The effects of fireworks on your pets!

What is Bonfire Night?

Bonfire Night is a now highly commercialised tradition, signifying the failed attempt of the infamous gunpowder plot by Guy Fawkes in 1605. Both organised and unorganised events take place nationwide where people gather to marvel at the spectacle of bouquets of intense colours adorning the sky, flashing, and fading out accompanied by an exhilarating BOOM! Effigies of the infamous Guy Fawkes are burned on a Bonfire during gatherings, however this traditional element has since taken a backseat, being outshone by the whistling, booming, and flaring of firework displays… in more recent years, pet owners across the world have begun to campaign for something to be done to make the event less taxing on animals.

What are the effects of Fireworks on Pets?

Fireworks produce a fantastic array of eye-catching colours due to chemical reactions brought on after ignition. However, animals, particularly ones we have as pets, have incredibly attuned senses. Given the fact fireworks can produce noises louder than jet planes (100 decibels) and even gunshots (140 decibels) at sounds of up to 190 decibels, not only do they startle and stress our pets but they can even damage their hearing permanently! The effect is not just immediate, with loud noises being a leading cause of anxiety in pets, enough so to account for one-fifth of pet disappearances through running away due to stress, as well as promoting hiding behaviours and nervousness. This can further lead into accidents and even poisoning from the ingestion of harmful chemicals/residues left after fireworks have gone off.

Is there anything we can do to help our pets?

Some alternatives have been suggested to firework displays, such as laser-light shows which satisfy the need to experience intense beams of light torrenting throughout the sky, and of course produce no harsh sounds and cause no distress to cats and dogs. However, some have reported that this impacts negatively on birds and some other wild animals as they too suffer the side effects, the same as our pets. Suggestions were also made to offer soothing drugs to pets, however, consideration of the side effects to this would also have to take place as this could be more harmful in the long term…

A lot of pet owners have come to resort to home made solutions such as covering their pets’ ears with socks/hats. Some even slowly get their pets used to seeing/hearing videos with long video exposure incrementally increasing the volume.

How to keep pets safe on Bonfire Night?

The best way to keep your pet’s safe is to refrain from fireworks. As this would require a universal effort, it would be best to attend large scale organised events in a larger space to minimise the effect in neighbourhood areas where pets are likely to be. It would be advised to keep pets indoors during the night-time, providing walks during the day. Ignoring the sounds yourself and providing safe havens for pets is advised, as well as providing background noise to mask the sounds.