Mary Allen
On the night of December 31 to January 1, we celebrate the arrival of the new year and want to drive away from the evil spirits of the past months with rockets and firecrackers. What is common knowledge for us is, for most animals, primarily one thing: stress. While some animals simply retreat, others panic as soon as lightning and strikes are heard outside. We’ve put together a few tips to help your four-legged friends meet the New Year as tolerantly as possible.
How Do I Know If My Pet is Experiencing Stress and Fear?
Dog and cat owners usually notice right away if something is wrong with their pet. Some animals show more stress, others less – after all, every dog and cat is different. Signs of fear in dogs include dilated pupils, heavy breathing, a pinched tail, large ears, and a restless gait. Many animals hide, do not want to go out and tremble. Appetite also decreases and treats are no longer accepted. Cats, on the other hand, can lose their instinct to play and exhibit protective behavior towards humans and other cats.
If your pet is so panicky on New Year’s Eve that you really worry that something will happen to him, you should definitely contact your veterinarian. There are also many herbal remedies that can help your four-legged friend get through the night well, such as Bach flower drops.
Create a Relaxed Atmosphere
Make your four-legged friend as comfortable as possible at home: close the windows and darken the room with shutters and curtains and give the animal a cozy place. Low background noise from TV or music distracts from popping outside. Your best bet is to see how your fur nose reacts: some animals are already overwhelmed by background noise, so music as an additional noise source can be counterproductive.
Of course, you should be close to your animal on New Year’s Eve, especially if it reacts very anxiously to popping. However, you should not over-indulge your chosen one. If the dog is very afraid, and then it is stroked and calmed a lot, for it it means that something is actually wrong, because otherwise, the owner would behave calmly. Even if it’s difficult: Be close to your loved one, but behave normally, calmly, and confidently and thereby give your animals a sense of security so as not to increase the fear. You are the owner of the situation and everything is in order – this is what helps your frightened four-legged friend the most.
Of course, dogs should also go out on New Year’s Eve on their own business. This is where you need to make sure that you keep your dogs on a leash. No matter how calm your four-legged friend is: many people start their firecrackers during the day, and a loud explosion can scare the dog so much that it runs away in panic. Therefore, you should always make sure that your chosen one has an address tag attached to the collar. If it comes off, potential finders will know who owns the fur nose. Cats should be kept indoors whenever possible. Even on the days following New Year, your dogs should remain on a leash to avoid colliding with broken glass or debris.
Small and Wild Animals Must Also Be Protected
Even those who keep small animals like birds or hamsters need to take precautions because loud popping and lightning can even scare babies to death. Be sure to cover the cage with a cloth and place it in the quietest place. The same applies here: darken the room as much as possible and protect it from extraneous noise.
Not only for pets but also for wild animals, as well as animals in zoos, an explosion is absolute stress. Sudden pops awaken the birds from sleep, they fly through the air in panic and in fear soar to heights that they would never have reached otherwise. And this is very dangerous: stress and physical activity force the birds to expend the already very meager reserves of energy. In addition, animals can become disoriented due to the fog of blasters and the blaze of rockets and thus run into buildings or vehicles and cause fatal accidents.
Doing Good Instead of Spending Money
Instead of spending money in the literal sense of the word, you could, for example, donate it to animal shelters or animal welfare organizations and do something good with it. A glass of champagne in a circle of loved ones and a couple of multi-colored serpentines will do the same at midnight – domestic and wild animals will be grateful to you for this. In this sense: Happy New Year!