Overview
- Veterinary practices are stepping up pre–Bonfire Night outreach, with Stow Veterinary Surgeons Burford contacting clients and urging appointments for anxious pets.
- Vets advise masking bangs with TV or rhythmic music, closing curtains and creating safe hiding places, with cats kept indoors and hutches for rabbits and guinea pigs partly covered with extra bedding rather than moving them inside if unfamiliar.
- Owners are told to stock calming products and seek veterinary advice early for severe noise phobia, as some animals may benefit from prescribed anxiety medication tailored to the pet.
- Dogs Trust has released its Soft Sounds for Dogs playlist to help mask fireworks and is calling for a government review of firework sale and use rules.
- Surveys show gaps in preparedness—Petplan reports 24% of owners take no action—and welfare groups also urge secure homes, microchipping and post-event monitoring to prevent injuries or pets going missing.