Julie Nuttall, Author at Oakhill Vets

NAVIGATING FIREWORK SEASON WITH YOUR PET

Imagine if sudden, deafening explosions erupted without warning, leaving you anxious and fearful. For small animals, especially cats and dogs, this is often what fireworks feel like. With their heightened senses and sensitive hearing, what we consider a loud noise can be an overwhelming, ear-piercing experience for them. For many pets, fireworks lead to stress, fear, and, in extreme cases, trauma or panic-induced bolting. Every year, pets go missing after fleeing in terror during fireworks.

So, how can you tell if your pet is distressed by fireworks? Common signs include trembling, hiding, excessive barking or meowing, drooling, or even uncontrolled urination. These symptoms can be upsetting for owners to witness, but there are ways to minimize these negative effects. Creating a safe environment for your pet during the firework season is crucial.

HOW TO CREATE A SAFE SPACE FOR YOUR PET

Create a comfort zone

Determine which room in your home your pet feels most secure in and turn this into their comfort zone. Add their bed, toys, and perhaps some unwashed clothing with your scent to provide extra comfort. If you need to leave your pet unattended, these familiar items can help soothe them. You can also create a “den” by covering a box or carrier with a towel or blanket, offering a cosy hideaway where they can feel safe.

Sound and light proofing

To muffle the noise, ensure all windows and doors are closed. Playing calming music or white noise can help mask the sound of fireworks. Some radio stations even offer dedicated pet channels, and you can also find pet-friendly firework playlists on streaming platforms. Additionally, close the curtains to block out the flashing lights. Keeping indoor lights on can also make external flashes less noticeable and frightening for your pet.

Stay calm

Pets are incredibly perceptive and can sense their owner’s anxiety. It’s essential to stay as calm and relaxed as possible, offering comfort without reinforcing fearful behaviours. By acting as you normally would, you reassure your pet that there is nothing to fear.

Seek professional help

If the above steps aren’t enough to ease your pet’s anxiety, consult your us. Our vets can recommend treatments, including natural calming remedies, sedatives, or anti-anxiety medications, to help your pet cope with firework-related fears. Even if you’re unsure of what to do, your veterinary team is there to provide guidance, recommendations, and support.

Important Reminder

Never take your pet to fireworks displays or bonfire nights unless absolutely necessary. Fireworks can be incredibly overwhelming for animals, and it’s safer to keep them at home in a familiar environment.

By taking these steps, you can help your pet feel more secure and reduce their stress during the firework season.

GREEN LEVEL INVESTORS IN THE ENVIRONMENT ACCREDITATION FOR OAKHILL VETS!

In 2022, Oakhill Vets embarked on its journey toward accreditation with Investors in the Environment (iiE), a national environmental accreditation scheme. The iiE program is designed to help organisations save time and money, minimise their environmental impact, and gain recognition for their sustainability efforts. The scheme focuses on four key areas of sustainable development: Leadership and Governance, Climate Change, Nature and Natural Resources, and Pollution and Waste.

Vet Lisa, Oakhill’s ‘Sustainability Lead,’ has been spearheading these efforts alongside sustainability champions, the wider staff team, and the directors. After a period of extensive reporting and planning, Oakhill had its second ‘Sustainability Audit’, and we are proud to announce that we achieved Green Level accreditation with an impressive score of 77%, skipping the Silver Level entirely!

To reach the Green Level, we demonstrated continuous improvement by implementing our Environmental Management System (EMS), achieving a minimum 2% efficiency improvement year after year. We have shown measurable success and progress, promoting sustainable development throughout our organisation and value chain while preparing for net-zero emissions and beyond. This includes:

Expanding the scope of environmental initiatives
Managing the environmental impact of work-related travel
Evaluating and greening our supply chain
Setting ambitious carbon reduction goals
Undertaking meaningful sustainability projects
Regularly reporting progress to stakeholders

At the Green Level, our focus has shifted toward broader sustainability efforts across the entire organisation, including sustainable procurement practices and addressing carbon emissions throughout our value chain.

In our audit report iiE said:
“Bronze Level Accreditation was achieved in 2023 by the practice, and although Oakhill Vets was aiming to achieve Silver Level Accreditation in this year’s audit, Green Level has been awarded. This is due to the extensive actions implemented which address usage of all resources, improvement in data collection, and the way sustainability has become embedded to form an integral part of the practice’s business approach. Further, the wider team show passion for changes, actively contributing ideas and taking ownership of sustainability projects in various areas across the practice. Work on projects this year has also been exemplary, and far surpasses the requirements of both Silver and Green Level Accreditation, as well as covering all three project areas: resource use/management, environment, and social/wellbeing.

“The practice has worked hard to establish a strong EMS over the past two years: Oakhill Vets should now seek to build on this in key areas, such as water management and introducing planned actions around travel. The practice is now in a good position to begin work to form an early draft for a long-term plan to clearly illustrate how its Net Zero by 2040 goal will be achieved. In the meantime, data collection should continue to be strengthened now that more reliable sources have been identified, which will support monitoring of performance when working towards the overall Net Zero target.”