Keep pets happy and safe amid fireworks and festivities

When planning this year’s Fourth of July celebrations, it’s im­portant to take our pets into consideration. From fireworks to par­ties, these festivities are often frightening for cats and dogs.

To help provide pet parents with peace of mind, Best Friends Animal Society, a lead­ing national animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and making the coun­try no-kill, is sharing their top five tips to keep pets healthy, safe, and home during the holiday weekend.

Via Best Friends Animal Society.

Create quiet: Learn when your local fire­works displays are happening and bring all pets indoors ahead of time. Dogs and cats alike will appreciate a quiet room, with the windows closed, curtains drawn, and the familiarity of their favorite toys, bed or blanket. To provide additional comfort, try playing calming music or turning on the tele­vision for background noise to help drown out fireworks outside.

Clean up quickly: If you plan to set off fireworks at home, it’s essential to promptly clean up all trash and any leftover materials from the explosives before letting pets back in the area. Fireworks typically contain a va­riety of chemicals and heavy metals that are toxic to pets if ingested, making it important for pet owners to be vigilant about not let­ting their pets put un­known items in their mouth when in the yard or on walks.

Say no to scraps: Barbeques during the holiday weekend may be filled with sum­mer food staples like avocados, grapes, ice cream, and onions – all of which can be toxic to dogs and cats. For those wanting to give pets a fun summer treat, try freezing pet-approved fruits and vegetables like water­melon, blueberries, or carrots for a healthy and cool treat.

Stress less: Gener­ally, pets aren’t fans of noisy crowds, ex­plosions, marching bands, or fire trucks. When making plans for the holiday weekend, think ahead and make arrangements so pets can be comfortable at home instead of at a parade or fireworks display as these can be stressful or even dangerous situations for them.

I.D. please: Always make sure pets are wearing up-to-date identification tags with your current contact information. Having updated contact infor­mation available on an id tag or microchip will help pets and their peo­ple be reunited should they get spooked and run off.

To make sure they are prepared for a pet emergency, pet owners should locate and save contact information for their local emergency veterinary clinic and nearby shelters ahead of time. This will allow swift action to be taken if a medical emergency occurs or a pet becomes lost.