Scientifically proven to work

As a pet owner and a practicing vet, I am only too well aware of the distress caused to pets every year by fireworks. One of my own dogs, “Raab C” changed from a happy-go-lucky mutt who attended bonfire parties to a shivering wreck – triggered by a cannon-type firework exploding just next door. Since then he has been petrified every autumn. I know from my clients that Raab’s firework phobia is shared by hundreds of my patients ; a distressing situation for owners and pets alike.

For many years, the only recourse we had was sedative and tranquillising drugs. Their use is undesirable, and we cannot sedate our pets for months on end.

We can offer you a strategy that can help reduce your pet’s fears, using a combination of behavioural modification, sound desensitisation, and pheromonatherapy. And this strategy works. A survey of pets treated with our protocol has been published in the vets' scientific journal The Veterinary Record, with further studies in the pipeline.


Behavioural modification

We all want to comfort our pet when frightened. “there’s a good boy, everything will be OK”

What you are actually telling your pet is that it is OK to be frightened. A different approach is required – all explained in the instructions that come with our CD.

Sound de-sensitisation

I have recorded a CD of a bonfire party as it happened, with all the bangs, whizzes, pops and squeaks, some distant, some closer to. The idea is that you play the CD on a regular basis, starting at a very low intensity, increasing the volume over a period of time.

You aim to never upset your pet. Over a number of weeks, your pet will become less responsive to these sounds. Play the CD in the evening when the fireworks are going off and it will also mask the sounds outside.

The Firework Sounds CD can also be used for horses that are afraid of fireworks. In this species, firework phobia can have tragic results. For more details click here

And how about your poor little rabbit sat in his hutch - did anyone remember him when the bangs started? As a 'prey' species like the horse, any loud sound or sudden movement is a threat of being eaten, and therefore is likely to trigger a panic / flee reaction. See the horse section for more on this.

Pheromones

Pheromones are natural chemical messengers, with very powerful actions. In dogs, bitches with pups produce a pheromone from the mammary gland that re-assures pups that the breast area is a safe and comfortable zone.

This effect continues into adulthood. Scientists have isolated the chemical, and produced a product that works via a vapouriser, plugged into an electrical socket.

For more detailed information about the scientific basis of pheromones, and clinical trials performed using them, please click here

How is Raab 4 years after he was desensitized?? Most of the time he is totally unbothered. Sometimes he gets up and listens, and for nearby loud bangs he will yap at them as he would at the window cleaner - showing absolutely no fear or anxiety. We have not even played the CD for 18 months!

Peter Coleshaw BVSc MRCVS
Blue House Veterinary Centre,
71a Congleton Rd,
Biddulph
Staffs ST8 6EF
01782 522100