Tips on How to Enjoy July 4 With Your Pets

If your dog is nervous about thunderstorms, the Fourth of July can be downright terrifying.

McLean Patch stopped by  the McLean Animal Hospital in downtown to get tips from medical director Dr. Jack Sexton, about how you and your pet can enjoy July 4th:

1. Dogs that have "thunderstorm phobia" also have a fireworks phobia, said Dr. Sexton. So keep them away from fire-spewing, popping fireworks.

2. Dogs fare poorly in high heat and high humidity. Temperature is a big concern coupled with humidity.

3. The problem is exacerbated in dogs with a short snout, like terriers. They  cannot cool their bodies as fast as dogs with longer noses. A dog’s snout is like a radiator, Dr. Sexton said. Greyhounds have long snouts so they can cool their bodies better than a bulldog. Put a short-snouted dog in a backyard on a hot day and you will have a problem after an hour.

4. It's taboo to put a dog in a hot car on a hot day.

5. Be cautious about your dog and picnic food. Hot dogs and hamburgers  can upset some dogs because this is food they do not customarily eat. Keep Fido  away from the picnic table.

6. Cats. Most cats today are indoor cats. They live a more protected environment. We rarely see cats with thunderstorm or firework anxiety, Dr. Sexron said. Cats are too classy to be climbing up to chow down on the hot dogs and hamburgers.