ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Many pets get lost trying to escape the sound of fireworks. Officials are urging pet owners to be mindful of this and do their part in keeping their furry friends safe.
“It’s just an unnatural and not a common sound and experience for them so it can be quite startling," said Tracie Felkel, the shift lead of emergency and specialty services at SCVets.
Although many people enjoy the sights and sounds that come with Fourth of July fireworks, experts say the noise could cause stress for your pets. Felkel says this time of year is a chaotic one for her clinic. She says many dogs run into the street and end up getting hit by cars.
Cindy Smith of the Second Chance of Orangeburg Animal Rescue says she's seen this happen often.
“The only thing on their mind is they have to get away from the noise. The noise is scaring them and they have to run fast and far. Dogs have gone through glass windows, they’ve broken through doors. They’ve jumped high fences and they’re mindless," said Smith.
Felkel says depending on the extent of the pet's injury or illness, this could result in medical bills up to several thousand dollars. This is why experts advise to make sure all windows and doors are securely closed. They also suggest to make sure pets have a safe place to hide.
“Kind of find them a quiet place you know a bathroom or someplace quiet and dark that you can set them up like in their kennel necessarily or some place covered up maybe playing some music to kind of drown out some of the noise," said Felkel.
They say fireworks safety for pets continues after the fireworks are finished and to make sure you are cleaning up any debris in your yard.
“Firework debris, there are some dogs that will eat anything they find in their yard. The bottle rocket remains, the ash, the metal sticks. They will eat it, they will have perforations in their abdomen, they will poison themselves," said Smith.