18/10/2026
🎆 **Helping your pets through firework season** 🐾
With **Bonfire Night on Thursday 5 November**, and fireworks often taking place on the days and weekends around it, now is a good time to prepare—especially if your pet found last year difficult.
Shaking, panting, pacing, hiding, becoming unusually clingy or trying to escape can all be signs of fear. Some pets show their distress more quietly, so changes in their usual behaviour are worth paying attention to.
🏡 **What can you do at home?**
• **Create a comfortable hiding place now**, somewhere quiet with familiar bedding, so your pet has time to get used to it. Let them choose where they feel safest.
• **Walk dogs before dark** and keep cats safely indoors when fireworks are expected, with access to a litter tray.
• **Close windows and curtains**, and use familiar TV or music at a comfortable volume to help soften the noise.
• **Offer reassurance if your pet wants it.** It’s fine to comfort them, but don’t force them out of a hiding place or punish them for being frightened.
• **Check that doors, gates and fences are secure**, and that microchip contact details are up to date in case they escape.
💙 **Some pets need more support**
Calming supplements may help some animals as part of a wider plan, but they won’t be enough for every pet.
**If your pet becomes very frightened, or calming measures haven’t helped enough before, we can also prescribe medication to help manage their fear and anxiety**, following a veterinary assessment. The most suitable approach will depend on their health, previous reactions and any medication they already take.
Please speak to us in advance so there is time to choose the right support. If your pet was very distressed last year, you don’t need to wait for it to happen again before asking for help.
Longer-term behaviour support can also help pets cope better with future firework seasons. 🐾
