Dr. Jonathan Austin, DVM of the Hutchinson Small Animal Clinic, says that if your dog is frightened of fireworks, “Be prepared like the Boy Scout motto says. This time of year can be hard on pets but there are things you can do to prepare.”
According to a 2019 study by the National Library of Medicine, 52% of dogs were considered to be significantly fearful of fireworks.
The American Veterinary Medical Association says that the average number of dogs per US household is 1.46.
The 2022 US Census indicates the number of households in Reno County is slightly over 25 thousand.
That calculates to possibly 18 to 19 thousand dogs in Reno County that have debilitating anxiety and fear of fireworks.
He says there are plenty of dogs who don’t like the sudden noise and don’t understand where it is coming from or why it is happening. And the anxiety and fear manifest as a change in behavior.
“Dogs will not want to go outside to urinate, some will stop eating, sometimes for days. Most will pant, drool, and try to hide. Some will try to escape. It’s important that if you normally let your pet out in the yard, have them on a leash instead.”
Dr. Austin says some things dog owners can try are:
If you have a basement, take the dog there to help muffle the noise and help the dog feel safer.
Take them to a quiet room and add ‘white noise’ with a radio, fan, etc.
Give your dog some veterinarian-prescribed medications like Acepromazine or Trazadone.
Do your best to prevent your dog from being stressed. When you take them out, take them on a leash to help them feel comforted.
If your dog won’t urinate outside because of the fireworks, try setting an alarm during the night to take them out after the fireworks are over.
You can also try talking to your neighbors. Perhaps compromises can be made about how long they shoot off fireworks or certain times of the day or to go to a friend’s house one evening to set fireworks so that your pet can have some relief. Communicate with your neighbors and be polite, most people are nice and will understand.
Call your dog’s veterinarian ahead of time and be prepared. Part of the vet’s job is to treat the animal, and the other part is to help a dog be a good citizen.
Austin said, “Acepromazine works really well. It sedates the dog. It is considered safe. It can be taken orally 2 to 3 times per day which works well in temporary situations like storms, moving homes with your pet or even flying with your pet.”
Austin says to talk to your vet about medications if your pet is severely involved. There are medications for long-term anxiety, but he’s a fan of 8 to 12-hour products.
“It is important to talk to your vet about your pet’s health conditions before using medications. Knowing your pet’s general health and heart conditions and having a relationship with your vet are important to make good recommendations. Prescriptions will be much more reliable because they are regulated.”
“I am not against Eastern medications or supplements like CBD (non-hallucinogenic Cannabidiol). But it’s not regulated,” Austin said.
“As CBD gains popularity, more people are trying it with their pets. A study on CBD dog treats showed that each treat varied widely in the same bag,” Austin said. “One treat had 10 units of CBD, another had none, and one had 100 units of CBD. There was no consistency like what we expect from FDA-approved products.”
Austin said, “You have to trust the manufacturer. CBD products are like the Wild Wild West. Give them to your pet at your own risk. Vets don’t prescribe CBD because of the inconsistency.”
Training Options
Ray Brooks from Brooks Kennels in Hutchinson trains hunting dogs. And it’s important that a hunting dog not be scared of loud noises like gunfire. Many dogs can be helped with their anxiety or phobia with counterconditioning or desensitization training.
Brooks says that the training starts with finding the noise threshold where the dog has no reaction and pairing the noise with something that positively distracts them like eating, playing, chasing a bird wing, ball, or toy, or even praise. Then slowly increase the volume or kinds of noises as long as the dog has no startle reaction.
‘The worst mistake you can make is to suddenly shoot a gun over a puppy while it is eating. That is such old thinking.”
Brooks said that it’s also important to help your dog build some resilience. Let them learn that it’s OK to be uncomfortable for a little bit and then learn they will be OK. Let them learn it’s OK to be alone. They don’t need constant attention. Help them understand both inside and outside environments. Let them experience some uncomfortably hot and cold temperatures.
“Many dog owners treat their dogs as if they are people,” said Brooks, “And that’s where behavior problems happen.”
Brooks said to not worry about their reactions or lavish attention. To soothe the dog by saying, “Oh, it’s ok, don’t worry,” and petting them, the dog doesn’t understand. What they do understand is they are getting attention for anxious behavior so their anxious behavior must be the right behavior. “Comforting a dog like you would comfort a human has the opposite effect,” said Brooks.
But fireworks and thunderstorms are random. Brooks said that a dog owner training a dog can create predictable environments with increasingly loud noises by starting with a cap gun or other items and always watching for that threshold of no reaction from the dog. “If the dog reacts fearfully, back off, and try again later,” said Brooks.
He is a big believer in using noisy tools to help dogs overcome noise phobia like lawnmowers, cordless power tools, banging pans, or dropping stuff.
“How they are socialized is a big deal,” said Brooks.
Brooks offers hourly private classes or monthly boarding training for hunting dogs. For non-sporting dogs, he recommends finding a trainer who understands counterconditioning and desensitization training.
