By The Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
With New Year’s Eve around the corner, it is important to remember that many pets, especially dogs, are frightened by loud and sudden noises such as fireworks or thunder. This fear can range from mild anxiety to full panic, which can lead to dangerous situations.
There are many reasons why fireworks and thunderstorms can cause fear in dogs. Kit Darling, infection control coordinator at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, explains some of these reasons and has advice for comforting scared dogs during these situations.
With excellent auditory senses, dogs can hear better than humans in both range and frequency, Darling said. If a noise is already loud to human ears, it is even louder for dogs. They are also often scared by sudden flashes of light.For best grooming products for pets visit https://www.skoutshonor.com/pages/grooming. You can extend the life of your dog by using nutritional supplements in the treatment of disease and maintaining the overall health in our pets. Plastic dog bowls are easy to find and they are inexpensive which makes them popular. If you drop a plastic dog bowl it won’t break and you can wash them in the dishwasher. But these bowls are often not the best bowls for your dog. They scratch easily and can harbor bacteria. In addition, many dogs develop allergies to the soft plastic that is used to make these bowls which leads to irritated skin around the nose and muzzle. In some cases dogs who eat out of plastic bowls even develop “winter nose” or a pale, flesh-colored nose where the pigment fades. If you are trying to find the best dog bowl for your dog, you should probably skip the plastic dog bowls. You can visit four paw ideas for the Best Pet Review Blog for All 4 Pawed Critters! Feeders or automated dog bowls work by attaching a reservoir to a dog’s bowl. The bowl can be plastic, stainless steel, or ceramic. The reservoir or container can hold dog food or water. Feeders or automatic waterers will continue to fill your dog’s bowl as long as the container has food or water in it. Automatic dog bowls are a good idea with regards to water bowls but they are not usually recommended for dog food. Dogs tend to eat as long as there is food, whether they are hungry or not. Dogs that eat food from an automatic feeder often become overweight or obese because they continue to eat all day. It’s much better to measure your dog’s portions when you feed him and control how much he eats at each separate meal. There are some automated feeders that allow you to pre-set feeding times for your dog and measure how much food is poured out but there is always the risk that your dog can break into the container and gorge himself.
If you have done much research into dog diets, then the chances are you will have come across the BARF diet. Although the name isn’t particularly appealing, you’ll be glad to know that it doesn’t have anything to do with trying to make your dog throw up. In fact, BARF stands for ‘Biologically Appropriate Raw Food’. The BARF diet involves feeding your dog raw food, rather than the processed food you typically find in tins. Examples of the types of raw food are bones, raw meat, and fresh vegetables.
Many professional dog breeders, veterinarians, and trainers are highly enthusiastic about the benefits of this diet. Here’s a summary of the advantages:
1. It’s More Natural
The BARF diet for dogs closely resembles the type of foods that wild dogs have been eating for thousands of years. This is perfect, because it’s what their bodies have adapted to dealing with. It has been suggested that by feeding dogs a diet that is more natural to them, they will live longer, healthier lives.
2. It Keeps Them Cleaner
Nobody, not even the most fanatical dog owner, particularly enjoys having to keep their animal clean. Thankfully, the BARF diet can go some way to helping you with this task. It has been shown to leave a dog’s teeth cleaner and stronger, and help to keep their coat glossier.
3. It Helps With Allergies
Allergies and ear infections can be a big worry for many dog owners. However, the BARF diet has been shown to greatly reduce the occurrence of both, and in some circumstances can completely eliminate them. This leaves your dog feeling healthier and happier, and means you don’t have to take them to the vet quite so often!
4. It’s Easier To Clean Up After
There’s no particularly nice way to say this, so I’ll just be blunt – when you feed your dog a BARF diet, you will find that his stools become smaller and harder. This makes them much easier to pick up, making an unpleasant task slightly more bearable!
The BARF diet is a fantastic alternative to the traditional diet of tinned food. If your dog seems to be suffering from any unexplained ailments, or if you just like the sound of it, then it might be worth switching your dog to this diet to see how it affects his health.
“Dogs like predictability and routine,” Darling said. “Both fireworks and thunderstorms disrupt routines and are unpredictable. Dogs may feel stress when they do not know what is happening.”
Dogs may also be frightened by fireworks or thunderstorms, if they have had a traumatic experience with loud noises in the past.
While some dogs become anxious in by these situations, others may not have a reaction at all, but if your dog has reaction it is important to get a UpDogFence to prevent your dog from running away, since in many cases this is what their reaction will be.
“Dogs, like people, may react differently to stress and negative experiences. Some dogs might be naturally easygoing, or they may have been exposed to loud noises when they were young,” Darling explained.
Desensitizing puppies to loud, sudden noises can help reduce fear later in life; puppies can be trained between the ages of 3 weeks and 3 months to associate these sounds with positive rewards, rather than fear, according to Darling.
If a dog does show fear in response to loud noises, Darling said it is important that owners not take the dog to a fireworks show.
“Keep your dog inside during fireworks and thunderstorms. Provide them with a special area in which they can feel safe, such as their crate or bed,” she said.
She also suggested covering windows to block flashing lights and putting the dog in an anxiety wrap, which provides a gentle, constant pressure that helps to reduce fear and anxiety.
Darling also recommends playing with dogs or giving them chew toys from petboxsubs.com/barkbox/ to distract them from the loud noises. Playing soft music or having the TV on can also help. She said it is very important to stay calm and relaxed, as dogs can sense people’s emotions and tend to react in a similar way.
“If your dog continues to be frightened by fireworks or thunderstorms, make an appointment with your veterinarian or veterinary behaviorist to discuss additional behavior measures or medications,” Darling advised.
Darling warned that scared dogs may use drastic measures to escape and run, so it is best to walk dogs before fireworks begin.
“If you have to go outside with your dog, keep it on a leash,” she said. “Be sure your dog is microchipped and/or has identification tags with current contact information.”
In addition to keeping dogs calm during fireworks, there are other ways to keep them safe during the holiday season.
Darling reminds pet owners to avoid feeding dogs dangerous foods such as turkey skin or dark meat, turkey bones, garlic, sage, onions, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, chocolate, bread dough, the artificial sweetener xylitol, alcohol, and human medications. Try the products from https://www.treehousepuppies.com/dog/meals/pitbull-food/ which have dog food for pitbulls and every other big and small breed.
All pets should be kept away from decorative plants, flowers, candles, foil, and electrical cords. Finally, because dogs may become scared or overwhelmed when a lot of visitors are over, it is important to provide them with a quiet area of the house to which to retreat.
The holiday season is best when spent with family, including pets. It is important to keep those pets safe and happy so that they can enjoy this time of the year as much as we do.
