Top tips: How to help your pets cope with fireworks

With Diwali and Guy Fawkes Day being celebrated on 4 and 5 November, respectively, it is advised that citizens set off firework displays in accordance with each city and town’s by-laws. It is therefore also a good time to consider how best to help your pets remain as calm and happy as possible.

Looking after your pets during fireworks displays

A spokesperson for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA Belinda Abraham said that it has become increasingly evident that reckless individuals are using both ‘events’ to utilise fireworks in a, particularly anti-social manner. This includes ignoring any restrictions and causing damage to property, as well as terrifying communities and animals.

That’s why anyone with an animal is requested to be responsible, and to ensure the animal’s safety and comfort.

“The hearing of animals is far more acute and sensitive than the hearing of a human. If a dog can hear a grasshopper eat, imagine what a firework sounds like,” she said, according to IOL.

Jacqueline Boyd, a senior lecturer in Animal Science at Nottingham Trent University in Nottingham, England, therefore said that there are a few things to consider in order to help keep your pets safe.

Vocal communication and physical touch

During a firework display, Boyd says it is best to be kind, supportive and reassuring through vocal communication and physical touch.

“Animals will often show fight, flight or freeze responses when fearful. We can help our pets cope by providing safety and security when they are afraid,” she writes for The Conversation.

Boyd also says that for outdoor pets such as rabbits, consider bringing them indoors or finding other ways to limit their firework exposure.

Treats, toys and food

Providing food, treats or toys can be a great way to distract your worried pet. You might even build positive associations with fireworks by doing this. Training or other fun activities can also be useful.

Keep your pets indoors after dark

A lot of animals escape during firework displays. That’s why a metro police spokesperson told IOL that pet owners must ensure their animals are fitted with collars that have an identification tag with a home address and telephone number.

Also ensure that your pet’s microchip details are up to date so that if they should escape, they have a much better chance of being returned to their home.

It is said that cats should always be kept indoors, so call them in well before dusk – and lock their cat flap if they have one so they cannot sneak out.

Marketing manager at TEARS Animal Rescue Wendy Scheepers also reiterated, saying it is best to keep your animals indoors.

Train your pet to get used to loud noises

Exposing young animals to a range of sights and sounds is a simple way to minimise potential noise-reactivity problems. The use of CDs or podcasts with frightening noises, paired with food, treats or other fun things can be a useful and effective longer-term approach to managing firework-fear through gradual counter-conditioning and desensitisation.

This can also work for older animals as part of a managed training and support plan, often with the help of a suitably qualified behaviourist.

If you are unsure of what to do, Boyd suggests speaking to a veterinarian for advice.