4th of July and Your Dog

posted: Fri Jul 01 16:01:04 EDT 2016 by: Dr. Jarden Tags: "Clinic Specials" "News" 

The 4th of July is a great time for family and friends. But unfortunately some of our dog friends get very anxious with the fireworks and storms this time of year. There are many things we can do to help calm the dogs that have a noise/storm phobia. Call us if you think your dog needs help.

We recommend NOT taking your dog to large public places that are crowded and noisy, and NOT taking your dog to parades and fireworks displays.  These outings often contain large crowds and lots of noise that can frighten or overwhelm dogs.  Plus, this time of year is often very hot, too hot for dogs to stay outside for long.

Do your dog(s) a favor and leave them at home in the air conditioning.  If fireworks will be going off in the neighborhood or nearby, close windows and turn on the television or radio to help drown out the large booms.  Give your dog something else to concentrate on, such as a Kong toy with peanut butter or kong stuffing.

This time of year dog shelters have the highest level of intake compared to any other time of year. Part of this is due to dogs being so anxious that they try to run away from the storms/fireworks. We hope no one’s dog goes missing, but here are some tips if your dog does go missing this 4th of July (we also printed this in the Fall newsletter):

  1. Report your lost dog to:
    1. Franklin County Dog Shelter (614) 525-3400
    2. Capital Area Humane Society (614) 777-7387
    3. Suburban Animal Clinic (614) 276-5479

     Visit or call the shelters daily if possible. If you have to visit the shelters try to take someone with you who knows your dog well.  Sometimes it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the dogs they have housed there and some people have walked right past their dog without knowing!

  1. Walk/drive your neighborhood, check with neighbors
  2. Make a poster with the most recent photo, include:
    1. Name of pet, male/female
    2. Where they were last seen
    3. Description and distinguishing marks
    4. Size/weight
    5. Do they wear a collar or any other item such as a bandana?
    6. Microchip (do not give out the number)
  3. Report loss to the microchip company and ensure your information is up to date. If you do not know the company/number of your animal’s chip we should have it in our records.
  4. Go to www.petfbi.com You can upload a photo and place an online missing poster.
  5. You can also visit www.craigslist.com to look for found pets or report missing pets
  6. Don’t give up! Get the word out.