Fireworks, parades and Fourth of July
It once again is summer temperatures and the humidity that goes along with it. It also means the Milan Fair parade is almost upon us. What comes after the parade this year on Friday night are the fireworks. It is a virtual night of thunder. These activities are great human fun. Our canine buds may have a different slant on the chance to get a spare hotdog or extra steak trimmings. What some dogs do not like are fireworks.
Even on the Fourth of July, let us wave the flag, have a cookout with lots of people over. It does not get any better than this, if you worship heat, friendship, fun and fireworks. In Milan, this is centered on when the Milan Fair schedules the night of explosions. They were extremely magnificent last year. The fireworks are a great visual and auditory stimulus to humans. The loud noise and visual input overload sometimes mortifies dogs with their selective and more sensitive acute hearing.
Animals do not have the same enjoyment factor for fireworks. In fact, some become literally beside themselves during these events. They may vocalize, eliminate both bowels and urine, and chew things like furniture, dry wall, door trim. This panic event is an attempt to escape from the "blast zone". They are literally scared out of their wits. They sometimes break out of windows, screened or open. They dig under fences or climb over them. They will cower in a bedroom or go deep in a basement if one is available.
Most veterinarians dread the question, "May I have a sedative that works for fireworks anxiety?" Believe me, there is no a magic tablet that works in all critters. Saying any drug is safe for general dissemination is misleading. Some dogs have health issues that preclude sedative usage. Most cases of pyrotechnophobia I am familiar with are dogs. I realize cats are afflicted also but I have not seen a large number of cases in cats. Dogs also have storm or thunder phobias. In dogs noise phobia is behaviorally reinforced by well intending but misinformed owners.
When we try to "comfort" a fearful animal, we intend to relax it. What happens is the animal perceives our human efforts as a means of unintended reinforcement of whinny vocalization or destructive chewing. We send or broadcast the wrong message to our pet. Over reacting to our "training aids" they pick up this is the behavior we want them to exhibit. By staying in a relaxed calm state of mind and not baby scared critters, they learn how to endure loud noises like fireworks or summer thunderstorms without stress.
You need to be observant when a dog shows tendencies of loud noise phobias. Make it a party, by socializing and bribing your dog with treats, you make a potentially negative impact experience (fireworks and thunderstorms) into a positive rewarding event. Any exposure with tasty treats your pet should tolerate it, if not welcome it. This positive imprinting works best when begun as a puppy. There is hope if your dog is an adult. Adult dogs and their owners learn new behaviors. It just takes longer.
Desensitize your pet with recordings of thunderstorms or fireworks. CD's or DVD's from Borders, Barnes and Noble stores or on line are places to look for nature sounds. At first, play the recording for five minutes at a very low volume. Eventually let it play or run continuously leaving it on during daily activities as white noise or background noise. Start by playing the recordings at a very low volume (a pet is hears much better than humans) and give praise and treats. This may need 6 - 8 weeks to get a dog used to the noise. This may need to start early spring for next year. Then play them at increasing volume. This system helps you recondition your pet. It is not a quick fix but a true fix. It takes dedication on the owner's part.
You can also provide them with a safe secure hiding space. Dogs and cats that are comfortable in crates find them a good place to hunker down during the noise. Placing the crate in a quiet darkened part of the house may be helpful. Do not put your pet outside. A scared to death pet can find a way out of the yard. Once free of the back yard they will just keep on booking. Around July 4 th is a very busy time for emergency veterinary clinics. It is a constant stream of lost pets and pets hit by cars on those dates.
If fireworks and thunder noise unglue your pet, you need to talk to your veterinarian before the holiday. You may need an appropriate medication to calm your pet. You need to understand the drug sent home for your pet. How much to give and when it should be given. All of that being said it might not work like the pixie dust you were expecting. They do not always work as expected. Sometimes they excite a pet.
Pets are a blast: do not blast your pet with fireworks noise and stimulus if they are sensitive to them.
For more information about a specific case, consult your veterinarian.