Memorial Day Pet Safety Tips

Memorial Day Pet Safety Tips

Memorial Day weekend is almost here, so here are some Memorial Day pet safety tips to help your four legged friend get through the weekend celebrations. This is the time when family and friends get together and enjoy good times, tasty barbecue, and maybe some fireworks as well. It’s a wonderful time for people to celebrate and have fun, but unfortunately not all dogs enjoy these events like we do!

Indoors Is Best

Even if your dog is accustomed to being outside, the extra stress of company and fireworks may be enough to scare him and possibly cause him to try to run away. A good Memorial Day pet safety tip is to find a quiet room at the far end of your house away from all the noise and activities, and set up the room for him so he can be comfortable and separated from the party guests. Make sure he has food and fresh water, his favorite bed or blanket and maybe a few of his favorite toys or treats to keep him busy. You may also want to turn on the television or radio to keep him company, and this will also help block out some of the loud sounds of the guests or fireworks.

Watch What Your Dog Eats

Most likely your dog will have you and your guests completely convinced that he needs some extra helpings of that barbecue chicken, those yummy baked beans or creamy potato salad, but it’s best if you let your buddy stick with his regular doggie diet. Foods like onions, grapes and raisins, caffeine, chocolate and, of course, alcoholic beverages are all bad for him and many of these festive foods may actually upset his stomach or, even worse, make him sick. Memorial Day celebrations almost always include barbequing steaks, ribs and other meats and chances are good that there will be left over bones. An important Memorial Day pet safety tip is to make sure your dog doesn’t have access to any of these leftovers, since he could choke on the bones or they could become lodged in his digestive tract. Once you’ve disposed of the leftovers safely in a trash bin, move the trash to an isolated area where you know your dog cannot reach it.

Outdoor Safety

Along with the warmer weather that we’re having, flies and other insects are now more prevalent. If you decide to use insect repellent on your dog, check that it is specifically labeled safe for dogs; some insect repellents contain DEET which is not safe for use around animals and can potentially cause neurological problems. Also, keep all fireworks away from your pets; even unused fireworks can pose a danger since many of them contain potentially toxic substances.

Go For A Walk?

One of the best things you can do is to take your dog for a long, energetic walk before your guests arrive. You can go for a jog around the neighborhood, or play with your dog in the local dog park. This is a great time to play fetch or practice some agility course maneuvers. When your dog has had plenty of exercise, it’s much more likely that he’ll be relaxed (or hopefully tired!) so that should help ease some of his anxiety or worries about the Memorial Day festivities.

Traveling to Visit Others

If you are planning to celebrate Memorial Day at another location such as a family member’s house or friend’s house, it’s best to leave your dog at home. If you really need to bring your dog with you, make sure he has access to plenty of fresh water and never leave him in the car alone. Keep your dog with you at all times (preferably on a leash) and make sure he has a collar with proper identification tags in case for some reason he becomes separated from you.

Relax…

You may consider giving your dog RelaxForm, which is an all natural herbal formula that works to help keep your dog calm during stressful events such as holidays, crowds and fireworks. Wishing everyone a very safe and happy Memorial Day weekend and let us know if you have any Memorial pet safety tips you’d like to add below!