Fireworks and Your Pets - Important Info
Thanks to Carlyle Vets post on facebook for this.
It's Guy Fawkes time once again and sales will begin on 2 November, 3 days prior to Guy Fawkes Day. From our pets point of view it's good that sales are now only restricted to 3 days prior.
Many dogs and some cats develop a fear or anxiety response to fireworks and we now find it is the high pitched squealing sound that some skyrockets make which seems to be almost worse than the now banned crackers.
There are a number of behavioral modification techniques which may be used. - one of which is a CD which has sounds of thunderstorms, fireworks, etc which can be continuously played at a low volume, slowly increasing the volume to decrease sensitivity. However, while this is very useful in severe cases it requires a number of weeks to modify the behaviour.
Tips for owners – please share this with all your contacts and friends
• Provide a safe secure indoor space.
• Reduce visual exposure and muffle sounds – place your pet in a darkened room or covered cage and play their favourite music, play a radio talk show, or turn on the TV.
• Owners should remain calm and provide quiet reassurance, avoid inadvertent reinforcement of anxiety by excessive treat giving or making a fuss.
• Microchip your pet to assist in them being reunited with you if they do run off and become lost.
• Ensure the effects of sedation medication are completely worn off before allowing your pet outdoors.
Sedation/Anti-anxiety Drugs
Over the years a number of these types of drugs have been used with varying degree of success.
The latest which seems to be very effective in most pets is Alazopram (Xanax) - from the Valium family. This is now our first choice antianxiety medication for Guy Fawkes.
The speed of action is 30-60 minutes so ideally this is given prior to the fireworks when the animal is calm. There is a wide range of dose rates and timing intervals – we usually start in the mid range and adjust from there if more is needed.
If you'd like to try this for your pet, phone us to discuss the pros and cons. We are recommending that if used, it's given from the evening of the 3rd through to the evening of the 5th.
Calming aids:
Please contact us if you wish to discuss any of these measures in more detail, or make a time to see one of our veterinarians who can help evaluate the best solution for your pet.
There are a variety of “Calming Aids” available which may also help your pet remain relaxed during the fireworks week. Some need a longer lead in time to be effective; others work more quickly.
Poll: If we want to reduce speeding, what do you think actually changes driver behaviour? 🛻🚨🚓
In the Post's article on speeding penalties, the question is asked whether speeding fines are truly about road safety, or are they just a way to boost revenue for the Crown?
What do you think? Should speeding motorists receive speeding fines or demerit points?
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37% The sting of a fine (Money talks!)
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63% The threat of demerit points (Nobody wants to lose their license!)
🎉 Riddle me this, legends! 🎉
He/She who makes it, sells it.
He/She who buys it, doesn't use it.
The user doesn't know they are using it.
What is it?
(Shezz from Ngāruawāhia kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Shezz!)
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Nangs- Nitrous Oxide Sold To Our Kids
🚨 HAWKE'S BAY — OUR KIDS ARE AT RISK. IT'S TIME WE STOOD UP.
You've probably seen the empty canisters — on the footpath, at the park, outside the dairy. They're called nangs (nitrous oxide), and right now, they are flooding our community at a frightening rate. Community leaders, police, and Health NZ have already called it an epidemic right here in Hawke's Bay.
So what ARE nangs?
Nangs are large pressurised canisters of nitrous oxide gas, originally designed for whipped cream dispensers, now being sold at dairies and vape stores, and deliberately marketed to our young people. Each big canister contains roughly 300 hits of the gas. When inhaled, the gas deprives the brain of oxygen and can cause:
⚠️ Loss of consciousness — blacking out for 30 minutes or more
⚠️ Permanent nerve damage — numbness, weakness, difficulty walking
⚠️ Permanent brain damage from oxygen deprivation
⚠️ Vitamin B12 destruction — leading to serious neurological harm
⚠️ Fatal car accidents — Nangs have already contributed to road fatalities
Right here in Hawke's Bay, at least two people have already been admitted to the ED with nerve damage in just the past few months. These are our kids. Our whānau. Our neighbours.
Selling nangs recreationally is illegal in New Zealand — it carries up to 2 years imprisonment or a $500,000 fine. [They bypass the law by getting people to complete declarations of what they are going to use it for, with little or no checks on the truthfulness of the declaration]. Yet some local shops are still selling them. That ends now.
💪 HERE'S WHAT WE'RE ASKING YOU TO DO:
1. Find out which local stores are selling nangs — ask around, keep your eyes open
2. Do NOT spend a single dollar in those stores until they stop selling this product to our young people
3. Share this post so every family in Hawke's Bay knows what's going on
4. Talk to your kids about what nangs look like and why they're dangerous
5. Report retailers selling nangs to the NZ Medicines Enforcement team at Medsafe: 0800 444 472
Our community came together after Cyclone Gabrielle. We can come together again. Retailers — we are watching, and we will vote with our wallets. Stop selling nangs, or lose our business. It's that simple.
❤️ Share this post. Tag your friends. Protect our tamariki.
#HawkesBay #NangsNZ #ProtectOurKids #HastingsCommunity #NapierCommunity #SafeHawkesBay
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