Fireworks! Say It Isn't So

Many animal people know how stressful the 4th of July can be on their animal family members. With the holiday approaching, it's a good time to start creating a game plan to prepare your pets.

1) Animal communication is often about finding solutions. What I have found through years of communicating with animals is that it is best to communicate with an animal prior to the stressful situation occurring. The state that an animal may go into when they are feeling a high degree of stress can be a barrier to clear communication and the animal's ability to assimilate information. If an animal is already in a panicked state, telling him that he is safe in an attempt to help him calm down is less likely to work than if you plan ahead and find out what stresses him. This way you can create a plan for preventing that high level of stress and for knowing how best to help him if he does go into a state of anxiety.

2) Essential oils are a great way to support your animal family members during times of stress. Download my free handbook, Insider Secrets To Using Essential Oils With Animals for more about the proper use of essential oils with animals. Lavender, Cedarwood and Peace and Calming (blend) are two of my favorites that I use with my pets. As well as for myself!


Cheyenne's t-shirt wrap

3) Music or other sounds.  It is good idea to leave the television on or play music to buffer the sound from the fireworks, especially if you are going to be away at all during firework season. Through A Dog's Ear has been a lifesaver for me when my animals are stressed. 

4) Massage and energy work. I will often massage my animals to help with stress, as well as use energy work to calm them. This can be combined with essential oils and some relaxing music for an even better effect!

5) Shirt wraps. You can either tie a t-shirt on your dog or purchase one of the wraps that is made specifically for anxiety and thunderstorms. Some to look into are the Thundershirt, the Anxiety Wrap and the Storm Defender. These products function somewhat differently so reading up on each one before purchasing would be advised. For instance, the Storm Defender is not recommended if you will be leaving your dog alone. I can only speak for the Anxiety Wrap, as I have not used the other two products. It did help my dog, Meesha who had terrible thunderstorm and firework panic. 

6) Shelters see an increase in animals during the holiday as they may run from the noise of firecrackers.  Make sure pets are wearing collars with ID tags in case they run away. To consider the various sides of the microchiping debate watch this video by veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker. Link

7) Don't leave pets totally alone. If you will be gone during the holiday for any length of time, it's always nice if you can have someone check in on your animals, even if you won't be gone more than a few hours. Dogs especially can get themselves into some crazy situations when panicked.

8) Finally, usually when all else has failed prescription medication may be considered. This is a complex issue and should be discussed with your veterinarian. My preference would be to discuss this with a holistic veterinarian to decide if there are any other possibilities, such as Chinese herbs. 

How do you help your pets during firework season? Comment below!

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