Pets and Fireworks
|  Video
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| Ashli Kimenker |
| 7/3/2009 |
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| Most of us enjoy Fourth of July fireworks, but they can be scary. Pets don`t always understand the bright lights and the loud booms we`ve come to love. This not only frightens them, but also puts them in danger. There are the usual sights and sounds of Fourth of July. But so is this. "We get a lot more animals on the Fourth of July, mostly dogs, just because of the fireworks," says Lynn Jacobs, of Animal Control As those fireworks fill the skies, pets fill the kennels at the Bismarck Mandan Impound Facility. Veterinarians blame fear- for this increase. "Their sense of hearing is very strong and when they hear the fireworks, especially if they are very close to them, of course it startles them," says Dr. Gerald Buchholz, of the Bismarck Animal Clinic. "They can develop digestive disorders leading to vomiting and diarrhea or they can try to escape completely." When your pet runs off, they mostly end up here. Not the ideal location for your family pet, but it is better then the alternative. "We see fracture cases, we see chest injuries, head injuries, and everything else because they are just trying to get out, you know, it`s flight or fight anxiety and they run into the paths of oncoming vehicles," says Dr. Buchholz. The Impound Facility does plan its budget for this increase, but like most kennels, their resources can only handle so much. "It`s that many more animals to care for and so you do use more food and use more blankets, but we do euthanize if we need to," says Jacobs. This problem is easily avoidable. Leave your pets at home when going to a firework display, and while at home, take the right precautions. "Put them in the lower level of the house where the concussion isn`t so effective at ground level or below ground level and also if you turn on a TV or something at a loud volume, it drowns out those things," says Dr. Buchholz. If your pet does happen to get out, Animal Control also says, don`t wait to look for them. It`s about keeping them safe, and keeping them with your family. If your pet does get out, the best way to go about looking for them is to go to the impound facility. Jacobs says if it`s after-hours, you can contact the Bismarck Police at the non-emergency number. Also, it`s important to have up-to-date tags on your pets. |
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