Nothing beats lounging in the backyard on the Fourth of July with good friends, family, and your pets. While it may seem like a great idea to reward your pets with scraps of picnic food and bringing them along to watch the fireworks, these things can be hazardous to your furry friend.
The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center shares the following tips to that you, and your four-legged friend, can have a safe and fun holiday weekend:
Never leave alcoholic drinks unattended where pets can reach them. If animals drink it, they’ll become very intoxicated and weak, severely depressed, or could go into a coma. They could also have respiratory failure in severe cases.
Keep your pets on their normal diet and don’t feed them a lot of scraps from the grill. Any change, even for one meal, can make your pet severely sick. This is more so for older animals who have more delicate digestive systems.
Don’t feed your dogs foods such as onions, chocolate, coffee, avocado, grapes, raisins, salt, and yeast dough; these foods are toxic to dogs.
Most importantly, never use fireworks around pets! While exposure to lit fireworks can result in severe burns or trauma to the face and paws of curious pets, even unused fireworks can be dangerous.
Pets can become frightened or disoriented by the sound of a crowded fireworks display. If you can help it, resist the urge to take them to Independence Day festivities that involve fireworks. Instead, keep them in a quiet, sheltered, and inescapable area of your home.
Be courteous to your pets, and other people around you, by following these tips. Enjoy your holiday weekend!
