Sounds can be Scary too…bonfire night advice for pets
Firework stress affects almost 50% of dogs and many cats too. Fireworks are no longer a 5th November only event and are heard throughout the Autumn and often used for many other celebrations such as birthdays, wedding etc,.
Stress from such noises can manifest itself in many ways - many dogs will run around and vocalise, some even become destructive and harm themselves. However, sometimes the signs of stress can be much more subtle. This is especially true for cats - they will often ‘withdraw’ and hide, meaning that their upset is not easily recognised.
If stress associated with fireworks is not dealt with, it often progresses to fear of other more natural everyday sounds such as thunder and eventually even every day noises such as car doors slamming, by which time a pet has developed noise phobia. Sadly such pets will not get better as they get older, because pets tend to get worse with time and each phobic incident As a result it is really important to address this problem promptly and effectively to improve a pet’s life.
Managing firework stress needs an approach to both the short and long term issue. In the short term it’s quite simple a case of just getting through the night. Long term, though, it’s important to try and change the feelings our pets associate with fireworks in order that they do not become over-stressed during this ever lengthening season.
Short term management
Short term management helps our pets cope during the firework season. Below are some useful tips to help a pet:
Provide a den or hiding place. This is crucial, and pets often indicate the ideal place by seeking sanctuary behind a sofa or chair, under a bed, or in an under-stairs cupboard. The sound-absorbing qualities of this ‘refuge’ can be enhanced by enclosing the space, piling on extra bedding or coats on top of furniture, leaving a curtain hanging down, etc. An internal room with no windows is a good alternative. As an owner we should spend some time in the hiding place with the distressed pet, just sitting quietly, so they get the idea that there is nothing to fear, as a source of reassurance
Muffle the sound of any fireworks - radio, television, close the curtains
Keep your pets inside - close the cat flap and ensure your dog is not able to access the garden
Do not fuss them, or tell the off, if they appear stressed
Reward quiet calm behaviour.
The most important change that must be made is for us as pet owners. It is completely natural to want to reassure your pet when it is stressed - however all this does is reinforce the unwanted behaviour and unfortunately makes matters worse.
Although it’s actually the end of October the real work starts now if you have a dog or cat that gets highly distressed during the firework season. As we all know, this ‘season’ stretches for a fair while before the 5th November, so early planning is essential to help a nervous pet get through this period with as little upset as possible.
In the past the help that we Vets had been able to offer was in the form of sedatives, a least for dogs. Whilst it appears to do a good job of stopping the external signs of distress, it pretty much just “zonks-out” a dog, rendering it incapable of responding to the fireworks rather than reducing the stress levels. In the middle of a sudden problem it still has a role to play, but it very much is a case of trying to get a square peg in to a round hole.
So what else can we offer to help? By utilising the enhanced sense of smell of cats and dogs we can harness this highly developed ability in our pets to help deliver a “calming” treatment. Cats and dogs use their sense of smell to a much greater extent than we do. I’m afraid that our nose is very much an apology of an organ compared to theirs. The sense of smell for our pets is a hugely important factor in their lives both in terms of rooting out prey and also collecting signals about their environment.
Dog aromatherapy?
Treatment can now be delivered in “smell form” (that incidentally is not recognisable to us) in the form of a ‘DAP diffuser’. The diffuser contains a synthetic version of ‘Dog Appeasing Pheromone’ - a substance produced in the mother’s milk that acts to reassure the puppies and keep them in close proximity. The memory of this continues in to adulthood and so have a calming effect at this age as well. The diffuser is plugged in to a wall socket near the dog’s den to enhance his sense of security. It can be used all year round, or in the case of bonfire season, be plugged in a couple of weeks before displays start and left in place until the main firework season is over.
The cat version
For many years now cats have benefitted from the use of their own plug-in diffuser, Feliway. This takes advantage of a very different system compared to that described for dogs. When a cat rubs up against us with their face they are actually depositing a friendly pheromone on us and our clothing, which our primitive sense of smell can’t detect. They do this rubbing around us by way of self-reassurance. So, one way of utilising this has been to “bottle” this friendly pheromone for use in their version of the plug-in diffuser. The analogy I draw for clients in trying to explain this effect is the equivalent sense of relaxation we might feel walking in to a house with the smell of baking bread or freshly ground coffee.
Both these forms of treatment can only be expected to ‘crank down’ the anxiety for affected pets to an extent. The usual comment of prevention is better than cure is little comfort when faced with an anxious cat or dog. For all clients with kittens and puppies though a lot of the advice from Vets and nurses during health checks is directed at trying to ensure they have early exposure to a range of sounds that will help reduce the chances of developing noise phobias later in life
© copywrite Dai Gittins MRCVS.
