New Year’s Eve is a perfect time to celebrate with your family and friends the end of the year. Due to the fireworks, loud music, and noises, New Year’s Eve can be stressful for your pet. Therefore, to keep your beloved companion animal protected during this festive night, here, I share some tips.
🐾 Keep your dog inside the house in a safe and quiet room. Although New Year’s Eve may be fun for humans, the loud sounds can be stressful for your pet. If you are hosting a party, it is best to dedicate a room and ensure Fluffy is in a quiet, safe, comfortable place away from the sounds of fireworks. If your dog prefers his crate, then the best option is to keep him crated and place the crate in a quiet location. Also, you may want to put some familiar items such as the dog bed or bed sheets with him. Many situations like fireworks, loud noises, and new people in the home can stress out your pet. At home, we use Comfort Zone Adaptil Diffuser, which mimics calming dog pheromones and helps the dog feel safe and secure. If your dog is very anxious, talk to your veterinarian for other alternatives.
🐾 Keep your dog busy. New Year’s Eve can be a hectic night, especially if you are hosting a party. Keep your dog entertained with a puzzle toy. The problem-solving activity not only will keep your dog occupied, but it will help reduce the stress as well. My favorite dog toy for this purpose is the KONG Classic toy. I place wet food inside the KONG and then I place it in the freezer to solidify the wet food and make it a longer lasting treat. Our dogs love the frozen treat, and they remain entertained for a while!
🐾 Keep your dog’s daily routines. Before your celebration activities, keep your dog’s routine as close as possible. Your dog will feel more relaxed if you maintain his daily routine. Moreover, do not forget to take Fido for his daily walk. Exercise and play with your dog during the day to release some of the energy and help him remain calm later at night. The exercise will help your dog rest and fall asleep faster.
🐾 Keep alcoholic beverages and human food out of your dog’s reach. Our dogs are obsessed with food. If unsupervised, they will eat anything in front of them. Therefore, we have to keep human food out of their reach especially sweets. For instance, chocolate poisoning can cause diarrhea, vomiting, rapid breathing, increased, heart rate, and seizures. Also, alcoholic beverages can be harmful to a cat or dog. Alcohol ingestion in pets can lead to unsteady walking, vomiting, and in severe cases, drop in blood pressure and body temperature. A mixed drink for a small dog can be fatal.
🐾 Your dog should wear his collar with ID tag. Your dog should wear a collar with an updated ID tag, that includes name, phone number or address. Also, make sure that your dog is microchipped. When dogs are stressed and anxious, they can have unpredictable behavior like running away. In case this happens, having an identification will increase the probability that your pet will be returned.
Stay safe this holiday season! Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!
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