Slate is certainly not alone. Fireworks are fun for humans, but unfortunately our animal family does not share the same affection for them. Personally, I love fireworks. They are exciting and I love to see the expression on my Wallace Anne's face. The loud booms excite her and the fireworks that make the whistling noise before shooting off their color give her a thrill thinking they are about to land right beside her. Celebrating our freedom truly deserves some fireworks in the beautiful colors of red, white, and blue, but the sad truth is animals are scared of them. The very noises Wallace Anne finds exciting make animals feel they need to flee for safety. Statistics show the busiest days for shelters is July 5th, further proving our animal family does not share our affection for this holiday.
Preparing for such activities is paramount, and the "wait and see" approach is the worst choice one can make. If your pet has a history of noise aversion, just assume it will happen again; these things do not spontaneously resolve. Suggestions to helping your furry friend make it through the event are to create a safe place. If your pet has a room, a favorite bed or a crate they find comforting, that oftentimes may be the only thing they need. Other ways to help relieve anxiety are drowning out the noise with television or calming music, using FDA approved pheromones such as Feliway or Adaptil, and anxiety wraps such as Thundershirts. For animals more severely affected by the noise, it may be necessary to medicate them. Medicating the pet before the stressful event is key as it is much easier to prevent an animal from getting excited than it is to calm one who is already upset. Oftentimes, removing the animals from the situation by boarding them at a boarding facility may be the best option.
However, if nothing has seemed to help, a new option is available. It is called Sileo (Latin for "be silent). Sileo is the only FDA approved drug for treatment of noise aversion in dogs. Sileo is a transmucosal gel administered 30-60 minutes before the stressful event and continued as needed up to every 2 hours but not to be given more than 5 times in a 24 hour period.
If your veterinarian has already formed a treatment plan for your pet's noise aversion and he responded well, I suggest you stay the course. But if you think Sileo may be an option for you, make an appointment for a consultation with your veterinarian. Please keep in mind Sileo is not an OTC drug and a good client-patient relationship must exist before your veterinarian will prescribe this medication. Sileo does not come without warnings therefore a thorough physical exam to evaluate the cardiopulmonary system and blood work to evaluate the liver and kidneys may be suggested by your veterinarian.
Everyone at Leesburg Animal Hospital hopes you have a happy and safe Independence Day. Slate would like to remind everyone to make sure their pets have on proper identification, a collar with an ID tag and a Home Again Microchip. And all the girls at Leesburg Animal Hospital would like to remind everyone to not drink and drive and let freedom ring (or bark and meow)!