Many pet kennels are already booked for summer holidays, and chances are you’ll be celebrating Independence Day with your four-legged best friends in tow. Did you know more pets go missing on the Fourth of July than any other time of year? Because of this, the cat and dog boarding specialists at All Creatures Inn in Nicholasville, KY, offer some tips to help you keep your family pet safe around summer foods and fireworks. 

How to Keep Your Pet Safe on Independence Day

1. Keep Them Secured Indoors

Rather than letting your cat or dog socialize with your guests, it’s safer to put your pets in a closed room with their bed, water, and food while you have guests over. Consider boarding them in a pet kennel for a day or two. That way they won’t have a chance to dart out the door or run away if fireworks begin or a door is accidentally left open. 

2. Don’t Take Them to Outdoor Festivals

If your dog is frightened by loud noises, you should not take them with you to an outdoor festival. Fireworks can frighten and disorient them too easily. Crowds of people and live music can also make them overly anxious and try to escape to someplace more comfortable. Even if they usually do well in a crowd, the louder environment may startle them.

3. Don’t Make Alcohol Accessible

Alcoholic beverages are toxic to cats and dogs. Make sure you don’t leave drinks unattended within reach of your pet. Ingestion can cause weakness, depression, and respiratory failure.

4. Keep Their Feeding Routines the Same

Changing a pet’s diet in any way can lead to indigestion and diarrhea. Senior pets are particularly sensitive, and their routine feeding schedules help them feel safe and secure. Don’t allow your animals to consume festival foods that might contain dangerous ingredients for them, such as onions, salt, and dough.

5. Make Sure They’re Microchipped

If your pet escapes, a collar and microchip significantly improve your chances of finding them. Collars signal to bystanders than your animal is a pet and not a stray, which makes it more likely they will be picked up and taken to a veterinarian or shelter for ID. A microchip will make it easy to identify the animal as yours.

Residents in Nicholasville, KY, looking for a safe pet kennel can rely on All Creatures Inn for high-quality dog and cat boarding services. They always have a veterinarian on call, and they also offer affordable pet grooming. Their facility offers climate-controlled rooms, large indoor-outdoor runs, and a separate cat area where they can soak up the sun. Call (859) 233-9000 to ask about pet kennel availability, and visit them online for more information about their services.