The short answer? They don’t. Animals have such intense hearing that these type of very abnormal sounds that actually wreck havoc on us as well, aren’t conducive to a good time for most animals. Sure, some are trained and desensitized to reacting to these sounds so that they can navigate the human world of dissonant sounds so they remain confident as well as safe. That’s a good thing! However, there are other culprits magnifying this for our animals today. By the way, this all holds true for us as well.
When I was growing up a long, long time ago in a galaxy far away, fireworks happened on July 4th and New Years Eve only. Not two weeks prior or all summer as they seem to do nowadays. Also, the illegal fireworks that come out of other countries weren’t so prevalent either and people were actually fined for shooting them off. Nowadays it seems the noise goes on all day and night for days prior and after the said holiday. That leaves not only the animals extremely stressed that just can’t cope with these bomb-like sounds, but also the humans who need to try to console and deal with their pets’ fear. This doesn’t even account for what happens to the wildlife that live in our midst. In my high-desert neighborhood we still have a multitude of wildlife that include quail, burrowing owls, coyotes, rabbits, etc. This can leave the baby animals abandoned by their parents and other such tragedies. Not to mention the very veterans who have fought in real wars with these sounds that can send them into PTSD and worse.
Now that I live with a very noise-reactive dog, these holidays have become a burden rather than a blessing. It reminds me of when I was in school studying naturopathy of how many of the original naturopaths came to our calling because of their own or family members health challenges that conventional medicine wasn’t helping at all. Well I’ve arrived at this point because of my Carolina Dog, Ezra. To say it’s a pain point would be an understatement. What my very good friend Bre told me when we first got Ezra (she’s a dog trainer and a very good one at that), is that he’s not giving you a hard time, he’s HAVING a hard time! If you want to know more about Ezra’s story just go to his category on this blog, “The Chronicles of Ezra.” Just for a short review, he came to live with us at age 9 1/2 weeks. He was totally naturally reared. No jabs, no kibble, no pesticides, etc. So what could it be? Epigenetic damage. He was first generation naturally reared just as was my Great Dane Meshach. So people may say, well that didn’t work did it? We MUST start somewhere. Meshach was and Ezra is in my life for a purpose.
Another BIG contributor to so many people and animals having trouble these days is electrical magnetic fields or simply called EMFs. Since I’ve written on this so much, I’ll simply share a few links for you to follow up. Also, do your own DIGGING so you can find more treasures to assist you in this journey to total wellness for your dog and yourself.
- EMFs and ALL That Jazz!
- EMFs and Our Dogs’ Health
- Dances With Dogs
- The Vagus Nerve and Your Dog’s Health
SOLUTIONS I HAVE TRIED AND USE
With Ezra, I do use essential oils daily. The two I’ve found that help him the most is Rutavala and also White Light both by Young Living of course since those are the only essential oils I use. Sadly the White Light is only available sometimes at Christmas. I set up a Wishlist Calming Oils list to make it easy for you to check out.
We (my husband and I) have used C*B*D – I use the Calm Roll-On by Young Living (see wishlist), and also one created specifically for dogs by Barks and Whiskers. We’ve used treats made with this also. I’ve used flower essences. I recently learned of Sound Essences that I have not tried yet but need to. A flower essence brand I just now also learned about may be something for us to try https://www.freedom-flowers.com/peace-for-pets-flower-essence/ – she is friends and works with the Sound Essences creator, Del Hungerford.
Ezra reacts to most loud sounds not just fireworks: big trucks going down our dirt road (like garbage or delivery trucks), thunder, and other not so loud sounds like washing the patio off with a hose nozzle (not a power hose, just a regular one), our dishwasher (which we don’t use often as we mostly hand wash – we didn’t have a dishwasher for 16 years so we got used to that), even when we turn on our A/C or in winter our central heat. He’s okay once they’re on, it the actual “turning on” that gets to him. We use magnetic mats in the dog beds and a magnetic collar for Ezra, you name it we’ve tried it. What is THE Solution. I’ve come to ONE conclusion: Divine Healing. That’s a topic all on its own that I’ll cover as God leads me. You can easily find all of these solutions either through the links I’ve provided or most likely on Amazon or other online retailers.
I do pray over Ezra every day (and King too of course). A friend does audio healing through music so she helps me with that for Ezra and King. The dogs really like the music too. We play WholeTones Music daily. Still, what I end up doing every year is sleeping on a mat on the floor with Ezra during the worst of it all. I use the hemp oil and YL oils. I sing to him – how that could calm him I’ll never know lol. Last year after taking one of the treats by Kradle My Pet, he fell sound asleep next to me, while I lay awake until it all stopped around 2AM. I don’t like all the ingredients in those pet treats but I’ll use them again this year just for that day/night. Maybe I should eat one LOL!
Please imagine what it must be like for them and for their humans if your dogs don’t have this issue. Our former Neo Mastiff Shadrach, the reason I began blogging and podcasting in fact, didn’t mind any of it. He would lay out and watch the fireworks with us. We had to drag him inside during thunderstorms hahaha. He was just so calm about most things. He was a different dog and breed. Ezra’s breed still have wild traits that haven’t been bred out of them. He has truly needed more than we could ever give him. Still, here we are nearly four years later – his birthday is on July 23rd. As you read a couple of the articles above you’ll learn even more what contributes to this. I just wanted to keep this post shorter with the message to please be considerate of these things. There really isn’t a need to blast booming fireworks all night. If you need to do that, then consider going to a city sponsored event instead. So many animals end up dead or in shelters as a result of this holiday that was originally intended to be about Freedom. That seems to be an elusive thing these days! I hope this helps you with things you may not have tried yet. Also be sure your dog has really good exercise to keep him/her calmer during this NOT calm, stressful time!!
For the veterans: Freedom Blend by YL and also the Freedom Kit! Learn more about Young Living Essential Oils.
Lastly here is an article that covers some other things I didn’t mention: Fourth of July Fear Factor.
Until next time…
Have a PAWSitively, tail waggin’, NATURALLY CALM Day!
Kim Bloomer, V.N.D., N.D. is an animal naturopath as well as being certified in small animal nutrition, with years of experience in animal wellness. Dr. Kim is a published author, writer, and blogger. Subscribe to her DOGgone Newsletter for updates or to her blog via email. Copyright ©2005-2024 Aspenbloom Pet Care, Dr. Kim Bloomer, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the Author/Publisher. This article is intended to be educational. However, it is not intended to be a substitute for diagnosis or treatment from a qualified animal health professional. Dr. Kim Bloomer and Aspenbloom Pet Care, do not assume any legal responsibility for misuse of the products discussed in this article. The only essential oils referenced on this website are Young Living.
