EXCLUSIVE: 4th of July Holiday Pet Safety Tips

The 4th of July holiday looms near, as does the possibility your pet will suffer stress, trauma, or illness associated with the festivities.

How can your pet catch a break and stay healthy? You, the responsible caretaker, must educate yourself on the holiday’s hazards and proactively prepare to protect your pet in every conceivable environment.

Here are Teddy Hilton‘s very own celebrity vet Dr. Patrick Mahaney‘s top five July 4th holiday pet safety tips:

Firework Safety
Restrict your pet’s access to the immediate or adjacent area where fireworks are being set off. Keep your pet indoors in a quiet, cool, isolated part of your home. Put on your pet’s favorite TV show or play music to mask fireworkie sounds. If needed, confine your pet to a comfortable crate to prevent them from escaping through open doors, lunging at windows, or eating inappropriate materials, which all can occur as a manifestation of anxiety.

Fatigue Your Pet For Better Behavior
Participate in appropriate exercise with your pet in the hours leading up to a 4th of July event. An adequately fatigued pet has a greater physiologic need to seek rest during your celebration and is less likely to exhibit anxious behaviors.

Promote a Calm Energetic State
Give your pet a dose of a safe, over the counter, stress relieving product, such as Rescue Remedy Pet, 1-2 hours before a potentially distressing event.

Be Cautious with Pet Costumes
Like Halloween, 4th of July holiday costumes are not necessarily accepted by all pets. Never force your pet to wear a costume if they resist your attempts at playing dress up.

Avoid Dietary Indiscretion
Permitting your pet to partake in holiday appetizers, main courses, or desserts can alter your pet’s normal feeding patterns and cause digestive imbalances. Additionally, keep all trash completely inaccessible your pet’s snooping snout.

Have a safe, healthy, and fun 4th of July. Check out this remarkable Live Leak video: Dog Bites Roman Candle Firework, for extra motivation to exclude your pet from any celebration involving fireworks.

P.S. – Please tweet your pet questions to @PatrickMahaney!