Mike Jones, Woodland West Animal Hospital DirectorWest Tulsa -
A local veterinarian offered some advice Wednesday for helping pet-owners comfort their four-legged friends during fireworks.
Woodland West Animal Hospital Director Mike Jones said the 4th of July can be stressful for pets.
"The biggest thing we always want to say is make sure your pet is in a nice, safe environment," said Jones.
Jones said inside dogs and cats will be more comfortable on their owners' laps.
He suggested turning up TVs and radios to make a little more "normal" noise around the house so the pets don't just hear the booms and the bangs, putting dogs and cats in crates if they are safe zones, covering up the crates to dampen some of the fireworks noise, and moving either the crates or the pets to quieter rooms.
"They make a new thing called a Thundershirt, which is actually an apparatus that goes around the pet's body," Jones said, "but it does stimulate those nerve endings to make them feel like they've been comforted and held."
Jones said that outside pets should not be able to get over, around, or under fences to escape the bangs and booms.
"Try to protect them, keep them in a safe environment, try to make the environment quieter, and then try to comfort them as much as you can," Jones said.
Woodland West Animal Hospital is located at 9380 South Union Avenue in Tulsa.
