PORTLAND, Ore — DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital saw a huge spike this weekend - and expects to see more over the next couple days.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, most live fireworks events were canceled this year. So a lot of people in the Portland metro area had their own shows at home - seemingly, more than normal.
That spooked hundreds of pets. And guess where they wound up? Animal hospitals.
The Fourth of July can be one of the busiest holidays at animal hospitals. It spans four days because people set off fireworks a couple days before and after the holiday.
Friday to Saturday alone, DoveLewis saw 225 patients, from cats and dogs to chickens and birds. They've also seen a lot of strays.
DoveLewis President and CEO Ron Morgan says staff also fielded tons of calls from pet owners asking about sedation to ease their pets' anxiety over fireworks.
"It's the noise, it's the stressful environment. People leave doors open then an unexpected firework goes off - even in the late afternoon, they start early - and they're not expecting it and dogs can get out and cats can get out," Morgan said, "Then, of course, there's always the barbecues and there's food around, and ribs, and things dogs aren't supposed to be eating as well."
Morgan says this holiday looks to be on par with last year but it's tough to gauge because the hospital has been swamped the past couple months due to new COVID-19 restrictions and safety protocols. Veterinary clinics are slammed and many pet owners aren't able to get into their vet for weeks, which causes a cascade effect in which people take animals to the emergency room.
In addition, Morgan says other animals hospitals in the area have changed their hours and operations because of difficulty staffing so a number of patients have come to DoveLewis.
