BOOM! Another firework lights up the sky, exciting humans but sending many pets into a state of panic.
This is an issue that over fifty percent of pet owners face every year.
As the emergency services prepare for one of their busiest nights of the year, eighty-year-old Newton Le Willows resident, Alice Paterson, describes the trauma she and her dog have already suffered.
“My border collie, Timmy, had just undergone an expensive cruciate ligament operation and was recovering.
He had to wear a cone on his head and sleep in a special cage each night to stop him putting weight on his leg or walking about.
Two weeks before bonfire night local fireworks started and Timmy became very anxious each evening.
Last Friday evening, November 1st, I sat with him for four hours until the fireworks quietened down.
I went to bed at around ten o’clock and half an hour later I heard three huge bangs.
I didn’t hear any commotion from Timmy, so I didn’t check on him.
However, the next morning when I went downstairs, the cage and his blankets were in disarray.
His water was spilled all over the floor and Timmy looked shaken.
When I let him out of the cage I noticed that his bandaged leg was twisted and his paw was sticking out.
I was panicking and thought that he might have displaced the pins in his leg and have to undergo the operation all over again.
I got him an emergency vet’s appointment.
The vet assured me that he hadn’t dislodged the pins, but his leg was very swollen.
He gave Timmy some medication to reduce the swelling and I purchased some medicine to calm him down during fireworks, which has worked partially.
I’ve never been anti-fireworks, but I do believe it’s getting out of hand.
Fireworks used to be fizzy and pretty, now they’re just a selection of who’s got the loudest bang.
I think organised displays are spectacular but even they are very loud – much louder for dogs, whose hearing is much more sensitive.
If humans had the same level of hearing they would suffer permanent hearing damage.
I think that there should be a time schedule, which would be more considerate for people with young children or pets.
I don’t think fireworks should be forbidden, just much better regulated.”
Many pet owners would possibly agree with Alice’s views.
In the meantime, the RSPCA offer many simple suggestions that all dog owners can follow to reduce pet stress, including:
Not leaving the dog alone and taking walks during daylight.
Closing windows and curtains to reduce noise and vision.
Playing soothing music to help muffle the sound.
Creating a safe space for the dog and moving it there before darkness.
Concerned pet owners should head to the RSPCA website which provides a whole host of tips to help make the bonfire period less stressful for their pets.
ttps://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/fireworks
