Fireworks play a key part in seasonal celebrations like Halloween, Bonfire Night, and Diwali, which are all just around the corner, so now’s the time to prepare if you have a pet that might be affected by it.

It is common for animals to find fireworks scary – it’s estimated that 45% of dogs in the UK show signs of fear when they hear fireworks. Cats and other small animals may be affected too, so pet owners need to be aware of their fears and plan to help handle the situation.

  1. Here are ten tips for pet owners to prepare for fireworks season.
    Start prepping your pet early – for dogs, we recommend Sounds Scary, an easy-to-follow therapy pack that includes a specially made set of high quality sound recordings and a guide for owners to help get them to become less afraid of loud noises.
  2. Walk your dog during daylight hours to avoid being outside when fireworks are likely to be set off.
  3. Cats can become more stressed if they’re outside during fireworks, so ensure you get them inside before nightfall.
  4. Make sure they have a safe place to hide if they want to and ensure they have access to this place at all times.
  5. Make sure your pet can’t escape outside if there’s a sudden noise.
  6. Have your pet microchipped if they escape (by law all dogs should be microchipped).
  7. Ask your vet for advice about medications to help calm your pet.
  8. At nightfall, close the windows and curtains and put on music to muffle the sound of fireworks.
  9. Stay at home – being there to offer reassurance can help. With dogs, it can help to ignore the fireworks but instead, take out a favourite toy and play with it to see if they want to join you – but don’t force them.
  10. Don’t punish your pets when they are scared as this will just worsen it in the long run.

Want to know more? Watch our video for top tips.