SACRAMENTO, California — The Fourth of July can be a stressful time for pets. The sounds of popping and explosions can send our four-legged friends running in fear.
It's no wonder why July 5 is considered the busiest time of the year of animal shelters all over the country. There are five things you can do to prepare your pets for the fireworks on Independence Day.
ABC10 spoke with Dawn Foster with the Sacramento SPCA on how you can get prepared.
1. Get or update your microchip.
"The first thing is to microchip your pet. That's always the easiest way in any situation to try to reunite you with your pet if they were to get lost for some reason," Foster said. "Make sure the registration for the microchip is up to date. We often move, relocate, go to a different city within that same city and new residents and we forget to update that information."
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2. Watch your pets.
"He might stay away from the active fireworks, but maybe he finds a pack of fireworks somewhere in the house before they're being used. There's toxins in those fireworks," Foster said.
3. Give them a good workout before fireworks start at night.
"Get them tired out so they're not as interested in what's going on and then trying to control that environment so they're not getting scared," Foster said.
4. Get them an anxiety jacket if necessary.
One is called Thundershirt and it creates a gentle pressure to calm them down.
5. Don't panic. Pets can sense it.
"They feed off of that energy and they feel that energy and you see that when you're not feeling well, right?" Foster said. "When you're feeling sad or sick, typically your dogs or your cats will gravitate towards you to give you some comfort. If they feel a lot of anxiety they're gonna do the same thing."
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