Barbeques, fireworks, and fun—the 4th of July is a great holiday, but it can bring hazards for your pets. Here are some tips for keeping your animal friends safe while you celebrate:
- Fireworks are a special and exciting aspect of our favorite summer holiday, but the racket can be terrifying for many animals. Keep your pets at home and inside, with calm music or white noise on. If your pet has an extreme reaction to the noise such as heavy panting, drooling, shaking, hiding, or trying to escape, we can help with medication or herbal remedies. Just in case your pet does get out, make sure their microchip and identification tags are current and in place, so they return home quickly and safely.
- Summer celebrating always involves good food and drink in particular grilling and eating outside, but cooked meat bones often splinter and become hazardous if swallowed. Nix the corn cobs, too—they can cause intestinal blockage. Keep an eye on left overs, garbage and compost bins. Dogs have a way to finding tasty morsels left behind after the fun which can lead to gastrointestinal upset or even pancreatitis.
- No alcohol for animals! Booze can dangerously intoxicate your pet and could result in coma or in severe cases, respiratory failure. Yes, this includes beer—fermented hops and ethanol are poisonous to both dogs and cats. Make sure to clean up after the party and safely dispose of all cups, cans and bottles.
- Heat can kill. Don’t leave pets in unattended vehicles or other confined non-air conditioned spaces and if your pet is outdoors on a warm day, make sure there’s plenty of fresh water and shade. Be aware of hot concrete and asphalt. Dog and cat pads can get burned walking on sidewalks and streets on hot summer days.
If you think your pet might need medication to deal with fireworks or have any other questions about pet safety during the holiday, give us a call at 503-227-6047.