Your Pets And Fireworks

Signs of stress

The first thing to do if you are concerned about your animal's reaction to fireworks is to watch for signs of stress and anxiety. These can include:

1. trembling
2. restlessness
3. destructiveness
4. hiding
5. pacing
6. panting
7. attention seeking
8. shaking
9. escape behaviour
10. soiling in the house
11. whining
12. barking

Ways to help your dog:

DAP dog pheromone vapouriser

In mammals, all nursing females release substances called appeasing pheromones,to reassure their offspring. Canine appeasing pheromones are secreted by the bitch 3 to 5 days after birth. This substance enhances the attachment between puppy and its mother, and provides reassurance and comfort. Research has shown that the reassuring properties of canine appeasing pheromone still exist even in adulthood. They affect both emotions and social interaction throughout the dog's life.

DAP vapourisers release appeasing pheronone into your home constantly, helping to calm your dog. This can be used to good effect to reduce the anxiety-provoking effects of fireworks.

 D A P spray

The spray is used approx 15 minutes before the effects are required, and the effects should last around one to two hours, although each animal will respond differently. It an be sprayed directly onto bedding, inside cages, or in the car. Alternatively, spray it onto a neckerchief and tie this around your dog's neck.

Bonfire night advice for pet owners
Here are some tips to help your pet.

• Don't punish the dog when it is scared: it only confirms that there is something of which to be afraid.
  

• Don't fuss or try to reassure the dog when it is scared, as this rewards the anxious behaviour.
  
  

• Do ignore any fearful behaviour that occurs for no good reason.
  

• Do make sure the dog is kept in a safe and secure environment at all times, so that it doesn't bolt and escape if a sudden noise occurs.
  
  

• Do try to move the dog at sundown into a blacked-out room that contains toys and familiar objects (and preferably things for the owner to do as well, so the dog is not abandoned in the room). Blacking-out the room removes the potentially additional problem of flashing lights, which often precede the noise.
  
  

• Do put some music on. It doesn't have to be excessively loud, as long as there is a constant distracting beat to the music.
  
  

• Do ignore the noises themselves and try to engage the pet in some form of active game.
  
  

• If you know of a dog that is not scared by the noises and which gets on with the problem dog, keeping the two together during the evenings may help. Playing with the non-fearful dog may help to reassure the fearful dog that all is not so bad after all.
  

• Do remember that drugs may be useful to calm some dogs, but they need to be given so they take effect before any noise starts or panic sets in. Ask your veterinary surgeon for details.
  
  

• Don't just ignore the noise phobia problem just because it only happens once or twice a year. Start a desensitisation programme once the season is over - and don't wait until the bangs start next year before you do something about it!

Ways to help your cat:

Feliway cat pheromone vapouriser

When a cat feels safe in its environment, it rubs its head against items such as furniture, the corners of walls, the bottom of curtains, and yourself, leaving behind chemicals called facial pheromones. These pheromones convey a message of well-being and calmness.

Cats display distress in much more subtle ways, best known as "quiet stress".This state can be conveyed by changes in behaviour such as urine marking, vertical scratching, loss of appetite or refusal to play and to interact.
In these situations, a Feliway diffuser can be used to restore the natural balance, mimicking the cat’s own pheromones, helping to create a state of calm and well-being. 
As with dogs, the active ingredient is released through an electric device, with each bottle of pheromone lasting one month.

Ways to help smaller mammals:

These smaller animals are easily frightened by the bangs and flashes in the night sky, especially if they are kept in an outdoor hutch where they will be exposed to far more noise than a cat or dog that is indoors.

As prey animals, rabbits and guinea pigs respond to stress quite differently from the other pet species. They will tend to hide and become very quiet and still during the stressful time, - so that they may appear ‘frozen’ to the spot - but they can also show longer term effects of stress such as withdrawn behaviour, aggression, poor appetite and inactivity.

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