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Surviving the Firework Season

Depending on your dogs and where you live, the noise caused by fireworks can be a real problem.

When I bought my first greyhound (Jack) home I was living in suburban England. He came home right in the middle of 'firework season', which seems to run from the start of November all the way through until January these days. Jack had many problems when he arrived, but a fear of fireworks was not one of them! He would happily stop while out on our evening walk to watch local displays with me. I couldn't understand why dog owners made such a big deal about fireworks—and then I adopted George.

Over the years I have tried lots of things with a variety of dogs to try and ease the stress caused by fireworks. Below are a few ideas.

Valerian tablets can be useful, but they do take a while to start having an effect. I tend to keep all my phobic dogs on them from mid October until January. Naturacalm tablets are also good, and both are readily available from most health food stores. I find these 'human' medications to be more effective and far cheaper than some of the specialist 'dog' products on the market

Homoeopathically I would consider trying any of the following, selecting the remedy that most closely match your dogs symptoms:

Aconite - for nervousness that begins after a frightening experience.

Gelsenium - for dogs that become rigid with fear.

Phosphorous - for fear of sudden or loud noises (this is a particularly good remedy for dogs that are frightened of fireworks and gunshot).

Borax - for fear of sudden noises (especially gunshot), but worth trying on dogs who don't seem to respond well to Phosphorous.

The Bach Flower remedy Mimulus is good for specific fears, and Rock Rose is useful for terror. If your dog is too frightened to have these administered by mouth, then rub a little either inside their ear flap or on their paws. Absorption is slower, but it still works. I would also consider starting to put a few drops a day in your dogs water bowl, a few weeks before firework season starts in your area.

When George gets very upset he likes it if I massage his pads with a few drops of lavender, camomile, or sweet marjoram oil, diluted in a few mls of carrier oil. If your dog can't stay still long enough for you to do this it could be worth sprinkling a few drops around their bed.

In 2002 I got a specific firework remedy from a homeopath. She sent the tablets through the post with instructions on how to make them up into a liquid. Dosing regularly with this definitely helped, and at time of stress you can administer a few drops every five minutes. The website is at www.caninecaregroup.net although the best thing to do is e-mail them and ask about their firework remedy. They do also do specific remedies for thunderstorms and just general balancing remedies. I have had a lot of success so far with them, and although they initially seem expensive at £17 per remedy, the pills provided would be enough to last years when made up into a liquid. 2002 was the first year we made it the whole way through firework season without using a single conventional sedative on any of the dogs!

I use a DAP diffuser from Vetmedic (online pharmacy) and leave it on 24 hours a day from mid October until mid January. It really does seem to help and achieve an overall aura of calm in the house.

Try to offer your dog a small, safe 'den' in which he can hide. Many dogs like to try and escape the noise of fireworks by hiding in a cupboard, under the stairs, or under a table. If your dog favours a place like this then try and make it is comfortable as possible for him, even if their chosen location is not overly convenient.

If your dog does not usually wear a collar with ID tags on in the house, it is worth leaving one on at this time of year. Even a dog that is usually calm and obedient may unexpectedly bolt in fright. If you are worried about him catching his collar on something and injuring himself then consider either sewing him a basic house collar with an elastic strip in it (similar to cat safety collars) or buying one of the 'breakaway' style collars that are now on the market (www.keepsafecollar.com).

It is also worth taking the time to supervise all trips out into the garden, as every year there are stories about dogs who leap their back fence in fright.

And finally I do think the best way to help your dog cope with the trauma of fireworks is to start offering natural treatments long before the peak times (Oct — Feb in the UK). In the case of dogs that get very upset, it may also be worth speaking to your vet about the use of more conventional sedatives on the worst nights. However if you are going to sedate your dog then please do remain at home with him so you can monitor his reaction. Sometimes a 'drunken' dog staggering around in fear is actually more of a threat to himself than a frightened but coherent one.

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