Andrea Rosebrock 
Well, it’s that time of the year again and the Fourth of July is almost upon us. No doubt there will be many celebrations this weekend so I wanted to take the time to pass along some great health and safety tips for your dog from the ASPCA.
Fourth of July Safety Tips
For many people, nothing beats lounging in the backyard on the Fourth of July with good friends and family,including the four-legged members of the household. While it may seem like a great idea to reward Rover with scraps from the grill and bring him along to watch fireworks, in reality some festive foods and products can be potentially hazardous to your pets. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center offers the following tips:
- Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where pets can reach them. Alcoholic beverages have the potential to poison pets. If ingested, the animal could become very intoxicated and weak, severely depressed or could go into a coma. Death from respiratory failure is also a possibility in severe cases.
- Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your pet that is not labeled specifically for use on animals. Ingestion of sunscreen products can result in drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy. The misuse of insect repellent that contains DEET can lead to neurological problems.
- Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of your pets’ reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing, or even kidney disease in severe cases. Lighter fluid can be irritating to skin, and if ingested can produce gastrointestinal irritation and central nervous system depression. If lighter fluid is inhaled, aspiration pneumonia and breathing problems could develop.
- Keep your pets on their normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can give your pets severe indigestion and diarrhea. This is particularly true for older animals who have more delicate digestive systems and nutritional requirements. And keep in mind that foods such as onions, chocolate, coffee, avocado, grapes & raisins, salt and yeast dough can all be potentially toxic to companion animals.
- Do not put glow jewelry on your pets, or allow them to play with it. While the luminescent substance contained in these products is not highly toxic, excessive drooling and gastrointestinal irritation could still result from ingestions, and intestinal blockage could occur from swallowing large pieces of the plastic containers.
- Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingestions can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression. If inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia in pets.
- Never use fireworks around pets! While exposure to lit fireworks can potentially result in severe burns and/or trauma to the face and paws of curious pets, even unused fireworks can pose a danger. Many types contain potentially toxic substances, including potassium nitrate, arsenic and other heavy metals.
- Loud, crowded fireworks displays are no fun for pets, so please resist the urge to take them to Independence Day festivities. Instead, keep your little guys safe from the noise in a quiet, sheltered and escape-proof area at home.
Also for those of you whose pooches are afraid of the fireworks and loud noises, you need to take a few extra precautions, please take a moment to read, Dogs & Fireworks – Some Professional Advise, and above all, have a wonderful holiday and keep you and your furbabies safe and healthy!
Thank you D. All good advise!
My mother’s dog is absolutely terrified of fireworks. It’s so bad I think someone must have thrown fireworks at him when he was a puppy (he was 18 months old when we got him as a rescue). We deal with it by closing all the windows, putting on the air conditioning, and turning the sound up on the TV. He would still anxious but at least he would not be freaking out and trying to squeeze his 70-lb frame under my bed.
My Bruti of also afraid of the fireworks and either hides in the cubby under my desk if I’m in my office or on my lap… LOL I give him a mild sedative to help him out and it make a big difference. Funny, he’s not bothered in the least by thunderstorms and neither both Jezz. We do the windows, AC and music or TV too. Ah, the lengths we go to for our babies!
D.
You might be surprised at how many dogs are as terrified by fireworks as they are thunderstorms. I ask each of you who has or knows of a dog in such circumstances, to visit your vet and get appropriate medication to treat these anxieties. I do not believe in medicating animals for every little thing, but this type of anxiety kills. Respiratory distress like asthma, heart failure or heart attack, injuring themselves trying to escape the source.. the list goes on. If it is a mild anxiety, 25 mg of Benadryl will help a lot — (usually dosed at 25 mg per 30 lbs od dog) but severe anxiety may require Xanax (which is the preferred med) or Valium. Don’t let your dog be scared.. to death.