This time of the year is a tough one for many pets – and the people who care for them. Dr. Ashley Keith is the owner of Crossroads Veterinary Clinic in Versailles. He said some dogs and cats are so frightened by loud fireworks people set off to celebrate Independence Day that their owners visit before the 4th of July arrives.
“As far as dogs and cats go, I bet I have written over 100 prescriptions in the last week and a half for sedatives. I used to never have to do that. think part of it is the types of fireworks that they're selling now are those real guttural boom, you know, like mortars, I think they call them.”
Keith said for people who sedate their pets, timing is important.
“The key is to get it in them before they start getting wound up. So, you know, most people are starting, I don't know, eight, nine o'clock, 10 o'clock, when it begins to slowly get dark. So you'd want to medicate them, you know, probably around dinner time.”
Experts say horses are highly sensitive to loud noises and sudden bursts of light and can injure themselves and others when spooked. Horse owners annually ask folks to not set fireworks off near them.
