Keep Pets Safe During 4th of July Festivities

News Report

While fireworks may be fun for Fourth of July celebrants, they can be a nightmare for pets. The loud noises and unpredictable flashes from fireworks can frighten even the most docile pets.

Hillsborough County Animal Services offers the following safety tips: 

• Keep county tags and ID securely fastened on pets at all times.
• Bring all pets indoors by late afternoon and ensure they remain inside until well after the fireworks have stopped. Try to keep them in the quietest room in your home. Try playing a game during this time to distract them or place them in a secure area like a kennel where they can feel safe. Placing a blanket over the kennel can decrease their anxiety. If you know your pet experiences anxiety in thunderstorms and while fireworks are going off, contact your veterinarian to see about potential medicated solutions.
• If your pet becomes frightened and runs away, search and reclaim lost pets immediately at Hillsborough County Animal Services (view kennels online at www.hillsboroughcounty.org/animalservices).
• Never use fireworks around pets. While exposure to lit fireworks can potentially result in severe burns and/or trauma to the face and paws of curious pets, even unused fireworks can pose a danger. Many types contain potentially toxic substances, including potassium nitrate, arsenic and other heavy metals.
• Do not put glow jewelry on your pets, or allow them to play with it. While the luminescent substance contained in these products is not highly toxic, excessive drooling and gastrointestinal irritation could still result from ingestions, and intestinal blockage could occur from swallowing large pieces of the plastic containers.
• If your pets join you for a Fourth of July picnic, do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your pet that is not labeled specifically for use on animals. Ingestion of sunscreen products can result in drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy. The misuse of insect repellent that contains DEET can lead to neurological problems.
• Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of your pets’ reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing—or even kidney disease in severe cases. Lighter fluid can be irritating to skin, and if ingested can produce gastrointestinal irritation and central nervous system depression. If lighter fluid is inhaled, aspiration pneumonia and breathing problems could develop.
• Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where pets can reach them. Alcoholic beverages have the potential to poison pets. If ingested, the animal could become very intoxicated and weak, severely depressed or could go into a coma. Death from respiratory failure is also a possibility in severe cases.
• Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingestions can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression. If inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia in pets.
• If your pet joins you for outdoor activities, be sure to keep a bowl of water nearby and provide shade for the pet. You might even want to invest in a kiddy pool for your canine friend to cool off in.
• If your pet does become overheated, spray the animal down with room temperature or cool water, but never ice water. Ice cold water causes a decrease in blood flow to the skin and heat can’t escape the body, which makes heat exhaustion symptoms worse.