Vets offer tips to help dogs avoid fireworks freak-outs

Not that anybody ever asked - or even could ask - but the dogs' pick for least-favorite holiday probably would be the one coming up Wednesday.

Even if the voting results wouldn't necessarily be unanimous.

Consider Andy Bischel's two dogs. When Independence Day rolls around, Bischel's 7-year-old golden retriever is "oblivious to fireworks," he says, while his 13-year-old Labrador retriever is "absolutely terrified."

The Lab "just works himself into a frenzy," Bischel says, while the golden "couldn't care less."

Other dog owners might relate because, as annoying as quiet-seeking Southern Nevadans may find their pyromaniac neighbors' Fourth of July celebrations to be, they're nothing compared with the anxiety and fear valley pets can experience.

Dr. Cris Fontes of Sunridge Animal Hospital, 10850 S. Eastern Ave. in Henderson, says the most common questions he fields this time of year are about dogs' fireworks freak-outs.

Dr. Philip Wesen of Mauer Animal Clinic, 6115 W. Charleston Blvd., estimates that 25 percent of dogs exhibit fireworks-related stress to some degree.

Some dogs "are just wired a little differently than others," he says. "Loud noises and anything that upsets their norm, they get pretty upset."

Dogs that become stressed out over the sound of fireworks may respond similarly to the sound of thunder, Wesen adds.

"They shake, they pant, they pace. Sometimes they seek shelter in areas where they would never seek shelter before," Wesen says. "Sometimes they just try to escape. They will start clawing at walls, doors, gates - just completely out of character for them - and they will try to escape."

A dog's response to the sound of pyrotechnics' explosions can be unsettling enough for its owners. But, Wesen says, a fireworks-spooked animal may, when given the chance, take off and "just keep running, and by the time they stop, they're lost and can't find their way home."

Bischel, who also is development director for The Animal Foundation, which operates the Lied Animal Shelter, says Independence Day is "one of those days nationally where (shelters) get an influx of stray animals, because they panic and they start to run."

And while few pets, of any sort, are likely to enjoy the sound of fireworks, veterinarians say dogs do seem to take Independence Day's aural accompaniment the hardest.

Cats, for example, says Dr. Terri Fujikawa of Gentle Doctor Animal Hospital, 1550 S. Rainbow Blvd., "have a tendency to hide more instead of pacing, like dogs do. So it's harder to tell."

Dr. Tony Cordray of West Charleston Animal Hospital, 7891 W. Charleston Blvd., notes that fireworks-related stress doesn't seem peculiar to any specific breed or type of dog.

"I've seen a lot of different dogs come through - different breeds, different personalities - that have issues as well," he says.

An owner's first step in helping a skittish dog survive Independence Day is to be there for the animal.

"If you're with them, verbally you can give them comfort, give them treats, play ball and do different things to distract them to keep them from overreacting to the stimulus," Wesen says.

But if the dog will be alone on the Fourth, try confining it to a quiet room so that the dog can "feel a bit safer in that environment," Fujikawa says.

Aim, Cordray suggests, for "a quiet, dark place where they're not being stimulated as much." Wesen says an interior room that's "well-insulated from (outside) noise" would be perfect.

Leave a television or radio on in the room to provide a distraction and help drown out the sudden boom of fireworks. If the dog is used to sleeping in a crate, offer that to the animal as an option, too.

Fontes says owners who know they won't be at home with their dogs on Wednesday might even consider boarding the pets. Then, the dogs will be able to interact with other animals, again providing a distraction from outside noises.

Owners whose dogs have a particularly difficult time with fireworks or thunder may wish to ask their veterinarians about medications.

"A lot of our clients will also do a sedative, in addition to other measures," Fujikawa says.

One option is over-the-counter Benadryl, an allergy medication that can offer dogs a "mild sedative effect," she says. However, dog owners should consult their veterinarians for dosages and information for proper use.

If over-the-counter medications aren't enough, "there are (medications) we prescribe that are strong, and they're actually made for animals," Fujikawa adds.

Valley veterinarians say some clients have reported success with the Thundershirt, a tight-fitting garment that a dog wears like a jacket. Thundershirt founder Phil Blizzard says he created the product for his own thunderstorm-fearing dog.

"A friend of the family suggested putting a tight wrap around the dog," says Blizzard, who adds that, as the holder of an engineering degree, "I was skeptical. I thought it was ridiculous, to be honest."

But, during a thunderstorm, his wife used duct tape to wrap an old T-shirt around their shaking dog.

"It was like flipping a switch," Blizzard says. "She calmed right down."

Blizzard says about 80 percent of dog owners who have used Thundershirts have reported seeing symptoms of stress in their dogs disappear or diminish.

Wesen says some of his clients have used the product on their dogs.

"Some dogs just find that comfort in a tight, enclosed garment," he says. "And I've had clients who use medicine and the Thundershirt."

Wesen says other clients also have tried DAP - dog-appeasing pheromone - collars, which claim to release a comfort-inducing pheromone.

"This pheromone puts them into kind of a comfortable, tranquil state," he says, and some clients have reported that wearing the collar does help their dogs become "less anxious."

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.