Fireworks & Animals is Bad

[soapy]

My cat ran off for two days, scared by fireworks last Sat. night.  My life was miserable.  My wife cried over and over..  The cat finally  came home this morning,  thank you Lord.  

 I doubt she will be outside for the fireworks season.  Even tho she is a outside cat, she is scared of her shadow, and thunder.   She will kill the Sh*t out of these rabbits that lay around the yard like their someones houseguest tho.   Taste just like chicken.

Keep your pets close.

 

Have a safe and happy holiday.

 

Peace

Edited July 1, 2014 by soapy

[TrickyNicky]

Lots of fireworks here too last Saturday. No pets so no problems, but I wonder if everyone was just dusting off last years fireworks leftovers or what? Seemed to be coming from two locations.

[Ugly]

My beagle climbs out of his skin, poor little guy. Didn't like when me an the ex used to argue either.
Happy Independence Day folks!

[Troutburger]

Yeah, I've grown to despise fireworks, since becoming a father and a dog owner.  

[tnhawk]

Glad your got back home.  Many animals get lost or hit by automobiles when they panic from the noise.  I live in an are where fireworks are illegal, but most ot those using them don't care if it bothers me, my animals or starts fires on other peoples's property.  it's part of the price of living near Haiti - North.

[peejman]

The kids like fireworks except for the really loud ones.  Ear muffs seem to help with that.  Our dog won't wear ear muffs  :lol:  and gets so worked up she destroys things.  Like door frames, curtains, and porch screens.  It's made me grow to dislike fireworks related holidays because we can't go anywhere.  :-\

[kieefer]

Our dog goes bonkers during fireworks and thunderstorms, the cats ignore them. We give the dog a natural supplement that's suppose to relax her but I don't think it helps much. Looking now into a "real" sedative at the Vet.

 

The other evening we left her outside on a lead and she tore out the cat door on the garage. 

[peejman]

Our dog goes bonkers during fireworks and thunderstorms, the cats ignore them. We give the dog a natural supplement that's suppose to relax her but I don't think it helps much. Looking now into a "real" sedative at the Vet.

 

The other evening we left her outside on a lead and she tore out the cat door on the garage. 

 

 

We've given our dog Valium (vet Rx) in the past to help settle her after she's had a seizure (canine epilepsy).   It worked, she conked right out. 

[BigK]

I got one that's so scared of fireworks that you can't get her to go out to potty after dark for days after she hears them. Poor lil gal.

[bersaguy]

When Kasey was younger like up until age 7 she was not afraid of anything. It could come thunder and lightening and rain like hell and I would try and get her to come inside and she refused. She would lay in her dog house right beside the front door all night. I don't know what caused the change in her unless it's just age but now a bottle rocket can go off 2 blocks away and she is knocking the storm door down wanting in. It can be sun shining out side and a thunderstorm can be moving in our direction and be as far away as 10 miles and she will begin barking and it took me a coupe months to figure out she was barking at the Thunder she could hear off in the distance that I could not hear. With in about 15 minutes she is wanting in and sure enough 15 to 20 minutes later a thunderstorm will hit with Lightening and thunder and from that point on where ever I am in the house so is she. Like she is tied to me. I have also got to where I hate fireworks but only because they scare so many animals. They said on the news this morning that more dogs run away of the 4th of July weekend than at any other time of the year. I guess we all know why now huh?

[Hozzie]

Mine is 90% deaf from old age and being around too many gun shots. The only thing that wakes him anymore is the vibrations from loud noises. Even at that it's a simple look around and then back to sleep.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited July 2, 2014 by Hozzie

[Ugly]

My little guy is losing his hearing too, he's 15 now and his bark/howl makes my ears ring. I don't like the fireworks because they bother him but I do love fireworks. They remind me of America and how she was founded. I get chills at a good show. Watched them one year in DC, on the roof at 1700 PA ave, the reverb of percussion through the city was intense! Most incredible show ever. Of course that was before the imposter was there. The good old days! Edited July 1, 2014 by Ugly

[Dolomite_supafly]

They make thunder shirts that are supposed to really help with dogs. They also make them for cats.

[Ugly]

They make thunder shirts that are supposed to really help with dogs. They also make them for cats.

I've tried the thunder shirts, it didn't work for my guy. It's a great idea though.

[Dane]

Covered Crate plus radio = calmer dogs Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Wyldk2]

My cat will be indoors during the bombardment of July fourth. And for the whole weekend, since even though i live in the city limits, some people still won't follow the rules.

[Motasyco]

They make thunder shirts that are supposed to really help with dogs. They also make them for cats.

I bought Thundershirts for two of my dogs.  They definitely help calm them during a thunderstorm.  I haven't tried them with fireworks.   

[peejman]

Covered Crate plus radio = calmer dogs Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

 

Heh... not my dog.  She destroyed two "indestructible" crates. 

[gjohnsoniv]

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[kieefer]

[URL=http://s779.photobucket.com/user/richarddacat/media/CATS/101225_181953_zpsc9643341.jpg.html][/URL]

 

I got me some dope and I'm feeling good!  :rofl:

 

Acepromazine 25mg was prescribed and it looks like it's going to mellow her out just fine, we'll see on the 4th. 8 tablets were $6.50

 

The Thunder Shirt works good on my parents dog.

[dawgdoc]

Just a word on acepromazine.  It is a sedative but not anti-anxiety.  It sedates the dog so that the behavior that annoys the owner does not occur, but does not affect the actual anxiety.  So basically you get a sedate, anxious dog.  I prefer to use alprazolam (Xanax), but will combine it with acepromazine if needed.  I also use the Thundershirt.

 

The best treatment is desensitization to thunder in the non-storm season, but that takes a lot of work that almost no one wants to do.

[kieefer]

[quote name="dawgdoc" post="1164772" timestamp="1404342472"]Just a word on acepromazine. It is a sedative but not anti-anxiety. It sedates the dog so that the behavior that annoys the owner does not occur, but does not affect the actual anxiety. So basically you get a sedate, anxious dog. I prefer to use alprazolam (Xanax), but will combine it with acepromazine if needed. I also use the Thundershirt. The best treatment is desensitization to thunder in the non-storm season, but that takes a lot of work that almost no one wants to do.[/quote] From what I noticed is that she wasn't anxious but more calm. Still alert to show some nervousness, scratching at the door, but not wild-eyed and panting profusely. I told her to stop the scratching, sat with her a bit and she was fine. Maybe a little more time and she would have been knock out? Please give some examples of desensitization training.

[dawgdoc]

For desensitization, you play a CD with storm sounds.  You start at a very low volume and gradually over several sessions increase the volume.  You give positive reinforcement, such as treats, to reward calm behavior.  You do this for multiple sessions.  If signs of anxiety develop, you go back down to the previous volume and slowly increase again.

 

You can give a drug called chlomipramine which basically makes dogs more amendable to desensitization therapy.  You have to do this at a time of the year when there are much less storms because a sudden pop-up storm can ruin the training.

 

It's long and ponderous, and many people don't have the patience.  I have a dog with thunder phobia, and I have never tried this method.  Also, the storm CD cannot replicate the other aspects of the storm, such as the drop in barometric pressure, the humidity, etc. that signal to a dog that a storm is coming.  I explain the process to my clients; no one has undertaken it yet.

[peejman]

Sounds a lot like the doorbell training we went through with our dog.  It did eventually reduce the reaction to just barking instead of utter mayhem.  While not necessarily the end result we had in mind, we considered it a moral victory. 

[gjohnsoniv]