Loud sudden noises, doorbells ringing and unknown people at the door – Halloween and Guy Falkes/bonfire night can be a recipe for a lot of stress and anxiety for pets.
To help you prepare, we’ve compiled our top tips for keeping pets comfortable and relaxed.
Our advice
Create a safe space
A quiet and secure space your pet can retreat to will help them to hunker down throughout the evening. Set up a den with sound-deadening blankets over the crate and a comfortable bed to ride out the events may go some way to alleviating the stress caused by fireworks. John Visconti’s Bunker Protocol explains this management method in more detail here.
To help drown out noises, Classic FM runs its annual Pet Classics radio show on bonfire weekend to help pets relax with calming music.
Due to the unpredictable nature and indiscriminate use of fireworks, creating the bolthole we describe may prevent dogs and cats from fleeing into the night and may alleviate some of the stress placed upon caregivers of not knowing when and where fireworks will be set off.
Use calming aids
You can also use calming aids to help relax your pet. Available in sprays, diffusers, wipes and tinctures, there are plenty of options to choose from.
We suggest Pet Remedy’s range of calming remedies. These are natural calming aids that use a low concentration of active ingredients meaning they’re not too strong or overpowering. Its water-based and PH-neutral formula also means it’s gentle on the skin and coat.
For more anxious pets, we suggest starting to prepare at least six weeks in advance with Dorwest Scullcap & Valerian tablets.
Offer comfort freely
There is an old belief that comforting an animal will only serve to reinforce the anxious behaviour. This is incorrect, so offer reassurance and company if they’re seeking it. Offering gentle and calm comfort will help soothe them. Remember – calm responses by you cannot reinforce an emotional state.
Change routine in advance
If you usually walk your dog in the evenings when it’s dark, consider walking them earlier before the fireworks start. In most cases, aim to walk your dog at dusk before the light has completely dropped. We always recommend a harness that a dog cannot back out of and if there is any doubt at all that fireworks will go off, it is best not to walk at all. The saying ‘no dog died from missing a few walks, but many died after being panicked from fireworks’ is worth bearing in mind.
You should start this new routine several weeks before Halloween and bonfire weekend so your dog can get into a rhythm.
Consult a vet if necessary
If your pet is suffering from extreme stress and you know will not settle despite best home prepared efforts, it’s best to consult your vet in advance. Whilst it’s natural for pets to experience some anxiety and panic during this season, you shouldn’t ignore severe stress that you are unable to manage and which could cause your pet respiratory or cardiac distress. It is completely acceptable these days to help a pet with prescription medication if needed and there are options available for situation-specific use when needed. ACP or ACE (Acepromazine) should bever be given and most veterinary practices would not prescribe this drug anyway.
Healthy Pet Store in Totton is a pet food and accessories retailer, specialising in raw food diets for meat eating pets.