New Year’s & Pets

Discussing The Best Ways To Keep Your Pets Happy, Healthy, And Comfortable During The New Year’s Festivities And Fireworks

New Year’s is a very exciting time of year filled with parties, champagne, and fireworks. However, New Year’s can also be a very stressful time for your furry friends. Many pets experience severe anxiety during the new year’s celebrations and have even been known to run away from home as a result. The purpose of this article is to offer some general advice on how to best keep your pets happy and safe during the New Year’s celebrations. 

New Year’s Fireworks

The biggest contributor to pets experiencing stress and anxiety during New Year’s is fireworks. Fireworks are extremely loud and bright. While this is entertaining to us, it can be terrifying to dogs and cats. This is because both dogs and cats have exceptionally good hearing. The loud bangs, cracks, and screeches can be heard from dogs and cats miles away. 

Most pets associate these loud noises with danger, such as a thunderstorm. Additionally, the timing of fireworks is very unpredictable to pets. This makes them even more difficult for pets to understand. Accompanying the loud sounds are the bright flashes of lights and the unusual smell of sulfur left behind. As a result, all of these factors contribute to pets’ overall fear of fireworks.

New Year’s Parties

While New Year’s fireworks instill fear in pets, the New Year’s parties create a stressful environment for pets. Most pets like routine and structure in their lives. Having large groups of unfamiliar people in their home can really throw off a pet’s routine. Additionally, people coming in and out of the house creates the perfect opportunity for your pets to escape. 

New Year’s parties usually include a variety of party foods and alcoholic beverages as well. Without proper supervision, your pets could eat or drink something they’re not supposed to. Both dogs and cats should not be eating people food as they can’t properly digest it. 

Taking Preventative Measures

The best way to keep your pets safe during the New Year’s festivities is to take preventative measures. Here are just a few ways you can set your pets up for success during New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Keep Your Pets Indoors

The best way to keep your pets safe and prevent them from running away during New Year’s is to keep them indoors. This is especially true for dogs as dogs have been known to run away from the sounds of fireworks. This is a natural reaction for both dogs and cats being part of their fight or flight response. Try to coordinate taking your dog outside for potty before any scheduled fireworks near you. 

Create A Calming Atmosphere

While keeping your pets indoors, it’s important to create a calming and stress free atmosphere. We recommend giving your pets a dedicated space all to themselves. This could be a spare bedroom or a finished basement. Keep the door closed and let any party guest know that the room is off limits.

Additionally, you can make the room more comfortable by adding some dog/cat beds or soft blankets. You can also put on some background noise, such as music or the tv, to drown out the sounds of fireworks or parties. Lastly, you can also invest in a pet pheromone diffuser. These innovative devices regularly disperse pheromones that send calming messages to your pets via smell. To learn more about pet pheromone diffusers and how they work, click here. 

Calming Supplements

Another great way to keep your pets safe and comfortable during New Year’s is through calming supplements. Giving your pets calming supplements can help lower their anxiety and promote better sleep during New Year’s parties and fireworks. Examples of calming supplements for pets include CBD oil, chamomile, valerian root, lavender, probiotics, and L-Theanine. For more information on the top-rated calming aids for pets, click here. 

Looking For A Pet Sitter?

Do you or someone you know need a pet sitter? Then look no further than ParaMount Pet Care! We are the leading pet care professionals in the Luzerne County area. All of our sitters are insured, bonded, trained in pet CPR & first aid, and dedicated to caring for your pets. We offer a wide variety of pet sitting services such as in-home pet sitting, routine dog walking, overnight stays, and more! Click here to see all of our services! Click here to become a client today or give us a call at 570-814-1037. We look forward to hearing from you soon!