“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” – Stephen King
For many people, the holidays are a pleasant time full of lights and festivities. But for our dogs and cats, this period can actually be stressful, especially because of the fireworks. Fear of loud noises, flashes, and vibrations is a common problem. Fortunately, as an owner, there is a lot you can do to help your pet stay calm and avoid problems.
Better safe than sorry
“Oh well, it’s only stress a few days a year.” Is a comment I often hear.
I don’t agree with that. Many people are unaware of the effect of stress on overall health. Stress increases heart rate, breathing, metabolism and blood pressure. Stress hormones can remain elevated for longer after a single incident. Stress hormones have a negative influence on many processes in the body. For example, they cause the immune system to work less well.
If an animal is often stressed, has long-term stress or is chronically stressed itself, this can lead to diseases, reduced resistance and even a shorter lifespan.
Fear never goes away on its own! Without training/intervention, anxiety often only gets worse. Which means that the fear of the fireworks, if you don’t do anything about it, will only get worse every year. Fear of fireworks can also spread to other sounds, such as thunderstorms or car doors.
Unfortunately, in many areas, fireworks are not only set off on New Year’s Eve, but also the days before and after. This can cause stress for days to months in many animals.
Enough reasons to take fear of fireworks seriously and to do everything you can to prevent and limit it as much as possible!
Start young: prevent fear in puppies and kittens
Many young animals are not naturally afraid of fireworks. But if you don’t practice, anxiety can slowly build up after a few years.
Fear builds up. What I see a lot is that young animals are not practiced because “he is not afraid anyway so we don’t have to do anything about it”. That does indeed go well in the first few years. But when the animal is about three or four years old, it “suddenly” seems to be afraid of fireworks. This is usually not as sudden as it seems This fear has built up in recent years and is now such that the owner can also see it on the outside.
Make sure this doesn’t happen to you. By giving animals self-confidence from an early age and teaching them that crazy noises and smells are nothing to worry about, you can prevent a lot of misery!
Training works, but takes time
Is your pet already afraid of fireworks? Then it is important to start training on time. It can take months to years to reduce anxiety. Training will often not completely eliminate the fear, but it can help to reduce the fear. If you combine this with taking other measures, you can significantly reduce the amount of stress at this time of year.
Every situation and every animal is unique. There is no one method that works for all animals. If you really want to do something about the fear, it is wise to work with a good behavioral therapist. He or she can work with you to find the best approach for your animal.
I strongly advise against doing fireworks training in groups.
Tools for fear of fireworks
There are various tools that you can use to make New Year’s Eve as peaceful as possible for your pet. You can think of supplements, thundershirt, acupuncture and medication. I will discuss these below.
Food supplements
There are several stress-reducing supplements on the market that can help. The advantage of these drugs is that they are usually natural and therefore have little or no side effects. The disadvantage is that not all products work equally well for all animals. It is often a matter of trying out which remedy (or combination of products) works well for your animal. It is therefore wise to try this out well before the month of December.
Some of the products that are regularly used are:
Telizen (L-theanine)
Telizen contains L-theanine, an amino acid derived from green tea. Telizen reduces behaviors associated with anxiety, helps the animal calm down, and promotes relaxation without side effects, such as drowsiness or other discomforts. It is recommended to start Telizen at least 2 months before the turn of the year for the best effect. On New Year’s Eve itself, the dosage can be given more often for a better effect. It can be used on both dogs and cats.
Zylkene
Zylkene is based on a natural protein from milk, alpha-casozepine, which has a calming effect. It is best to start this supplement 1-2 months before the turn of the year. However, it works quite quickly and in “emergency situations” it is also possible to start shorter in advance. It is suitable for dogs and cats.
Bach Rescue Remedy (flower therapy)
This is a mix of five Bach flowers, such as Rock Rose and Star of Bethlehem, which have a calming effect on an emotional level. It is available as drops or spray. You can give it immediately during stressful moments or shortly in advance. It works quickly. It can be combined well with the other substances. It is suitable for both dogs and cats, but pay attention to alcohol-free variants for animals.
Phytonics Stresz
Phytonics Stress contains a combination of herbs and homeopathic substances that support the nervous system and reduce the stress response. It works slowly and builds up over time. Start a few weeks in advance for optimal effect. Suitable for dogs and cats, especially in case of prolonged stress.
Feliway (pheromones for cats)
Feliway spreads synthetic pheromones that resemble the calming scent that cats give off through their cheeks. It helps cats to feel safer in stressful situations. Start using a vaporizer or spray around the house at least two weeks before the holidays.
Adaptil (pheromones for dogs)
Adaptil works similarly to Feliway, but has been developed for dogs. It mimics the comforting pheromones that mother dogs give to their pups. Use a vaporizer or collar at least a week before New Year’s Eve for optimal effect.
Thundershirt and Ear muffs
A Thundershirt is a specially designed vest that exerts gentle, constant pressure on your dog or cat’s body. This pressure has a calming effect, similar to a calming hug, and can help reduce anxiety. It is easy to put on and ideal for animals that experience stress from loud noises such as fireworks.
Earmuffs (such as Mutt Muffs) are hearing protectors that muffle the sound of fireworks, making your pet less startled by loud bangs. Although not all animals accept them immediately, they can be effective for noise hypersensitivity after a short adjustment period.
Animals do have to get used to a thundershirt or earmuffs. It is therefore wise to practice with this in time before using it on New Year’s Eve.
Acupuncture and acupressure
Did you know that acupuncture can help with fireworks anxiety? It balances the body and emotions, which can reduce anxiety. This treatment does take time and when it comes to fireworks anxiety, it is wise to start this treatment in September/October. Of course, the most ideal situation is to keep your animal in the best possible balance at all times. This requires good cooperation between the owner and the veterinary acupuncturist.
Acupressure is a simple alternative that you can apply yourself at home. Acupuncture is the stimulation of acupuncture points by massaging them. Only do this with animals that like touch and practice it regularly and well in advance so that your animal is used to it and associates it with relaxation and rest.
Two points you can use for this:
• GV20: In the middle of the skull, between the ears.
• Yin Tang: At the place of the ‘third eye’, between the eyes.
Medication
The use of medication is done on animals that are very afraid, where other means do not help sufficiently and to prevent further traumatic experience. It is an emergency solution and a signal to the owner that something needs to be done about the fear.
There are 3 medications registered for dogs with the indication of anxiety and stress associated with sounds: sileo, tessie and pexxion. These products are only for short-term use and are not suitable or safe for every animal or situation. Think of kidney, liver and heart patients, pregnant owners and young or old animals.
This medication can only be used after a check-up and on the advice of the veterinarian. Animals should not be unsupervised after giving this medication.
For cats, there are no drugs specifically registered for the indication of fear and stress for sounds, but there is a drug that we can use for this.
Sileo
This product contains Dexmedetomidine. In summary, by reducing central noradrenergic and serotonergic neurotransmission, dexmedetomidine is effective in relieving acute stress and anxiety in dogs associated with noise. In addition to the anxiolytic effect, dexmedetomidine has other known dose-dependent pharmacological effects such as slowing heart rate and rectal temperature, and peripheral vasoconstriction.
This product should be administered to the oral mucous membranes between the dog’s cheeks and gums, at a dosage of 125 micrograms/m2. If the oromucosal gel is swallowed, it is no longer effective. Therefore, providing food or sweets within 15 minutes of administering the gel should be avoided.
The first dose should be administered immediately if the dog shows the first signs of distress, or if the owner perceives a typical stimulus (such as fireworks or thunderstorms) that always causes stress or anxiety in the dog in question. If the anxiety-inducing event persists and the dog shows signs of stress and anxiety again, it can be re-administered starting 2 hours after the first dose. The product can be administered up to 5 times during each event.
Common side effects: Due to peripheral vasoconstriction, a transient pallor of the mucous membranes at the application site can be observed. Other commonly observed side effects in clinical trials were sedation, vomiting and urinary incontinence.
It must not be used in: pregnancy or lactation, cardiovascular disease, kidney or liver failure, hypersensitivity to the active substance or in dogs that were clearly sedated by previous doses.
Tessie
The active substance in Tessie is Tasipimidine. It provides short-term relief from situational anxiety and anxiety in dogs caused by noise. If necessary, it can be given for up to 9 consecutive days.
The medicine should not be used for: hypersensitivity to the active substance, liver, kidney, heart disease.
It can cause the following side effects: Fatigue, vomiting, drowsiness, behavioral disturbances, pale mucous membranes, ataxia, diarrhea, uncontrolled urination, thirst, loss of appetite. Heart rate, body temperature, and blood pressure may drop.
Give the first dose one hour before the expected start of the noise or as soon as the dog shows the first signs of anxiety. Keep an eye on the dog. If the noise persists and the dog begins to show signs of agitation and anxiety again, a new dose may be given if at least 3 hours have passed since the previous dose. The ground of appeal
Pexxion
The active substance in Pexxion is Imepitoin. This drug is also used for epilepsy in dogs. For the indication of fear of noises, it can be given twice a day for up to three days.
The safety of the veterinary medicinal product has not been studied in dogs weighing less than 2 kg or in dogs with safety concerns such as kidney, liver, heart, stomach or other conditions.
The following side effects have been observed during preclinical and clinical studies conducted to substantiate the claim phobia of loud noises: ataxia (loss of coordination), increased appetite, lethargy (very common); vomiting, aggression (especially disinhibition) (common); hyperactivity, drowsiness, salivating (sometimes). In most cases, these side effects are transient, and disappear during or shortly after stopping therapy.
Boncat
It is possible for cats to use the Boncat. The active substance is Pregabalin. The agent is indicated for relief of acute anxiety and anxiety associated with transportation and vet visits. Bonqat is then given 1.5 hours in advance.
The safety of the veterinary medicinal product has not been established in cats weighing less than 2 kg, less than 5 months of age or cats over 15 years of age.
The safety of the veterinary medicinal product has only been proven in healthy cats or cats with mild systemic disease. It has not been proven in animals with moderate or severe systemic diseases, e.g. moderate to severe renal, hepatic or cardiovascular diseases.
The veterinary medicinal product may cause a slight decrease in heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature. Signs of sedation and vomiting have often been observed in clinical trials
General Tips for New Year’s Eve
Finally, some general tips for New Year’s Eve:
- Never leave a dog or cat that is afraid of fireworks at home alone on New Year’s Eve!
- Make sure your animal cannot walk outside on its own. Close cat flaps and keep dogs on a leash.
- Make sure your animals are microchipped and registered. Check your registration. If your dog or cat does run away in panic, the chance that he/she will be found again is considerably greater.
- For dogs: keep it quiet in the days before New Year’s Eve so that your dog does not already go into New Year’s Eve full of stress. Take a quiet walk with a lot of sniffing and preferably no busy activities such as throwing balls.
- For cats: make hiding places in the house, something that the cat can crawl in or under. Put a litter box and food and drink near the hiding spot.
- During New Year’s Eve, you can close the windows and ventilation grilles to dampen the sound. You can close the curtains to counteract the flashes of light and you can turn on the radio or TV to drown out the sound.
- You can distract your pet with, for example, a bone, a well-stocked food toy, sniffing rug, puzzles, etc.
- Let your animal decide for itself where he/she prefers to lie and make choices. Some animals look for a place where they feel safe, such as under the bed or in the bathroom. Other animals prefer to stay near you. That’s all fine!
- Stay as calm as possible. Animals read our energy and hear our heartbeat and breathing. If you are calm yourself, your animal is also calmer.
- You don’t have to ignore fear! If your animal is looking for support from you, you can also give that support.
Peace in the new year
Stress hormones remain high for up to a week after a fearful event. Therefore, plan the first days after New Year’s Eve quietly. Avoid busy activities and give your pet a chance to recover.
I hope these tips help you and your pets get through New Year’s Eve relaxed.
Do you have any questions or would you like to know more? Feel free to send me a message, I’ll be happy to help you!