Tips to help your pet this July 4th!

Of course July 4th is a reason to celebrate. It marks the anniversary of America's Independence! There are social gatherings, BBQ's and the annual tradition of watching fireworks! These magical displays not only light up the night but echo loudly with each boom.

This is the time to be extra protective of your pet. If you have a fur baby at home, they may become extremely frightened at the sound of fireworks. Since dogs and cats are incredibly sensitive to vibration, your fur baby may become anxious, jittery and frightened during a 4th of July celebration.

Just to give you an idea on how much more sensitive a dog or cat's hearing can be compared to its human parent take a look at these interesting facts:

A human has 6 muscles in its ear. In vibrational terms, it's a maximum of 20,000 Hz. Since sound is the made up of air vibrations, the faster the vibration, the higher pitch the sound. That means a human ear has the capacity to hear up to 20,000 vibrations per a SECOND. Pretty impressive, huh?

Well, FIDO has 18 muscles that control its ears! Furthermore it can hear 50,000 Hz! That is incredibly sensitive. So anything beyond 20,000 the human ear taps out, but a dog can keep hearing 2 1/2 times in Hz than people.  In fact, that's not even all of it. Cats are even MORE sensitive than Dogs! A cat has 32 muscles in its ear and up to 64,000 Hz!

So, your best friend is not being a drama queen, they truly are hearing the sounds in a much more intense and frightening way than you can even imagine.

Here are FOUR tips to help your pet remain calm and safe this July 4th!

1. Stay at Home: As much as you want to leave the house and enjoy the celebration, being by your pets' side may help provide them with a sense of security.
2. Call the Doctor: Contact your veterinarian beforehand. Let your vet know if you believe your pet may exhibit some signs of being frightened or anxious at loud noises. There are Rx prescribed and holistic options available to help decrease anxiety allowing your best friend to relax.
3. Safeguard the premises: Watch for escape routes. Sometimes the stress of the situation can cause a pet to flee. Ensuring that your house is safeguarded will help keep your baby inside and not out roaming the streets. Animal shelters report an increase in lost pets during the July 4th holiday. Put a collar and pet tag on your pet so that in unfortunate case that your pet escapes, at least your contact information will be available. Hopefully you've had your baby microchipped, but if not, now might be a great time to get that off the “to do” list!
4. Create a distraction: Turn on a radio or TV to create some background noise. Having the TV or radio on may help to disguise the deafening sounds so that it's less frightening for your pet.

Your pets are like your children. You want to ensure their safety and comfort. By taking a few minutes to review the tips above, you can help your beloved fur baby remain calm and endure the July 4th celebration without causing too much stress on them!