How to care for your dogs for the 4th of July Weekend

Published 2:16 pm Friday, July 4, 2025

Fireworks to a human means celebration and something to look forward to, while for a dog it can be totally opposite. Dogs have a much more sensitive ear than humans. According to The American Kennel Club, humans typically hear between 20 Hertz and 20,000 Hertz, while dogs can hear sounds up to 50,000 Hertz.

Dr. Nicole Ferriss at Gill Bright Animal Hospital has some advice for those with dogs throughout the holiday weekend.

“Most of the time the main trigger is just the loud noise because when you compare dogs and how well they can hear versus humans, they can hear significantly more than humans so anything that’s loud for us is super loud for them,” Ferriss said.

She also gave advice on some coping mechanisms for your fur babies as well. She said calming chewables and medications such as Trazodone or Gabapentin are good as needed for events like 4th of July or New Year’s Eve where fireworks are a main concern. The medications can be given by your family veterinarian. She said the medications are not terribly expensive either for those concerned about price.

“The medications are around $20, if that’s not affordable for you at this time then the calming chews are a good option,” she said.

You can find various chewable bites at locations including Target, Petco, PetSmart, Amazon and sometimes Sam’s Club. The ingredients in these calming bites usually contain chamomile and melatonin. Ferriss recommends name brands such as; Zesty Paws, Vet IQ Health and Wellness and Pet Honesty. She also mentioned the ThunderShirt, a velcro jacket for your dogs to put on and it mimics a hug to make your dog feel more comfortable.

“The jacket doesn’t work for all dogs because the velcro noise can be loud and that scares some of them, it all depends on the individual dog itself, same for the chewables,” she said.

“Some dogs will go and find a secluded space, like a bathroom or a closet, areas of the house that usually don’t have doors or windows, you can always try to bundle them up in a blanket to keep them comfortable, it all depends on the dog and how far away the fireworks are,” she said.

Ferriss recommends keeping your dogs and cats inside during fireworks if possible, that way if they do get scared they don’t run off. Gill Bright Animal Hospital will be open until noon on Friday, July 4 and all day Saturday, July 5.

Dr. Nicole Hustead at the Lake Area Animal Hospital also recommends the anxiety medications as well as needed. The Hospital carries a calming collar and also calming shoes if you are interested in purchasing for your dogs. You must be a client to purchase.

She also gave some at home remedies to try as well.

“You can put cotton balls in their ears and you can also put them in their crate and cover the crate with a blanket to form a den that can help make them comfortable,” Dr. Hustead said.

Dr. Hustead would like for owners of dogs to always consider their dogs in advance when it comes to fireworks and prepare to make sure they are taken care of.