PDSA urges owners to take action to keep pets safe and stress-free
Leading vet charity PDSA has found 7.3 million cats and dogs* (34% of cats and 40% of dogs) are afraid of fireworks, leaving the nation’s pets anxious and miserable throughout the firework season. The PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report, the largest report of its kind, which is produced annually with YouGov, revealed that 40% of owners of dogs (3.6 million) reported their pets are afraid of fireworks.
In light of this, PDSA has put together a FREE downloadable guide – packed with useful advice and tips – to help our four-legged friends cope better with fireworks:
“Our latest Report also found that fear of fireworks was the second most common ‘problem behaviour’ dog owners would like to change with 23%*** owners (equating to 2.3 million dogs) reporting it as a top concern. Pets have sensitive hearing, so a sudden loud noise to us can be utterly terrifying to them, particularly as they don’t understand the source of the loud bangs and bright flashes. When they become scared, their first instinct can be to run from the danger, which means they could easily go missing, putting them at risk of road accidents, getting lost or being injured”
The charity is urging owners to prepare for fireworks season – which can last for weeks and is quickly followed by Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year celebrations potentially exposing our pets to a long period of suffering.