This is a noisy and generally HOT day and there can be all sorts of hazards for our pets. Here’s a short list of things to watch for with your own pets and those in your neighborhood.
1: Protect your pets from the frightening sounds of fireworks.
- Secure your pet inside the house or fenced yard or crate where they feel safe and from where they cannot break free.
- Play music to help drown out the sounds of fireworks.
- Use a Thundershirt to help calm them. thundershirt.com
- Talk to your vet about using a pheromone spray or tranquilizer for seriously excitable pets.
- Best of all, stay with your cat or dog or take them to a place where it will be quiet.
As an aside: Lily is scared of the trash truck, having workers in the house, and thunder, but 
the fireworks booming in the near distance from our local high school and the pop and crack of neighborhood fireworks don’t bother her at all—at least while I’m nearby.
2: Keep your pets safe in the heat.
- If you take your cat or dog with you someplace, do NOT leave them in the car unattended. If you’re reading this blog, you already know the dangers. But maybe you need to remind some of your younger family members or neighbors.
- If you take your dog (or even cat) on a leash to the parade or other daytime activities today, check the temperature of the pavement. I can’t tell you how many dogs I see at the end of a leash walking with their masters on the blacktopped streets when temps are soaring into or near the triple digits. If you must walk your dog, stay on grass—even dirt. Invest in some doggy booties. If your cat likes to go out with you on such occasions, carry her. Provide a cat backpack where she can ride. If it’s hot out, she probably should be left at home with the air conditioner turned on.
Have a happy and safe Independence day.
