“Fireworks Season” is upon us but so is “Thunderstorm Season”!⛈️Fireworks around Guy Fawkes, Diwali and New Year celebrations are predictable but Thunderstorms often aren’t!
Even before the first clap of thunder, pets can begin to pace, pant, cling to their owners, hide in the cupboard, or panic. In severe cases, they’ll claw through doors, chew carpets, or break through windows in their escalating fear.
The following 5 tips can help your pet cope with storm anxiety:
- Give your pet a safe space. Provide a comfortable and safe indoor space to create the feeling of a haven. Leave the door open so your pet doesn’t feel trapped. Be sure to fill it with familiar items such as your pet’s bed, favourite toys and water bowl.
- If there are windows in the room, close the blinds or curtains or cover the windows so your pet can’t see outside.
- Distract your pet. If your pet is afraid of thunder, play calming music to drown out the thunder claps. You can also keep your pet distracted with treats and playing with them.
- There are products that may help your pet weather the storm. The right product can help calm your pet’s storm anxiety. In severe cases, with pets that are extremely fearful of thunderstorms, we can prescribe anti-anxiety medication that will calm them in known times of stress.
- Most importantly, practice positive reinforcement with your pet. Do not scold or punish them for displays of anxiety, but remember that their behavior is not about disobedience, but about high levels of fear. Do anything you can to help your pet feel better—teaching them new, pleasant associations is the best way to help anxious behaviour
Lastly, ensure that your pet wears identification and is microchipped. In the unfortunate event that your pet should run away, it may run without knowing where it is going. When it eventually calms down it will probably not know where it is or how to return. A microchip gives you the greatest chance that you and your pet will be reunited!
To help alleviate the stress of losing your pet we will be providing Virbac BackHome® Microchips at an extremely low price and will be running a mass pet microchipping drive open to all pet owners from October 29th to November 30th 2018.
