Dr. Reed Stevens says many people are extroverts and many dogs are extroverts and many people and pets are introverts and not every person or dog can handle the stressors. He says, “You might have a new puppy who has never been through this before or when it was through it, it was very young and all of a sudden it has learned that it was very scary the last time like a thunderstorm or like fireworks.” He says our municipalities haven’t had big firework shows, so people started doing them at home and there are a lot more fireworks happening and they aren’t scheduled so they aren’t anticipated.
The holiday is coming and some tips to prepare you include:
Give your dog and your cat a safe space. Dr. Stevens says it’s not unlike PTSD and these large sounds can bring back memories of very stressful times so find a very safe space. A kennel might be a safe space for your pet if they are used to that but don’t do a kennel if they aren’t used to a kennel.
Air conditioning might help, pull down the shades, make the room dark, stay with them if your dog is really stressed out by it.
Give them a cool place, a fan going, white noise, all of these things can really help.
Dr. Stevens says if you know something stressful is coming up, give them a new toy. Something new, something different. He says save toys for a special occasion when you need them to really focus.
Dr. Reed Stevens says, “Outdoor eating is more dangerous than indoor eating for a dog. Things fall the grill. What I’ve seen in my practice over the years, tin foil that meat has been cooked in or stored in. They will eat the whole ball of tin foil and then it crunches inside their stomach and then they have a foreign body, and we are off to the emergency clinic.” Another thing is skewers. He says he’s seen a bamboo skewer pass all the way through a dog and poop it out and says that’s the lucky dog when it passes through.
Grill grease, off the underside of the grill, so licking around he grill. Dr. Stevens says a heavy dose of fat can cause vomiting and diarrhea and even worse, pancreatitis.
Dr. Stevens says, “Your host or your guest may have a dog with a special diet, that they may very allergic to corn; oh corn cobs are another one, corn cobs are bad, keep them away from them.”
Don’t feed dogs that you don’t know because they can have all kinds of allergies that are bad so always ask permission and keep the pets safe.
Heat is a danger. Make sure they have plenty of water at all times and just give them down time. Dr. Stevens says to take them for a walk in the woods next to a park, get them away from the crowds.
For more information visit nfveterinarysociety.org
