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My dog is scared and shaking after fireworks. How can I help?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Manchester Terrier(Toy) | Female | spayed

I have a dog who is acting out of her normal since the fireworks last night.she wont eat,drink, and she is still shaking.she has slept all day.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on July 5th, 2016

Poor Bella! She was probably really frightened by the fireworks. She is probably still anxious that there will be more of those loud sounds. I would monitor her for now. She hopefully should return to her normal self in a day or two. I'd let her sleep, as she probably didn't get much sleep last night. In the meantime, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety. If she isn't back to her normal self in a day or two, I'd take her into your vet for a health exam.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

    Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

    Published on

    Poor Bella! Fireworks can be very hard on some dogs. It may take her a few days to relax and calm down now that the noise has stopped. You can help her by keeping to your daily routine as much as possible, and you can also offer special treats like chicken and rice for dinner instead of her regular food to encourage her to eat. Calming supplements like Zylkene or Composure Pro may also help - these can be purchased at many pet stores or ordered online without a prescription. If you are not seeing improvement within the next 2-3 days, I would recommend talking to your vet - if needed, he/she can prescribe some stronger anti-anxiety medication to help her relax.

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I suggest you give her some more time, until tomorrow, to calm down. You may want to leash walk your dog a little bit, so that she notices that there is no more fire crackers. If she is still very upset tomorrow, then take her to a veterinarian, who can prescribe a medication such as Valium which should take the anxiety, at the same time examine her and rule out other problems that may cause her to behave like that.

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