As many of you know, our dog is called Coqui, she is a little girl adopted in Granada, with character and without fear of people, other dogs... and not the loud noises of firecrackers, storms, etc. We are very lucky because we know that there are many furry people, especially dogs, who are afraid, really panic, of the noise of firecrackers, fireworks and storms. We know this because many of the queries we receive in the Herbalist for Animals. They refer to this topic, above all, days before Christmas, Fallas or San Juan.
Why do our animals suffer so much from this type of noise?
The answer would be that they don't know that it is not something bad, but of course, if you heard a sound as loud as they do and they did not explain why, you would surely be scared too. And the hearing capacity of dogs and cats, for example, is much greater than that of humans. Approximately, we can hear sounds up to 20.000 hertz, dogs up to 50.000 hertz, and cats up to 65.000 hertz.
This fear of such loud noises causes some animals to tremble, gasp, vomit, diarrhea or even tachycardia. And it also generates a desperate impulse to flee, we don't need to remind you of the number of dogs that get lost during firecracker season 🙁
How can we help them overcome their fear or, at least, alleviate their suffering?
“The fear of firecracker noises is often a true phobia and must be treated in advance, above all, through behavioral guidelines,” explains Marta Arroyo, ethologist and canine trainer.
Below we give you a series of tips for panicking at the noise of firecrackers, fireworks, storms, etc. There is always a solution and it doesn't require that much effort, you'll see!
- Do not leave your dog or cat alone at home when you go to see firecrackers, fireworks, etc.
- Close all windows and doors.
- Prepare an area where it can take refuge and stay by its side while the noises are heard.
- Play classical music or other types of relaxing sounds (on Spotify, for example, there are lists with songs for dogs and cats). Get him used to it beforehand so that he doesn't associate it only with times of fireworks.
- Stay calm, if you get nervous, you will increase your furry's distress.
- If the fear is not very high, perhaps you can get your dog or cat's attention by playing something simple with him or her.
- Natural oral pain relievers. To get through the bad news, we can offer you various natural options and we will tell you the dosage. Are herbal remedies and nutritional supplements which can be administered without a veterinary prescription and even if the animal is older or suffers from heart, liver, kidney, epilepsy, etc. diseases. These are herbal mixtures or oils such as CBD. They won't put you to sleep, they will just leave you calmer. Don't worry!
- Many essential oils have a calming effect, which is why we offer you an individualized consultation. Aromatherapy. Of course, we recommend not forcing animals to smell or carry on their fur (never in cats) an odor that they do not accept. You can also learn a very respectful approach such as applied zoopharmacognosy which lets the animal choose the plant, root, etc. that will restore your emotional well-being.
- Flower therapy. Bach flowers tested individually a couple of weeks before can help the animal adapt better to that season of so many noises in the streets. We can offer you Bach flower consultation. Remember that not only dogs or cats can suffer from acoustic stress, but also other domestic animals such as rabbits. For them we also have Bach flowers.
- Learn a technique like Tellington Ttouch based on simple massages and bandages. We can explain the basics to you and we have the elastic bandages that are used. We also offer you a manual that will explain in more detail what this natural technique consists of.
