Pampered Dog Blog

That time of year is upon us again. It’s Bonfire Night. There are plenty of exciting displays to enjoy, but this time of year can be terrifying for pets. A lot of the pet owners amongst us can forget just how scary this time of year is for our animals. It’s easy to forget how preventing distress and fear fits into our pet health care responsibility. This is never more important than Bonfire Night.

It is perhaps understandable that owners feel that they should make an extra fuss of their pets whilst the fireworks are going on outside, as a means of trying to calm them down, pet health care experts would argue that this isn’t the best solution. For a frightened dog or cat, cuddles and other affection could make them more afraid. Giving a frightened animal more attention than usual can leave them with the impression that their fear is justified. Much better to maintain calm yourself by behaving normally so that your pets can see that there is no reason to be afraid.

As far as pet health care goes, stick with the normal advice for this time of year. Keep all animals indoors on Bonfire Night. This is for other people’s safety as well as their own. A frightened dog could run off or lash out and bite. Cats can easily be hit by fireworks or burnt by fires if they are left outside. Make sure horses are properly stabled because they are prone to becoming distressed. Also, don’t forget to bring rabbits and other smaller animals into the house, garage or shed too.

In the house, act calmly so that animals do not pick up on any reason to be scared. It’s a good idea to distract from the noise of the fireworks by playing gentle music or having the TV on.

Sometimes we are forced to think about our pet health care responsibilities. Bonfire Night is an obvious example.