Take precautions to keep furry friends calm and to find lost animals

By CAROL STUART
For Brentwood Home Page
While many people love to watch and marvel over explosive and colorful fireworks displays for the Fourth of July, those thundering sounds of celebration can cause our four-legged friends to run for cover.

Debby Leddy, assisistant director for the Williamson County Animal Control, said the shelter starts getting calls “like crazy” from owners whose pets have run away this time of the year.

“In fact on our Facebook page today I posted something and on my own wall about that because the day after the Fourth of July, oh goodness we are just inundated with calls about lost pets,” she said. “And usually we don't have them at that point, but they come straggling in.”

CAUTIONARY TALE: Last year Sara, a part-German shepherd, part-chow, went missing on July 3 after bolting to fireworks noise and was reunited with her owner with the help of a BHP reader. Click here to read Sara's story.

Dr. Christopher Ray, a veterinarian at Brentwood Veterinary Clinic, and Leddy both say that most dogs that have storm phobias also likely will be scared off by the explosive sounds of fireworks. Ray’s office doesn’t necessarily see an increase of lost pets turning up at Independence Day, but he has seen more signs about dogs disappearing from recent storms.

“Lots of dogs have been having a hard time with the weather lately, and those same sorts of dogs tend to be scared of fireworks because the noise is very similar,” Ray said.

Leddy says she’s seen animals taken out dressed up in red, white and blue – but that most don’t really like the fireworks because it hurts their ears. “It sounds strange – they don't know what a firework is,” she noted.

Ray says pet owners can ask for a sedative from their veterinarian that is safe to give their pet about 30 minutes before a storm – or a fireworks event.

Those who have a pet with storm phobias can also turn to behavioral veterinarians to help condition their dog to deal with loud noises, he added.

“One big thing to do when they're doing that and something that you don't need to go see a behaviorist about is to find the dog a safe place,” Ray said. “And it's usually under a table, someplace dark, someplace where they feel they’re kind of away from all that noise.

“And a lot of times the dog will pick that safe place themselves. It could be a closet. It could be under a table – somewhere in the center of the house so they can’t hear as much.”

Leddy says with her personal pet prior to fireworks events, she will put the dog in her bedroom, give him a beef marrow bone from Publix, and “then turn on either the Animal Planet or classical music.”

She says, however, she has heard of dogs even bursting through a window when reacting to a loud noise.

Ray said he had a dog once that would get through both a fence and an invisible fence. “It just didn't matter, he was gone,” he said.

The veterinarian recommends keeping a dog that might be frightened by fireworks inside or in a garage – or some place that even an outdoor dog cannot escape.

“If it's just bound and determined to get out of the backyard because it’s scared, it's probably going to do that,” Ray said.

Leddy says she believes cats are also bothered by the noises, but pet owners may wait for them to come back and that cats have hiding places when they get out.

Putting a microchip in your pet is one of the best ways to get a lost animal back to you if found, both Ray and Leddy say. The shelter or the vet’s office can scan the dog or cat to find out where the chip was put in at the very least.

Cost for microchipping runs around $40-$50 at a vet’s office, while sometimes the Williamson County shelter will hold special clinics for around $25.

“Obviously if a neighbor finds them and it has your phone number on the collar, that would be great,” Leddy said. “However, if it does end up in the shelter, then the scanning is wonderful. They can't lose that microchip, but they certainly can lose collars.

Collars or rabies tags, of course, are another way to help identify a lost pet.

“If you don’t have your dog micro-chipped, always have them wear a collar with the phone number and your address, or maybe even your vet's phone number,” Ray said. “We have the rabies tags that normally go around the neck that have Brentwood Veterinary Clinic on them.”

As for other concerns in the summer such as heat, Leddy said to consider leaving your dogs inside to “chill out in the air conditioning,” even if in a crate, or in a well-ventilated garage.”I f you're uncomfortable, they'll probably be uncomfortable,” she said.

Ray said certain cold-climate breeds of dogs with long-haired coats such as huskies and malamutes “want to be inside all summer -- and they want to be outside all winter.” He also said breeds that have difficulty breathing, such as bulldogs and pugs that have smooshed-type noses, can overheat easily and need to get to a vet to be given oxygen and cooled down.