As many pet lovers know, fireworks and thunder storms can cause a great deal of stress for some animals. Fear of loud sounds – fireworks, thunder, gunshot – are called noise phobias. For a pet affected by loud noises, this is a terrifying and uncomfortable time; both for the pet and the people. Your pet cannot control their reaction to loud noises. Many therapies exist to help with this condition.

Learn to recognize the signs of noise phobias and some tips to reduce fears. As always, talk to your vet if this is a problem for your pet. Behavior modification alone works well for some pets, others may need medications in addition to behavior modification to be safe and not injure themselves trying to “escape” the noise.

Commonly seen signs of noise phobias include:

• Shaking, trembling
• Excessive drooling
• Barking, howling
• Trying to hide or get into / out of the house, fence, or other enclosure
• Refusing to eat food
• Some animals may loose bladder or bowel control or experience temporary diarrhea from prolonged stress

Please note: The signs mentioned above are general signs, and could be indicative of many different diseases or conditions. Please consult with your veterinarian if these signs persist after fireworks or thunder has subsided, or if you suspect that your pet may have been poisoned or is otherwise ill.

Trying to escape from the loud noises can mean broken windows, torn fences, chewed doors or dog crates, and result in lacerations, foot pad injuries, teeth and mouth injuries or worse as they try to run from the disturbingly loud noises.

It doesn’t matter if the fears are “rational” or not. It should be noted that scolding a frightened animal is not effective will only intensify the fears.

Practice Safety

• Keep pets home It may be tempting to bring along your dog(s) so everyone can enjoy the fun, but the loud noises aren’t usually fun for pets. Plus, there are many other hazards – fire, food (dietary indiscretion), getting lost in the confusion, etc. that make staying home in a comfortable safe environment a good choice.
• Keep pets indoors if possible It is advisable to close the curtains and turn on the TV or radio to provide some distraction. Calming or classical music are better than some TV or radio noise choices. Therapeutic music such as Through A Dog’s Ear often work better at keeping your dog calm and providing an audio distraction.
• Provide a safe “escape” place Many times pets will seek out a small den-like place (such as a crate), if they are fearful or stressed. If you do not already have a crate, bed or similar place that your pet can call his “own,” it is recommended to create that safe place and familiarize your pet with it before needed, as a means of reducing stress during fireworks and thunderstorms.
• Use a leash or carrier If you must be outside with your pet, keep the pet on a leash or in carrier at all times.
• Practice fire safety Keep pet away from matches, lighter fuel, open fires, and fireworks – especially ones that are lighted on the ground. Pets may try to sniff (or eat) fireworks, and pet hair can easily catch fire if too close to the fireworks.
• Take pet for a walk first If possible, make sure that you pet has time to “use the restroom” before the fireworks start. Some pets are too frightened to void once the fireworks begin, and this may lead to an “accident” later on.
• Make sure pet ID is current Make sure that your pet has proper identification tags, with current information, in case s/he gets away. This will help the local authorities (who are quite busy this time of year handling frightened runaways)

Hope that this helps make your Fouth of July experience a little better and fun for all. Enjoy!

Millions of people are looking for great pets which they can take good care of for a long time. Some go for extraordinary choice of pets such as snakes and crocodiles, while others go for lovable and trainable ones such as dogs and cats. If you were given the chance to raise a pet, what kind of pet would you want to have? Dogs are actually the number one choices people would likely choose when talking about pets because they can be tamed, trained and they can also be trusted when left at home. Thus, you are not only having a pet to entertain you, but also a guard to offer you safety and convenience. Thus, if you want to give back to your pet all the wonderful things he had offered, give him the right choice of dog collar and since he is a male dog, a spike studded one can be great.

A spike studded dog collar is one of the famous designs for pet collars and really great for dogs. Most spike studded collars are made out of the finest quality leather and are made by most trusted manufacturers. Don’t think that you will be running out of choices to make when talking about spike studded collars because there are a lot of them. These pet accessories are great for dogs for dog owners can really place name tags for dogs’ easy identification.

There are a lot of reasons why you need to choose a spike studded dog collar and one would be for fashion. Just like humans, pups also deserve to be fashionable. However, they can’t do the thing themselves. If you own a pet and you want to make him great looking with the kind of accessories he has, you need to think of the right accessories you can offer him and make sure that your dog can still do well while using it. The collar is not really that essential as others would think, but if only you know how beneficial it is, you’ll realize.

Secure your pet with the right spike studded dog collar and make him feel really fine. Don’t think that buying a new one is just an unnecessary spending, it is not. There are a lot of affordable collars in the market, so choose one that would really fit your pet and try to be picky in terms of the design, color and durability. Your pet will surely benefit the most from its collar and you too, as the owner.

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