Keeping pets anxiety-free, safe at home on 4th of July

Before heading out for some fun and fireworks this 4th of July, make sure to keep your pets safe indoors to prevent them from suffering with anxiety and escaping home.

With fireworks going off all night, pets can get startled with the loud noises or even from your parties.

El Paso Animal Services recommends keeping your pets indoors in an enclosed room, that way they can’t get loose and any loud noise gets muffled.

You can also leave them comforting toys or put on a thunder jacket on them for anxiety— but here’s what else they recommend:

"Some background noise, whether it's music, whether it's a movie, putting the volume all the way up," said Kristen Gurrola, from the City of El Paso Animal Services.

Otherwise, if your pet gets lost and is without a microchip — it can make it difficult to bring them back home.

They say microchipping your pet is a free and easy solution for a situation like this.

"I think just instinctually, they hear something very loud, they get startled, and they just start running," said Gurrola. "Unfortunately, especially if they don't necessarily have a means to keep them confined or isolated away from all of the noise. And they can get just very nervous, and then they can just run."

If you’re not sure if your pet is microchipped, you can take them to El Paso Animal Services or a fire station to check. If they do have one, make sure the ownership information is all updated.

And if your pet does get very jittery or anxious, they recommend you take them to a vet.