards and treats, therefore helping them cope in future.

If you wish to discuss further we can guide you on positive counter condition training and desensitisation, or equally refer you to an appropriate behaviourist for a more 1-2-1 training plan.

Let’s not let our pets stress over fireworks season this year. Through Vetsy we can get through this and enjoy the displays once again!

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