How to help your furry friends stay safe and calm during New Year's Eve fireworks
MIAMI — New Year's Eve is a fun night for many, but the impressive displays of fireworks can be overwhelming for many pets.
Dr. Raul Jimenez cleared out the animals at the Biscayne Veterinary Center Saturday morning but expects it to be full in no time.
"This is the time where we get the majority of emergencies," Dr. Jimenez said.
Whether it's unfamiliar decorations in the house, eating foods they shouldn't, or loud fireworks, holiday time can be dangerous for your pets.
"They might get out of the house, they might go into traffic, they might get hit by a car," he said.
Dr. Jimenez has a list of tips to prevent injury and keep your dog calm, starting with creating a safe space.
"Number one, you want to establish a safe space in the house," he said. "A place where the dog can go or the cat can go and seclude and be happy and familiar with. You can play white noise within that room to muffle sounds from other sources like loud music, poppers, fireworks."
He said exercise is key.
"Give your dog exercise before New Year's Eve is fundamental," he said. "Before the festivities is very important to exercise your dog make sure that he tires at the end of the day before the festivity."
Feed and walk your dog earlier than usual to avoid the heavy fireworks after sundown, and if needed- there's medication your vet can prescribe.
"Medication is very common," Jimenez said. "Medication is obviously a means to decrease the level of anxiety. There's so many medications that we can use to to decrease that."
If your pet does happen to get out of the house, Jimenez said they must be wearing identification and are microchipped.
"One of the most important means to locate your dog is going to be the microchip or identification so the dog we will make sure that we will locate your dog," he said.
Dr. Jimenez said your pets will also be watching you.
"You have to be relaxed because if you do not relax, your dog is not going to be relaxed."
If you do happen to find a lost dog, Dr. Jimenez said that you can bring that dog to any animal hospital where they can scan it for a microchip.