Questions re rescue dog

[Ginababe_00]

:D

Hi all,

I just adopted a rescue dog (15 mo flashy reverse brindle boy) named Tiger. I was just wondering a few things and hoping maybe someone could give me a few pointers and share their general knowledge or opinions.

Tiger is 80lbs and only 15 months old. I havent measured him yet but does this seem abmormally large for a boxer this age? He is actually showing some ribs and since ive had him (4 days) is just now starting to eat more than just nibbling. We're just feeding him the same food as our boxer girl (Nutro chicken & rice) Is there anything special i should feed him to start just to get him a little more filled out over his ribs? Something a little more enticing? I dont want him to lose weight going thru this transition.

Also was wondering ..about rescue dogs..i know all rescue groups are different..but when u adopt..should there be anything about his health exam in the adoption papers? I got a folder w/a spay/neuter/Rabies certificate. I also have the adoption agreement, on the bottom of which shows his vaccination record, along w/this it shows his "deworming". What does this mean? Heartworm prevention medicine or? Also what is DA2PP? and CVK? On the rescue group website it shows all dogs are given health exam, test for heartworm, up to date on shots, spay/neuter. What im wondering is if he has been given heartguard or if i should give him some now. My other dog Roxy is due for a dose and so im not sure if i should give him a dose. Also, i was told by the rescue that he is an owner surrender. Shouldnt there be some paperwork from the previous owner about his history or should i just be happy with what the rescue told me about his history? Any helpful advice would be very appreciated. I made an appointment with my own vet for an exam just to be safe. Not sure if this is necessary or not.


Mom to:

Roxy-3 1/2 year fawn female
Tiger-15 mo old flashy reverse brindle male

 

[buddy'smom]

Hi There!
First of all let me congratulate you on your recent adoption of Tiger. We adopted Kailee last October from Rescue Canada and she too was owner surrendered. Sounds like the health history is the same as what I received. It showed all shots were completed in October prior to our adoption of her and a spay certificate. Because of the scant background on her medical history, I immediatly had her to our vet for a complete check up just to be sure everything was okay. Here in Ontario we do not start the heartworm medication until June and give it for 6 months consecutivly. Because there was no record of her ever having been on it prior, and the fact that her shots were not done until the month she was surrendered we assumed Kailee had never received testing or medications for heartworm. It was the vets feeling also that her previous owners probably did not keep up any immunization on her due to the fact her shots were done just after she was surrendered. We ran heartworm tests on her here and she tested okay, so Kailee will begin her heartworm prevetion on June 1st. I would not hesitate to have Tiger completly checked by your vet. I am positive all is fine, but it also doesn't hurt for your vet to see him when he is healthy. Perhaps too you might like to call rescue to see if they have any other medical history or if they can get some on him from the previous owner. My guess is probably not, or it would have been included, but it never hurts to ask these things. Good luck, and it sounds like Tiger has found a wonderful, loving forever home.

 

[Ginababe_00]

Rescue dog Tiger

Hi,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reassurance. I will go ahead and have him checked by my own vet. For my own piece of mind and for his safety. Although i think you're right, he's probably fine. I'll just start him on his heartguard at same time Roxy takes hers. I dont really want to bother the rescue again about seeing if there were anymore records from his prev owner. There probably werent or they wouldve said so. I guess it's just my own insecurities over my first adoption that have me worried. I havent had ANY major problems w/Tiger so far and i cant see why he wouldve been surrendered (he seems to good to be true) other than he's a pretty big boy. His size is so misleading..he's a big, sweetie.

Anyway, Thanks so much. I will be posting pics of him and Roxy soon.

 

[Claudia807]

Congratulations on your new addition!

You know, I'll bet the rescue would be happy to answer your questions about Tiger. That's what they are there for - to create successful adoptions! Most rescues do adhere to a policy of full disclosure. I tell an adopter everything I know about a dog. In some cases, I may not let them read the surrender document from the former owner, because, frankly, sometimes people lie up a storm on those things. They will say that the dog is too stupid to be housebroken, when in reality, they (the former owners) were just too lazy to do it properly. Sometimes, people need to alleviate their guilt and they will say that the dog has behavioral problems that don't really exist once the dog is in a loving environment. But, rescues generally keep the dog in rescue long enough to do a thorough evaluation of the dog, and they will tell you everything they know.

It sounds like everything is probably in order with the health records, but you can always take him to your vet for a follow-up visit just to put your mind at ease. De-worming (or worming) refers to administering medication to prevent the icky worms like roundworm, etc. Tiger should have been heartworm tested before you adopted him, so you may have to ask the rescue for the documentation on that. Typically, vet clinics won't allow you to purchase the preventative until they see some proof that the dog has been tested. DA2PP is the distemper combo vaccination.

Again, congrats on your new family member!

 

[buddy'smom]

Hi Ginababe
Me again. I wouldn't go ahead and just start Tiger on the heartworm prevention until it is approved by your vet. I believe it is dosed according to weight, and like humans you should not just share the medications. You say you are taking him to the vet in a week, which is a fantastic idea just for your own peace of mind, so talk to your vet then about the heartworm prevention. I know my two dogs were both on different heartworm prevention drugs due to weight. You may be able to get some documentation regarding heart worm testing from rescue, so I wouldn't hesitate to call them and ask. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Ginababe_00]

Rescue dog Tiger

Thanks for the advice about his weight & stuff. So much to think about! I did go ahead and call the rescue & left a msg re documentation for the heartworm test. Hopefully they'll get back to me soon. You're right, i'll feel better taking him to my vet for a look over and if he hasnt had the test i will definitely do that too. (Heartworm is so prevalent here) If he is negative for it i'll go ahead and get the heartguard according to what the vet says. Im sure he was already tested and is fine but i should have the doc for backup. They probably just didnt include it in his adoption folder for some reason. He was at two fosters so maybe the other one has it. Anyway, I'll keep u all updated. And pics are coming!

Gina

Mom to:

Roxy ~ 3/12 yr old fawn female
Tiger ~ our new addition, 15 mo old flashy reverse brindle male~ a big sweetie:p

 

[MarilynP]

Tiger's weight

Hi,
Congratulations to both you and Tiger, I'm sure you'll make each other very happy. I adopted Nayla 2 months ago and took her right to the vets for a check-up. She had been shot and so had a pretty extensive record that was faxed over to my vet. You may want to ask the rescue if they have a vet that can be contacted for Tiger's old records. The rescue I adopted through took amazingly good care of Nayla and are very thorough, but this is the only rescue I've gone through so I don't know if they are all so well run.
About Tiger's weight , when my Becca (she recently passed away) was 2 years she weighed 80 pounds. She was very healthy and had great muscle tone, she was just a very large girl. She weighed between 80 and 85 pounds her whole long, happy life. Which is just what I wish for Tiger, a long, happy life!
Marilyn

Nayla-brindle female (smaller than Becca but still big enough to bowl me over!)