Overview
- Swindon Borough Council issued pet safety advice for Bonfire Night, urging updated microchips, early dog walks, keeping cats indoors and considering quieter fireworks, with vets recommended for highly stressed animals.
- Worcestershire’s Dog Warden Team shared detailed steps to cut escape risk and anxiety, including secure fencing, background noise, safe dens and not leaving dogs alone, with a hotline for missing pets.
- Veterinary clinics in Burford and Bolton launched campaigns contacting clients and offering appointments for personalised plans, with clinicians advising assessments and, for severe noise phobias, possible prescription treatments.
- Vets across the country outlined practical measures such as creating safe havens, closing curtains, using TV or music—including curated playlists—to mask bangs, and providing extra bedding or partial hutch covering for small pets.
- New figures highlighted the scale of the issue, with a Petplan survey reporting 24% of owners take no action and high distress rates across dogs, cats and rabbits, as Dogs Trust presses for a legal review and a Belfast councillor calls for urgent changes to Northern Ireland’s fireworks rules after a reported fatal canine anxiety case.