The Fourth of July is near! In between all of the festivities don’t forget about your lovely pets. We all love celebrating the United States, but it can be a little frightening and dangerous for our pets. If traveling, make sure to consult our guide to traveling with your pet which we covered during National Pet Week (https://vetmedclinic.net/npw-day-5-travel-with-care/). When celebrating please refrain from feeding table food. Yes, proving table food in the moment is both enjoyable for your pet and yourself but it can have many consequences in the long run. Foods that we eat are not entirely safe for our pets due to various seasonings and different toxicity levels between species. Just as much as you need to refrain from giving table food, watch your pet and the floors. Often our friends like to eat the scraps fallen from the table, dropped by the baby, or blown away in the wind. If you catch food on the floor that is not edible for your pet, please pick it up. These foods can lead to problems like diarrhea, vomiting, and scary diagnoses like gastritis. Not feeding table food will save your pet from an anxious vet visit and keep more money in your pockets. Make sure to keep your pet in a safe distance away from any fires, fireworks, sparklers, and more. Since our Independence Days falls in July during the summertime, it will most likely be hot outside. Please read over our guide to the heat to prevent heat exhaustion at (https://vetmedclinic.net/heat-advisory-safety/). Overall, keep an eye on your furry friend if giving them an invite to the cookout.

Now that we’ve discussed problems within your control, let’s discuss a few situations where you may not have as much control. More often than not, animals are afraid of fireworks from their loud noise and visual display. In moments of fear animals will run and hide. We recommend that pets are kept in a confined space such as the house, a crate, or dog house so they can hide in a safe place if needed. This will prevent loss of pets and promote safety. In the case that there is no where to place your pet or they still happen to get away, beforehand look into tracking systems such as the microchip. The microchip is a computer chip that will be placed in between your pet’s shoulder blades, and it can be scanned by any animals shelter or vet clinic. When scanned there is a number that pops up which you will have to register after getting a microchip placed in your pet, this can be done online or by mail. When the number is plugged into the search database for microchips your information such as address, phone number, and name and they will get into contact with you. You can also place an identification tag on your pet with your pets name, your name, phone number, and address. 

Our very fearful friends might need a lot more help than others. There are many different ways to keep your pet calm despite the loud fireworks, music, and large crowds. If your animal is anxious around large groups of people it would be better to leave them home so they can enjoy the holiday in their own way. When at home there are a number of different ways to soothe your pet. There are less invasive measures such as a ThunderShirt, playing music, playing their favorite show or movie, or anything you’ve learned that your pet enjoys. Sometimes the less invasive measures are not successful, in this case call us or stop by for a visit! There are many different supplements or ways that we can help you find to soothe your pet in any situation, not just the Fourth of July. We’d be happy to help assist you and your pet to keep them safe during this holiday!