[Volunteer Claudia]

The celebration of our nation's independence may make us feel festive but it doesn't mean the animals in your family feel better. In fact, it can be a very stressful and dangerous holiday for your pets without your diligence as their caregiver. The Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County wants to make sure your pets are kept safe with a few common sense tips to protect your pet during the July 4th festivities:

Fireworks:
-Keep your pets inside or in a secure kennel if you head out to view local fireworks displays. Their sensitive hearing make the extremely loud noises highly stressing to animals. Animals have been known to panic to such an extent that they will bolt from their home and run in terror to avoid the loud noises. Normally calm pets have been known to bite or scratch from the extreme stress they are experiencing during fireworks displays. A common tip is to have a TV on or radio playing soft classical music in the room where the pet is secured so this music washes out the noise of the fireworks. Having the blinds drawn and lights on also help the pet not see the bursts of light from the fireworks outside.

-If you have horses or other livestock, make sure no one is setting off fireworks near your barn or livestock. Fireworks could easily start a fire near a hay storage area or set off a panicked herd through a fence line. Make sure they can focus on eating to help them be distracted from are fireworks displays. Barn lights can be left on to diffuse the bright bursts of light in a dark sky, fans can be blowing on high for noise buffers and a talk radio station may provide the sound of a calming human presence. Have a halter with ID on it for each horse should they still become frightened and escape.

-It is also important for pet owners who will be out of town for the holiday to make arrangements for the care of their animals by a qualified pet/farm sitter with all emergency contact numbers available. Book boarding or pet sitters early!

Holiday Cookouts & Visitors:
-Do not feed pets picnic scraps or bones. Bones (cooked are even more dangerous) can easily break and splinter into sharp pieces, causing blockage and perforation of the intestinal tract. A pet who has any bone lodged in its digestive system may not exhibit any symptoms for one or two days. However, when they do occur, symptoms include loss of appetite, depression, vomiting or diarrhea. Alcoholic beverages and toxic foods such as onions, chocolate, grapes/raisins should be kept out of reach to avoid accidental overdosing, organ damage or potential death.

-Know your pet's temperament. If lots of people are coming over and your pet is not used to parties, lots of noise, is food/toy aggressive, consider placing, them in a quiet part of the house until the guests leave. Conversely, if your pet is a party animal and loves to mingle, be sure to ask your guests not to slip them table scraps and not to bring them to any fireworks show.

Recovery of Lost Pets:
-All pets should have more than one form of ID (collar with a personal tag and a County License tag, a microchip and/or MobiPet ID) on them and an emergency contact numbers in case you are separated. These greatly increase the chances of reuniting a lost pet with its owner.

-The highest number of pets are lost/found the day after the July 4th fireworks due to their attempt to escape the chaos and with no form of ID, they have little chance of being reunited with their owners. Don't make your pet a tragic statistic!

-Should you encounter a lost or found pet, contact the Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County at 352-793-9117 or info@hsspca.org, Sumter County Animal Services at 352-569-1960. Make sure you have a photo of this pet including any specific markings or color patterns along with all your contact information. Create a flyer with the photo and info posting it at all local veterinary offices, groomers, pet supply stores and throughout your neighborhood plus mentioning it to each neighbor so they are all on the alert to help. Social media pages for Lost and Found pets can greatly help reunite your with your pets but the best way is to keep them indoors. MobiPet provides much of this via their program.

The Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County, Inc. (HS/SPCA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-based organization helping all animals in need throughout Sumter County, Florida. Donations directly help to cover the cost of saving, treating, and caring for neglected, abused and abandoned animals. To find out more about the HS/SPCA, visit HOME - Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County, Inc., call 352-793-9117, visit them on Facebook or at their shelter located at 994 CR 529A, in Lake Panasoffkee Mon.-Sat.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by Volunteer Claudia

The celebration of our nation's independence may make us feel festive but it doesn't mean the animals in your family feel better. In fact, it can be a very stressful and dangerous holiday for your pets without your diligence as their caregiver. The Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County wants to make sure your pets are kept safe with a few common sense tips to protect your pet during the July 4th festivities:

Fireworks:
-Keep your pets inside or in a secure kennel if you head out to view local fireworks displays. Their sensitive hearing make the extremely loud noises highly stressing to animals. Animals have been known to panic to such an extent that they will bolt from their home and run in terror to avoid the loud noises. Normally calm pets have been known to bite or scratch from the extreme stress they are experiencing during fireworks displays. A common tip is to have a TV on or radio playing soft classical music in the room where the pet is secured so this music washes out the noise of the fireworks. Having the blinds drawn and lights on also help the pet not see the bursts of light from the fireworks outside.

-If you have horses or other livestock, make sure no one is setting off fireworks near your barn or livestock. Fireworks could easily start a fire near a hay storage area or set off a panicked herd through a fence line. Make sure they can focus on eating to help them be distracted from are fireworks displays. Barn lights can be left on to diffuse the bright bursts of light in a dark sky, fans can be blowing on high for noise buffers and a talk radio station may provide the sound of a calming human presence. Have a halter with ID on it for each horse should they still become frightened and escape.

-It is also important for pet owners who will be out of town for the holiday to make arrangements for the care of their animals by a qualified pet/farm sitter with all emergency contact numbers available. Book boarding or pet sitters early!

Holiday Cookouts & Visitors:
-Do not feed pets picnic scraps or bones. Bones (cooked are even more dangerous) can easily break and splinter into sharp pieces, causing blockage and perforation of the intestinal tract. A pet who has any bone lodged in its digestive system may not exhibit any symptoms for one or two days. However, when they do occur, symptoms include loss of appetite, depression, vomiting or diarrhea. Alcoholic beverages and toxic foods such as onions, chocolate, grapes/raisins should be kept out of reach to avoid accidental overdosing, organ damage or potential death.

-Know your pet's temperament. If lots of people are coming over and your pet is not used to parties, lots of noise, is food/toy aggressive, consider placing, them in a quiet part of the house until the guests leave. Conversely, if your pet is a party animal and loves to mingle, be sure to ask your guests not to slip them table scraps and not to bring them to any fireworks show.

Recovery of Lost Pets:
-All pets should have more than one form of ID (collar with a personal tag and a County License tag, a microchip and/or MobiPet ID) on them and an emergency contact numbers in case you are separated. These greatly increase the chances of reuniting a lost pet with its owner.

-The highest number of pets are lost/found the day after the July 4th fireworks due to their attempt to escape the chaos and with no form of ID, they have little chance of being reunited with their owners. Don't make your pet a tragic statistic!

-Should you encounter a lost or found pet, contact the Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County at 352-793-9117 or info@hsspca.org, Sumter County Animal Services at 352-569-1960. Make sure you have a photo of this pet including any specific markings or color patterns along with all your contact information. Create a flyer with the photo and info posting it at all local veterinary offices, groomers, pet supply stores and throughout your neighborhood plus mentioning it to each neighbor so they are all on the alert to help. Social media pages for Lost and Found pets can greatly help reunite your with your pets but the best way is to keep them indoors. MobiPet provides much of this via their program.

The Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County, Inc. (HS/SPCA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer-based organization helping all animals in need throughout Sumter County, Florida. Donations directly help to cover the cost of saving, treating, and caring for neglected, abused and abandoned animals. To find out more about the HS/SPCA, visit HOME - Humane Society/SPCA of Sumter County, Inc., call 352-793-9117, visit them on Facebook or at their shelter located at 994 CR 529A, in Lake Panasoffkee Mon.-Sat.

Thanks for all that helpful information Claudia. Say hello to Volunteer Susan if she is still there. Susan from CT. Our dog Beau says thanks for the Fourth of July information.