Rainy Day Precautions for Your Pet!

With the gorgeous weather that spring brings, it also brings lots of rain showers. As much as your dog loves to jump in the mud after the shower, there are a few things you can do to make sure that your pet doesn’t get wet or frightened during the storm.

Have a Dry Shelter for Your Pet- If your pet likes to roam outside, a rain storm is not the time to do it! And if your pet is outside in a dog house or a shed, during a storm—it is also a good idea to bring them inside. Some pets are scared of the actual storm and need some extra loving through the entirety of the storm.

Spending a Little More Time with Them- Your pet is most likely to run, have fun, and use the bathroom outside. But when they are cooped up inside all day, they need a little bit of extra care, and attention. Your pet probably has no idea what the reason is for being held inside, but they might try and go insane trying to figure it out! You can cuddle, and play with toys with them to keep them from being scared from the storm/thunder or lightening.

Because Lightning and Thunder are Scary- To humans lightning and thunder are scary, but when a pet sees a huge bolt of light or a loud sound—they get even more scared. Certain pets will even develop a phobia of lightning and thunder. If your pet seems that they are extremely scared of the noise or the flashes of light, make sure that they are in an enclosed area. A bathroom or a laundry room is a great place to keep your pet—with the lights on, of course! Also, a lot of pets feel very safe in a crate. You can also hold them when a storm is occurring, and your arms will make them feel safe and at home.

Acclimate Your Pet to the Storm- There are such loud noises associated with storms, you can always try to acclimate your pet to noise. You could play a CD with thunderstorm noises for your pet, on a constant basis. Also, you could tap or hit certain items that make loud noises. Using a drum, clanging metal cans, crumpling up aluminum foil or banging a metal pan to create loud noise continuously throughout the pet’s life is a good idea. These man-made loud noises will accustom your pet to loud, boisterous sound, and will hopefully make your pet feel comfortable when a storm hits.

If none of these tips help your pet and their anxiety or phobia of storms, we recommend seeing a veterinarian to help ease your pet’s problem. Center Pet wants you and your pets to have a safe spring season, rain or shine!