Pets at risk from July 4th fireworks

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Fourth of July fireworks can be stressful for pets prompting Albuquerque Animal Welfare to offer suggestions on how to keep your critters calm and what to do if they run away.

Albuquerque Animal Welfare, a branch of the city government, released this statement:

During the long July 4th weekend, your family or your neighbors may be using fireworks to celebrate the holidays. But for your pets, those few days may be anything but a celebration.
In fact, July 4th can be one of the most dangerous and stressful times of the year for pets, especially this year, because the holiday stretches over several days. The noise often drives pets, especially if left outside and unattended, to run away.

“We have a higher volume of stray animal calls and a higher volume of barking complaint calls on July 4th than on almost any other night of the year,” says Capt. Albert Marquez of Animal Welfare’s Field Services Division.

The noise of fireworks, often into the early morning hours, can stress cats and dogs into running away.

Dr. John Romero, Associate Director of Animal Welfare and a veterinarian, advises that once the fireworks start in earnest, “you should keep your pets inside and to some extent busy. Give them something to chew on or play ball with them.”

If your pet gets especially stressed, he recommends you ask your veterinarian for some sort of medical help to calm your pet down.

With the holiday weekend stretching into the beginning of the week for many people, kennel workers are expecting an unusually high amount of stray pets into the Eastside and Westside shelters on the mornings of July 3rd, 4th and 5th. Should your pet get lost and end up at either shelter, Animal Welfare wants to expedite the process.

If your pet already has a microchip, a license and is spayed or neutered, he or she will be returned to you free of charge. Owners will not be charged a reclaim fee. All they have to do is pick up their lost pets at the shelter.

“That’s why it’s so important to have your pet spayed or neutered and microchipped,” says Barbara Bruin, Director of Albuquerque Animal Welfare, “because this is a quick, effective way to reunite pets with their owners.”

If your pet turns up missing during the weekend, please check Albuquerque’s Eastside or Westside shelters immediately. Or you can get help by dialing 311.

Animal Welfare reminds pet owners to always spay or neuter their pets, to help control the stray pet population. More spaying and neutering means fewer pets have to populate the shelters.