Guest guest Posted July 2, 2003 Report Share Posted July 2, 2003 A bit off topic, but rather relevant! *Smile* Chris (list mom) http://www.alittleolfactory.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2003/07/02/family_leisure/home_garden/garde\ n03.prt Protect pets at the Fourth of July One of an animal shelter's busiest times is around the Fourth of July. Not only is kitten season in full swing - with dozens of cats and kittens being brought in on a regular basis - but the noise from seasonal fireworks means a lot of normally well-behaved pets freak out and escape from their yards to wander the streets. If your pet is lucky, it will find its way home quickly, be picked up by animal control or taken to the shelter by a concerned citizen. Unlucky pets wind up wandering or injured. Don't take the chance. This year, when the fireworks start in earnest, follow a few common sense rules to make sure your pets stay close to home. € Keep all your pets indoors. The loud bangs and pops of fireworks on a continual basis can be enough to make otherwise calm dogs seem possessed. They can break leads and jump fences with a particular ferocity in their attempt to get away from the sounds that are bothering them. Indoors, the sound is more muffled, and the pet less likely to escape. € Supervise your pets when possible or keep them in confined areas. The same stress that makes a dog leap a fence can cause it to chew your favorite shoes, shred the sofa or inappropriately urinate or defecate. There's nothing wrong with crating a dog or setting up a safe room for it to hang out in when you're gone. Stock the safe room with plenty of fresh water, toys and a comfortable blanket or two. Lavender aromatherapy can be calming for pets, as can soft classical music. Make sure that if you leave a radio on for your pet that the music will stay soft and calming - some stations will switch to more upbeat patriotic music in the spirit of the holiday. If you're playing a CD, find one that has soothing ocean waves or other natural sounds, calming waltzes or Mozart. Once you've set up a safe place, don't go overboard. Fawning over your pet or providing extra treats may make a smart animal exploit the situation for attention. Stick to the routine for feeding and treats as much as possible. € Talk to your vet about sedating your pet. Veterinarians are less likely than in the past to automatically prescribe drugs for animals on the Fourth of July, but for severely stressed animals it may be a blessing. Make an appointment for an exam to find out if your pet might be a good candidate for sedation. € Use flower essences. For those pet owners who don't want to or cannot sedate their pets, try Bach Rescue Remedy flower essences to counteract stress. It is a liquid that comes in a small bottle, available at local nutrition stores, and can be added to food or water or placed directly on the tongue as frequently as needed for stress. Bach's Mimulus for known fears and Rock Rose for panic may also help. Flower essences do contain small amounts of alcohol as a preservative, but you can add the flower essences to water and boil if you need to remove that. Read " Bach Flower Remedies for Animals " by Stefan Ball and Judy Howard for more information on the use of these essences. € Limit your own family's fireworks. It can be tough to tell the kids they can't light off fireworks this year. But besides scaring the pets, fireworks lead to hundreds of injuries each year and, frankly, waste a lot of money. Talk to your kids about taking the money you would save on buying fireworks and donating it to a local animal rescue. Heartland Humane Society in Corvallis and SafeHaven Humane Society in Albany both have wish lists - you can all go shopping for cat toys and food instead of whistling petes and ground bloom flowers. Or, compromise and light off the fireworks on one night only. € Plan for the worst. Accidents do happen and pets do get loose. Make sure your pet has proper identification. Microchips are always good, but just for this week put the collar and tags on both your dogs and cats. It will help get them back home quickly. Check to be sure that all the tags and the microchip records have your accurate and up-to-date information. Identification for your pet is no good if the phone number is from the house you lived in five years ago. Jennifer Gardner is a freelance writer and editor and a board member at Heartland Humane Society in Corvallis. She enjoys writing about all animals but specializes in rabbits and other small pets. Send Jennifer questions for a future column via e-mail at jennifer or write c/o The Gazette-Times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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