How can I protect my pet from fireworks on Bonfire Night? The Yorkshire Vet’s Peter Wright explains

Fireworks have become a growing concern for pet owners across the country and with good reason.

Dogs, cats and many other domestic animals don’t react well to the sounds and flashes of fireworks on Bonfire Night - or any other night of the year.

As such owners must take careful steps to ensure the safety of their pet, these steps have been outlined by none other than The Yorkshire Vet himself, Peter Wright.

With more than 40 years of experience under his belt, Peter knows how fireworks impact the stress levels of these animals and the best way to comfort them ahead of Bonfire Night.

There has been ongoing debate whether fireworks should continue from pet owners and local residents alike. Peter told The Yorkshire Post about his concerns over fireworks and his tips for owners on how to minimise the negative impact they have on pets.

“My concern is that fireworks are becoming an all-year-round phenomenon where they’re not just let off on Bonfire Night but they use them at weddings and other celebrations now, so it has become a major issue,” he said.

“It’s fair to say that some dogs will cope with it reasonably well but they are the minority and the majority of them are affected by loud bangs, flashes of light. You see this with dogs and thunderstorms as well - they’re absolutely petrified and of course on Bonfire Night it’s just a nightmare for them.

“Firework displays, I think, should be limited so that throughout the year our animals shouldn’t have to put up with the sort of stress that they create. It does concern me, I must say.

“I just think that people need to consider the effect these actions are having on the animal population. Personally, if you want to have Bonfire Night fireworks, have it on one night of the year, but maybe I’m just being a spoilsport.”

How can I protect my pet from fireworks on Bonfire Night?

But since fireworks continue to be a method of celebration for events such as Bonfire Night, there are ways in which owners can comfort and protect their pets in preparation.

Peter suggests taking your dog for a long walk during the day before dusk, helping to tire out your pet by the evening: “Hopefully they’ll curl up and go to sleep,” he said.

“The other thing is, close the curtains to keep the sight of these flashes away from them. If you’ve got thin curtains, as some people do, I would actually go to the lengths of putting an old blanket or a thick sheet over the window as well in the room that they’re staying in, so that they don’t have to visualise the flashes.

“The other thing you can do is put the television on; they cope very nicely with the television and all that entails. Put the telly on, ideally with loud music or even a western which dogs cope well with.

“Better still, what they could do to take their pets' minds off [the fireworks] is to put an episode of The Yorkshire Vet on - I would say that wouldn’t I?”

Peter also suggests owners distract their pets with their favourite toy, favourite chews or a squeaky toy.

While some people have indoor cages and kennels, Peter has suggested a makeshift shelter in their sitting room to help shield them from the flashing lights and noises.

“Some people have indoor cages or kennels in their sitting room and I would recommend putting them in there,” he said.

“Even if they haven’t, what they can do is drape a blanket over the table so that they can get out of the way of these horrible noises and just put them in there with their favourite chew toys. But if they don’t want to go in the kennel or under the table don’t force them because all that’s going to do is increase their stress levels.

“Youngsters often enjoy playing with them, so you could get on your hands and knees and have a good game with plenty of rewards and treats again just to take their minds off what’s going on.”

Peter warns owners never to go out during the fireworks and leave them.

“They get more petrified - stay home with them and reassure them. Also it’s really important that you don’t get stressed yourself because if you get stressed for whatever reason, our pets pick up on that,” he said.

“You can plan ahead too. In practice, over the years, you have loads of Diazepam tablets which are quite safe over short periods of time. A dose of diazepam can reduce anxiety and that works in some cases. But obviously that means taking them to the vet, while what I’ve mentioned so far, you can do at home.

“The other thing you can get are these programmes through animal behaviourists that desensitise them to noise, so basically these are like CDs with noises on or the noises that could upset them and by using the programme on the CDs you can get them used to these sounds that worry them.”

According to Peter, these are the signs owners should avoid and look out for which reveal how terrified their pets are: They’re ears go back suggesting their discomfort, panting, restlessness, trembling or attempting to run away.

“At that stage it’s much more difficult to calm them down, so it’s better to prevent their stress. A lot of dogs do suffer to a great degree on Bonfire Night,” Peter said.

“All year round, cats love to keep themselves to themselves; they don’t like being disturbed, so I would recommend keeping them inside, even if it means shutting the catflap.

“Let them have a hiding place to get to which is nice and quiet and again try to find a place for them that’s away from the loud bangs and flashes. Hiding places include shelves, you know cats love to sleep on top of the wardrobe or on a shelf somewhere.

“If they are getting stressed, don’t make it worse by pulling them out of their favourite place, just leave them where they are. But if they do go out, make sure they are microchipped because sometimes if cats are traumatised they will just run and keep running and at considerable distances they could get lost.”

Microchipping has a number so that if a cat gets lost, a vet or an animal welfare organisation can identify the name and address of the owner of the cat.

Other animals who can be heavily impacted by the fireworks are rabbits and horses.

Peter advises rabbit owners who leave them outside in a hutch to make sure the hutch is covered to reduce the sounds of the bangs and impact of the flashes and to give them one-off treats.

Same can be said for horses who should be kept in their stable and for owners to lock the top of the stable door.

The Yorkshire Vet star admits that there isn’t enough awareness over how farmers could protect their animals from fireworks.

“It’s something that we don’t usually consider, but I think we should do because I’m sure farm animals do get stressed by fireworks, some more than others I’ve got to say,” he said.

“I would say keep all animals as far away as possible from where the [Bonfire Night firework] activities are. I don’t think housing them is a particularly good idea as they don’t like being kept inside.”

You can catch the next episode of The Yorkshire Vet on October 11 at 8pm on Channel 5.