OLMSTED COUNTY, Minn. – As the Fourth of July approaches, Stewartville Animal Clinic and Camp Companion in Rochester emphasize the importance of safeguarding pets during the festivities. Both organizations offer crucial advice for pet owners to ensure their animals remain safe and secure amid the holiday’s noise and excitement.
Stewartville Animal Clinic advises consulting with a trusted veterinarian before purchasing any expensive medications or devices to address a pet’s firework-related anxiety.
Michele Quandt, executive director of Camp Companion, echoes this advice, emphasizing the individualized nature of each pet’s needs.
“It’s a dog-by-dog situation, and you need to do what’s best for your dogs,” says Quandt.
Quandt highlights several options for keeping dogs and cats calm during fireworks, including thunder shirts, playing music or using fans to drown out noise, and administering anxiety medication or sedatives for severe cases of noise sensitivity.
Both Quandt and the clinic stress that the most crucial measure pet owners can take is to keep their animals indoors after dark and ensure they are on a leash with proper identification if taken outside at night.
“I always recommend that you have an ID on your dog at all times. It’s the day of the year when the most animals are reported missing. So, make sure your dog has a way to get home,” Quandt advises.
According to Quandt, many pets flee from the loud noises of fireworks, leading to numerous reports of missing animals every year on July 5th.
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