Preparing for Bonfire Night 2022

Mark the calendar, Saturday 5 November, or more so mark the whole week and a bit, as its that time of year that many look forward to the great celebrations of Bonfire night. Also however for just as many more of us its also that time of year of doing our best to keep our four legged friends stress under control from the barrage of fireworks. Here at natural pet centre know first hand the difficulties in trying to find solutions in calming our pets anxieties at this time of year. While every pets reaction is unique to them, we hope that some tips and ideas in this blog post will give you chance at making this years bonfire night less stress for your pet and yourself.

First, it is recommended to introduce during the firework period of natural calming remedy, based on Valerian and Skullcap, into your dog/cat system. For majority of pets using such natural products can do wonders in helping them relax during the hellish period. There are many natural calming products on the market, including Calm Xtra which will provide your pet with natural stress relief.

Additionally, if you find that due to your pet being particularly ultra-sensitive to fireworks, then you can go an extra level in natural stress relief with CBD based products for pets. While an emerging concept, for some pets the use of safe CBD products can provide an even more potent defence for firework anxiety.  Though make sure when using such products that they have been verified for pet use.

Second, do what you can to limit firework noise and light being exposed to your pet. While a task easier said than done, there are many little simple tricks than can help in going a long way in reducing these sources of stress for your pet. Closing windows and drawing curtains to muffle outside noises and hide the flashes of light. Also having the TV on in the background or even some nice music tracks playing will help in reducing the potency of fireworks bangs. To further reduce the impact of flashing light cover/blacken out your dogs usual hiding spot/cage, if they need a place of security to retreat too.

Lastly, try to be there for your pet. Whether its yourself or family/friend, try to arrange it that your pet has someone they know present with them during the bonfire period. Knowing they have someone they can trust about goes a long way in calming their nerves and also provides you the opportunity to help distress them when the inventible bang strikes. Additionally, during this time do what you can to distract your pet, get their favourite treat, chew or tug and pull toy out to keep their attention away from the problems outside and their focus inside.

These are just a few ideas to help you and your pet get through this difficult period of the year that all us pet owners go through. Good luck and if you need any further help we here and Natural Pet Centre are always happy to help.