Top tips to keep your pets safe this spooky season
With Halloween, Diwali and Bonfire night fast approaching, constant door knocking by trick o'treaters and loud fireworks going off can be stressful for our four-legged friends. Pet expert Chloe Fuller has her top tips to keep your pets calm and happy.
Why do fireworks cause our pets distress?Our pets have much more sensitive hearing than us, so fireworks are much louder to them. Flashing lights can be disorienting to them and their sense of smell is much stronger than ours. The heavy scent of gunpowder and smoke can be terrifying for pets, as biologically they’re designed to avoid the scent of fire. When fireworks go off, suddenly their world smells, sounds and looks entirely different.
What's the best time to walk dogs this season?Walk dogs before 3pm to ensure that they won’t be spooked by fireworks. If you need to take your dog outside after 3pm, make sure to keep them on lead to prevent them running off if a firework scares them. Ensure that garden gates and fences are intact to prevent them from escaping. If your dog is severely phobic, they may have accidents in the house. Buy puppy pads beforehand to make accidents easier to clean up.
Should cats be kept inside?Consider keeping cats inside and locking their cat flap when fireworks are going off. Buy a litter tray so that they have a place to go to the toilet inside.
Hiding spots and safe dens for pets:For dogs: Build them a den. If they have a crate that they love, cover it with towels and blankets. If they’re not a fan of crates, then use a table with blankets and duvets over it. Dogs find comfort in dens, so fill it with long lasting chews and treats to keep them busy and content.
For cats: Focus on height. Cats feel safer when they’re up high, so create a dark cosy enclosed space on top of fridges, wardrobes, cupboards, etc. Make sure their litter tray, food and water are kept away from windows and doors to ensure they feel safe enough to access them.
How to keep comfort your pets and keep them calmReassuring and comforting pets often makes them feel a lot better. Make sure to keep calm yourself. Pets can detect stress not only in our body language, but also in our scent from pheromones in our sweat.
The best anxiety reducing supplementsIf your pet has a genuine phobia where they are unable to calm down, speak to your vet as there are a number of prescription drugs that can be given to help them cope.
For dogs: There are sprays that mimic pheromones, calming supplements and long lasting chews such as bulls pizzles or paddywhacks. Chewing releases serotonin and dopamine in dogs. Chamomile tea can also help to calm them.
For cats: Look for pheromone sprays. These mimic the scent of a mother cat and make cats feel safe. Valerian drops can also help calm them down.
Can calming music help reduce stress?Research shows classical music significantly reduces your pets stress levels. Classic FM’s Pet Classics and Batterseas Calming Music Playlist are available on most streaming platforms.
Protecting rabbits and guinea pigsMove hutches indoors or cover them over. If you can, bring your pet inside into a garage or a cold room. Avoid a warm room as this can cause them to start shedding their winter coat due to the rapid temperature change.
Bringing them inside keeps them safe not only from the noise, but also from sparks too. They’re in a wooden home with hay which is incredibly flammable. If you can’t bring them inside, make sure you cover their hutch with a blanket and tarp to dull the sound, reduce flashing and protect from sparks.Pack your pets hutch with lots of hay and straw. Putting a cardboard box full of straw inside their hutch, really enabling them to burrow down and nest, much like they would do in the wild. This will muffle sound, keep them warm, relax them and give them a source of food too.
It's important to look out for signs of stress in small petsBeing prey animals, small pets are much more susceptible to stress related health issues. Signs of stress can include thumping of the back feet, over grooming, hiding, grunting, chewing and even aggression.
These animals can startle easily, so try to keep handling to a minimum and let them seek comfort from each other. In rabbits particularly, if you notice they’ve stopped eating, they must be taken to a vet immediately.