When you think of New Year’s Eve, you think of oliebollen, champagne and… scared pets. And so these days there is a lot of searching for the best way to calm that dog or cat down a bit. Many owners swear by tranquilizers, while others say they are actually bad. According to veterinarian Ido Ypma, the truth lies in the middle. “Without medication is always best.”
Drops, pills, sweets. These days, tranquilizers for dogs can be ordered in all shapes and sizes. Don’t start, some owners say. That would make dogs far too drowsy, causing them to no longer be able to respond properly, for example, while they would actually want to flee. Resulting in extra panic.
There’s something in it, says Ypma. “Although you mainly saw this with sedatives, which were still prescribed until a few years ago. That has now changed due to legislation and regulations. With those medicines you simply get a different dog. They provide, as it were, a kind of anesthesia. Then you saw a dog, for example, just fall over.”
The drugs that are prescribed today are a lot different in nature. “These are more to suppress fear. Consider, for example, a medicine that is now mainly used for animals with epilepsy. They can also experience some side effects and become a bit rickety. That sometimes gives a strange picture.”
“Shielding in a room with a lot of music and light is best.”
Although according to Ypma it can certainly be a tool, he would first choose other methods. “The difficult thing about medicine is: when do you start taking it? If it were only between twelve and half past one on New Year’s Eve, it wouldn’t be too bad. But you hear those bangs much earlier. Then you start already. days in advance?”
What should you try first? “If it helps, shielding in a room with a lot of music and light is best. The only problem is that dogs often notice the fireworks anyway.” Then there are always the audio recordings of fireworks. “It can certainly help if you train such a dog from an early age. Then they get used to it.”
YOU MAY ALSO FIND THIS INTERESTING:
Curious about what exactly the rules are regarding fireworks? You can read that here