I will once again make my annual (and pointless) plea to my neighbors on Capitol Hill to maybe wait until later(I dunno...maybe 8pm? It's still light out!) in the evening before setting off your own fireworks, just so the dogs can get walked and fed in some peace before the inevitable terror begins.
I know...my dog, my problem. I accept this. But you could be slightly less of a dick. Really, you could.
Can't wait for the claims that Cienna is guilty of animal cruelty for not getting her dog a luxury hotel room with soundproof walls and windows every July 4th.
I am going to try Benadryl tonight. The 30th and 1st we attempted to sedate her with a combination of Thundershirt and Happy Traveler pills, last night we picked up 30 doggie Xanax from the vets and used those, and tonight will be an attempt with Benadryl. After the dipshits light the first M-80 of the evening, my shadow is a 65lb panicky greyhound until approximately 1am. Two Xanax last night didn't do shit for her when they were going off, so I'm hoping the Benadryl works tonight. The last Fourth was hell for everyone, I'm not holding out a lot of hope for this one.
Oh yeah. Benadryl is key. Two nights ago we had fireworks going off in our 'hood, gave dog a melt-on-your-tongue Benadryl and, although he was still afraid (stayed glued to my side), he rocked a bit, glassy-eyed, and didn't shake.
I dread this whole month - that's the fireworks open window here. I had a Samoyed that went through a double-paned window and an 8 foot chain link fence in response to an asshole lighting a series of illegal M-80s in our front yard on Mormon day (aka pioneer day). He was remorseless, even when confronted with a blood soaked dog as we tried to get her into the car to find an emergency vet. But that's Utards for you - guns and fireworks are more important than common sense and human decency. Even now when the whole state is burning, they refuse to ban target shooting and fireworks.
It'll be interesting to see what the fourth is like here this year. All but two fireworks shows have been cancelled, and I haven't heard a single firecracker, fountain, or anything else that screams or goes boom. Usually they get going good while the calendar is still flipped to June.
This makes me sad. A couple of Fourths of July ago, I was driving home up Roosevelt, late, and I saw a dog that had been hit and killed running across the road. Even if they're shaking and pooping and the whole nine yards, KEEP THEM INSIDE by any means necessary.
I have a new rescue dog (post New Year's), so I haven't been through a Fourth with her. So far she's been barking like crazy whenever she hears a firework go off, but she's not scared/trembly. We'll see how the actual Fourth goes.
We got our "gun shy" dog a thundershirt (http://www.thundershirt.com/) this year and haven't had a chance to test it on him yet. It keeps him pretty calm when he's wearing it, doesn't even want to play until we take it off and he takes off running around the house. I'm optimistic for him.
I just got a cat a couple of months ago. Should be fun to see how she reacts Wednesday night. Or maybe not so fun....need to clip her claws down before I forget.
Re: Benadryl to sedate pets, it's pretty darn safe for dogs and cats, but the dose is based on body weight—should be 1 mg per pound of body weight for those animals. My pink Benadryl (generic: diphenhydramine) mini-tabs are 25 mg each, so even half a tab would be too much for a Chihuahua or other small dog.
The other thing is, don't try to make do with some combo or liquid medicine you might have lying around. Ibuprofen and acetominophen (Tylenol) can be very dangerous, even deadly for dogs and cats; aspirin is very dangerous for cats. So don't give any Benadryl medication that also contains one of these. An old bottle of Benadryl syrup might also contain alcohol.
I'd advise against ever taking your ferret anywhere. Those fuckers squeeze out of any harness and also the worst sense of direction out of any pet I've ever known. They'd get lost in your yard.
I have basically the same reaction to drunks handling explosives as my cats do, plus a paralyzing fear of housefires. I'm terrified of loud noises. So the cats and I spend the 4th shut in the bedroom with the air cleaner and air conditioner on high, the windows closed, and my iPod playing.
Tomorrow's gonna be a bitch. They've been setting off massive quantities of explosives for the last week and a half, and tomorrow is a WORK NIGHT...I have to be in early on Thursday. But none of those assholes care about that, they just want to blow shit up and set things afire. If they'd all go somewhere other than a residential neighborhood to do it, I wouldn't give a shit.
we were camping in petrolia in the aughts, and the rednecks in the campsite next door set off a bunch of firecrackers. in a flash, my dog was a mile down the beach headed into the wilderness.
What a bunch of whiners! Fireworks at all hours are a small price to pay for the privilege of living in a Mudedeian Urban Utopia. Us saps in the suburbs have to put up with peace, quiet, the wind gently blowing through the wooded backyard....
In all seriousness, this might be a good night to pack your dog and go camp somewhere far from the city. Have fun!
I agree with everything except when it comes to the miniature show pony... Personally I prefer to leave the stall doors open for both my full size horse and my miniature pony. First, horses love to hurt themselves and it is easier to do this locked in a stall than in a safely fenced, mowed, and de-rockified pasture. Second, I have a serious fear of barn fires and 4th of July only intensifies those fears. Doors open = escape from horrific barn fire, doors shut generally = horrific and heart breaking ending.
Microchipping a dog or cat does not make it safe. In trials with known-to-be-chipped animals, perfect scanning technique, and multiple scans, fewer than half of chips were successfully read. Many shelters don't have good quality readers, and many shelters don't really try at all to locate chips. Even if the chip is found, if you haven't paid your annual fee, the chip company won't have updated contact information. The best they will be able to do is try to find the person who placed the chip and track you down. And they will almost certainly not do this, it can take hours.
I don't have a great answer - although there isn't great data, the impression is that pets who get lost often do not get found again, despite your best efforts. So anything you can do to prevent them getting lost or taken to a shelter in the first place is golden.
Looking forward to all the sad dog and cat emergencies the next 36 hours will bring...
Also @32 - I hope your horses stay safe! I never cease to be amazed at all the new ways to hurt themselves in previously-thought-safe locations horses can find. Good thing their noses are so cute...
I hate fireworks. And I hate the fucking idiots who fucking set them off every fucking goddamned year. Fuck you all you hayseed whompers and your fucking explosives.
3 cats at my old place. 1 would fall asleep, not caring about something so far away, another would run closer because FLASHING LIGHTS OMFG and the 3rd is the one to tear off the blinds in a fit of rage as to why anyone would make such aggressive noise. Every animal will take this differently
I was at the fireworks stand in Skyway last night, looking for some black cats or lady fingers, perhaps a sparkler or two. Roman Candle, bottle rocket, festive fountain - and it's amazing what they sell these days - and so expensive! I ended up spending $500 on something called the Doomsday USA Package.
(just kidding about that last part. I left empty-handed, went to Fred Meyer and bought a Red, White & Blue novelty hat.)
I know...my dog, my problem. I accept this. But you could be slightly less of a dick. Really, you could.
I have an otherwise lovely rescue dog that has done hundreds of dollars of damage during fireworks outbreaks. She gets a little pill from the Vet.
I have a new rescue dog (post New Year's), so I haven't been through a Fourth with her. So far she's been barking like crazy whenever she hears a firework go off, but she's not scared/trembly. We'll see how the actual Fourth goes.
@3,
That's something that I just don't understand. What is the point of setting off fireworks in the middle of the day?
The other thing is, don't try to make do with some combo or liquid medicine you might have lying around. Ibuprofen and acetominophen (Tylenol) can be very dangerous, even deadly for dogs and cats; aspirin is very dangerous for cats. So don't give any Benadryl medication that also contains one of these. An old bottle of Benadryl syrup might also contain alcohol.
Tomorrow's gonna be a bitch. They've been setting off massive quantities of explosives for the last week and a half, and tomorrow is a WORK NIGHT...I have to be in early on Thursday. But none of those assholes care about that, they just want to blow shit up and set things afire. If they'd all go somewhere other than a residential neighborhood to do it, I wouldn't give a shit.
In all seriousness, this might be a good night to pack your dog and go camp somewhere far from the city. Have fun!
Was it a zombie?
Now, if you want to see histrionics, just stop over when I'm getting out the vacuum. THAT is a life & death scenario.
I saw a dog that had been hit and killed while running across the road. Better?
Dead dogs just deflate my sense of humor. {sad trombone}
I don't have a great answer - although there isn't great data, the impression is that pets who get lost often do not get found again, despite your best efforts. So anything you can do to prevent them getting lost or taken to a shelter in the first place is golden.
Looking forward to all the sad dog and cat emergencies the next 36 hours will bring...
(just kidding about that last part. I left empty-handed, went to Fred Meyer and bought a Red, White & Blue novelty hat.)