American Pride: Keep Your Pet Safe This Independence Day

Ensure that your pet stays safe during this week’s 4th of July activities.

Fourth of July is a fun time for the whole family: Enjoying a delicious backyard BBQ with friends and family, taking a much-needed holiday break from work, honoring our countries independence with celebrations and fireworks. However, many people do not realize the different dangers that this festive holiday can pose on our curious pets.

With the amount of excitement, celebration and noise that often accompanies this festive American holiday, it is easy to lose track of where our dog is wandering, which table scraps they are licking up off of the floor, or even where they are throughout the impressive firework display. Unfortunately, losing site of your pet for any one of these moments could result in significant danger is proper precautions are not set in place.

To help you and your pet get this most out of this festive holiday week, we have put together some important pet safety tips that will ensure a happy, healthy pet throughout the 4th of July celebrations. By following these safety measures, you can be sure that both you and your furry friend get the most out of the festivities, without any accidents along the way.

Warn Guests About Table Scraps

While your dog may have no objections, always be aware of what friends and family are sneaking your pet under the table. While tempting on such a festive occasion, all human food (bones, onions, avocado, grapes and raisins especially) should be off limits at all times to your dog. Some human food may be toxic or dangerous if ingested and cause stomach upset. So advise friends and family to NOT feed your dog table scraps.

Keep Pets Away From Glow Lights

Do not put glow jewelry on your pets, or allow them to play with it. While the luminescent substance contained in these products is not highly toxic, excessive drooling and gastrointestinal irritation could still result from ingestions, and intestinal blockage could occur from swallowing large pieces of the plastic containers. Also remember that your pet may easily mistake your red, white and blue decorations and glow sticks as chew toys. So, make sure to dog proof your home and keep fun glow sticks out of paws reach.

Make Sure Your Pet Has Identification

Many animal shelters and animal control agencies across the country see a spike in stray/lost dogs right after July 4th. That’s because frightened pets are much stronger than we think, and an ordinarily calm dog can bolt and break free from a leash or jump from a car with the slightest boom of a firework. If an unexpected bang causes your pet to run, a proper collar, tags and/or microchip will give you peace of mind.

Keep Drinks Out of Reach

Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where pets can reach them. Alcoholic beverages have the potential to poison pets. If ingested, the animal could become very intoxicated and weak, severely depressed or could go into a coma. Death from respiratory failure is also a possibility in severe cases. Therefore, always keep beverages high out of reach from your furry companion.

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