Vets and animal rights activists advise against sleeping pills for pets for Sant Joan

Vets and animal rights defenders have sided against giving certain types of sleeping pills to pets to avoid their distress due to Sant Joan's celebrations, which invariably include loud firecrackers.

Barcelona's association of vets (COVB) and the animal rights section of the city's lawyers bar association (CPDA-ICAB) have released a joint statement warning that psychotropic medicines such as tranquilizers "could be especially undesirable for both the behavior and physiology of animals."

They understand pet owners want to avoid some of the potential impacts of loud noises, such as "anxiety, distress and fear with serious consequences such as severe tachycardia, hyperventilating or a breakdown" – indeed, treatments against anxiety multiply by 80 these days.

However, they have pointed out that "every medicine has a risk of side effects."

In their statement, they also call on the public to use low-noise firecrackers – earlier this week, Barcelona welcomed its first pop-up firecracker shop with 'inclusive' material, that is, low-noise bangers, so that pets, kids, elderly people, and people with sensitive hearing don't suffer as much.

Experts at COVB and CPDA warn that the reports of missing animals after the Sant Joan celebrations nearly doubles according to figures released by an entity in charge of identifying found animals (Arxiu d ́Identificació d ́Animals de Catalunya).

Also, the increase of animals found compared to an average day is even higher, 137% more lost animals are found.

Vets and animal rights activists try to raise awareness of the effects of firecrackers explaining that dogs have a hearing range of between 10,000 Hz and 50,000 Hz, while humans can only sense those between 16,000 and 20,000 Hz. Dogs' hearing is four times sharper than humans', with an ability to register up to 35,000 vibrations per second, while cats have an even higher hearing capacity.

Sant Joan is one of the most celebrated days in Catalonia, with bonfires, firecrackers, a dessert called coca, and loads of open-air partying and dancing to celebrate the summer solstice. 

Check out the episode of our podcast, Filling the Sink, published on Friday to learn more about this festival and its impact on animals: