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Your New Puppy

Congratulations on adopting your new puppy! Most likely, we do not know the background or the breeds of your puppy. Most of the puppies we get are strays and a few come in with their mother but the father of the litter is unknown. What we tell you is our best guess.

To ensure this adoption is a pleasurable experience for you and your puppy, there are important steps that you need to take.

Insurance

Pets can become injured or sick just like we can, and treating illness or injury can be expensive. The ShelterCare Pet Insurance Program offers several different plans to cover you when your cat or dog needs essential veterinary care.

Microchip

Your puppy has been micro-chipped, and the shelter has you registered as the owner. To be added to the nationwide database, you must complete the card provided, write a check for the fee and mail in the envelope provided.

Vaccinations

Most likely your puppy has received one vaccination which immunizes for:

On the adoption form, it will have the date of the vaccination. After that date, your puppy should receive three additional immunizations about three to four weeks apart. Some breeds of dogs may require a fifth shot. You are financially responsible for this shot so shop around and find “shot clinics” where you do not have to pay for an office visit. To assist you in knowing when your puppy needs his shots, use the following chart:

Vaccination Date
1st vacc  
2nd vacc    (three to four weeks after 1st)
3rd vacc    (three to four weeks after 2nd)
4th vacc    (three to four weeks after 3rd)
5th vacc    (three to four weeks after 4th, as recommended by your veterinarian)

Your puppy should have a booster vaccination every year.

Bordetella

This vaccination is to prevent kennel cough, and should be given once a year. If you plan to have your puppy go to class-type training with other dogs, or you plan to kennel your puppy when you go on a trip, you will be required to show proof of this vaccination.

Your puppy should have a booster vaccination every year.

Rabies

State law requires you to vaccinate your puppy after it turns four months of age. After the first shot, the next year, you can get immunizations for three years. You will get a proof of vaccination that you have to present to the city or county to obtain a license.

Worms and other parasites

There is a strong chance that your puppy may be infected by worms. You may ask your veterinarian to check for worms. You can also see worms in the puppy’s feces: Round worms look like small, thin noodles and tape worms look like grains of rice. You can treat this infestation by using over-the-counter products. Make sure that you follow the dosage on the label. Note: after you deworm your puppy, he/she may have diarrhea for little while.

Preventing Parvovirus

When you adopt a new puppy, you have the urge to take it to the park, walk it down the street, or let in play in the front yard. Unfortunately, when you do these things, you are exposing your puppy to the chance of getting parvovirus. Parvo is a very infectious virus that is spread through the feces of infected dogs and can be fatal to your new puppy. It can live in the grass or in untreated areas for up to six or seven months. It is very important that you:

After your puppy receives the last vaccination, wait two to thee weeks before you take him/her to an area where he/she can be exposed. This will give time for your puppy to build up their immune system to this terrible disease.

Precautions are taken to prevent exposure of this disease while the puppies are at the shelter by immediately vaccinating them, keeping them separate from other dogs and puppies. When a case of parvo is diagnosed, the puppies are immediately put down and their kennel is cleaned with a bleach solution. Unfortunately, parvo has a two week incubation period so a puppy could have been exposed prior to coming to the shelter and could show symptoms:

Parvo can be treated but it is very expensive. The free insurance you received with this adoption can offset some of the cost.

More Information

You may want to research the Internet or obtain other information on: