Tips to get your pet through the Fourth of July noise

The Fourth of July can be a challenging time for pets. They can be extremely sensitive to all the bombs bursting in air.

The Nebraska Humane Society's Pam Wiese offers some help.

Dogs don’t care for the flashes and booms and their hearing is 25 percent better than ours.

Every year, the Humane Society sees dogs and cats that have run terrified during fireworks.

This Fourth of July, keep your pets safe by keeping them indoors. No matter how social your dog is, don't take them to places where fireworks are displayed.

Combine the scary noise, lights and crowds and your normally happy canine might go berserk.

Instead, a quiet basement or interior room provides some insulation from the noise and is also usually less trafficked.

Give your pet his crate, a box or open closet door and put his bed inside. This will provide a safe den for both dogs and cats.

Don't forget the favorite toys. Turn on a fan, a soft radio or low television to muffle the sound further and provide normal noise your pet is used to hearing.

Make sure everyone is wearing updated ID tags so if they do bolt, you can get them back.

Herbal remedies like Feliway for cats or Comfort Zone for dogs are non-narcotic pheromones that can calm your pet.

Plug-ins, collars and sprays all work. Rescue Remedy is an oral herbal that can also help your pet relax.

Thunder shirts come with a money-back guarantee. They go on like a jacket and provide the same comfort as swaddling a baby does but you want to get one now and start using it immediately so your pet gets used to it by the Fourth.

Above all else, have patience and remember that this is going to be over soon.