HELP! Questions about a dog I want to rescue

[Stacey]

Hi, my family of 5 has been looking to rescue a doodle for a while now. I recently found this forum. Today, we visited with a darling labradoodle in a pitiful situation, and I really want to rescue her and bring her home to our family. A young couple with a baby adopted her in September 2007, but they've just left her to roam in their backyard for what they said was about a year now. They don't feel they can give her the time and attention she needs. She doesn't go into their house at all, she's just left alone in their backyard all the time. They got her from another owner when she was still young. They think she's about 2 years old. She had lots of vet care with her original owner, but none since this young couple got her. My husband's trepidation is that she might have been exposed to heartworms since she's outside all of the time. We're in Texas, and there are lots of mosquitos here a goodly portion of the year. We hate to take her in then end up having to spend lots and lots of money for vet treatment if she's not healthy. Does anyone know how much it costs to get her checked out really well, including a heartworm test? This couple has offered for us to have her for a trial weekend, but I'd want her to have a good physical if we consider adopting her. She's not been spayed, either, so if we adopt her, that would be on the agenda of things to do...Any advice or help would be GREATLY appreciated!

[Beth and Gang]

I hope you save this poor girl. The hearteorm test is a blood test, that doesn't involve a large amount of money.
Hopefully she will be free of heartworm.
Spaying costs come with most pets, maybe you have a nearby spay/neuter clinic that does it for a reduced fee?
This poor dog deserves a chance, if you don't adopt her maybe you can help the owners turn her into a GOOD rescue and she will get the family she deserves. Makes you wonder why Family 2 ever took her from Family 1....to roam the yard?

How sad.

[Stacey]

We don't have a problem with the spaying costs...we expect normal, routine vet care and treatment; however, we're nervous about taking her if she's unhealthy and the potential expense that it could create...she's so cute, though. I really want to save her from her surroundings. They've had 22 responses, so there are other people in line if we don't adopt her. That's the upside. If she came to us, we'd give her a wonderful home, but if she goes to someone else, it's a crapshoot...that's the downside...

[Denise, Winnie, and AngelAbby]

Just listen with your heart - it will send you in the right direction.

[Cam & Oski]

I don't know how helpful this will be for you but there's a lot of good general information about heartworm infection at the American Heartworm Society webpage about how they go about testing for it & treatment options. Basically from the FAQ page, it's fairly easy to diagnose & most dogs if they are positive do well with therapy. There's only one drug approved for treatment of active infection (melarsomine) which is an intramuscular injection that they need 2 courses of so that can be expensive because they usually require overnight monitoring to watch how they tolerate the medicine. It may also be helpful for you to ask your friends in the area that have pets which vets they go to--you could call their vets & ask them some Q's re: what it would entail to do a quick check of her to see how healthy she is before you decide whether or not to adopt her. Hope this helps :)

Here's the web link: http://www.heartwormsociety.org/article_1140.html

[Liz]

I was thinking there are no real guarantees to anything...The one thing I've learned with having 3 puppies and 2 kittens at one time...someone is almost always at the vets! The best thing to do to help defray costs is health insurance. Regardless of the heartworm threat...a good physical is a must for any new dog and she would have to be tested for heartworm anyways before they prescribe heartworm medication...if she were to have a heartworm and she was given the monthly preventive it could be fatal! Really though...for all the love these dogs have to give us...it's worth a million doctors visits!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Stacey, there are a lot of other medical issues and expenses that could come along with this dog who has lived outdoors and had no vet care at all for the past 16 months. Heartworm would be far from the worst thing she could have. I have an adopted labradoodle who has an autoimmune disease which this past month alone has cost me $750; add another $214 for today's annual check-up which included a rabies shot, a blood titer, and an exam, and we are close to a thousand dollars in 3 weeks. That doesn't include regular care, heartworm testing or pills, grooming, etc. Labradoodles can have hip dysplasia, epilsepsy, von Willdebrand's disease, all kinds of illnesses that require thousands of dollars in veterinary care, and this dog would be coming to you without any health guarantees or genetic testing done on the parents, etc. The thing is, this doodle will not survive a third re-homing; whoever takes her from this bad situation has to be committed to her no matter what. You need to search your soul and be sure that you are. If you have any nervousness or doubts, please don't take her. She has already lost one home and is about to lose another, however bad it may be. Keep in mind that she will not remember how to live in a house...she is a two-year-old who will need housebreaking and lots of patience & understanding as she adjusts to yet another totally unfamiliar situation. Do you know how she will be with your children? If she were with a rescue organization, they would have had her vetted, spayed, and in a foster home where they could learn about her behavior and help get her ready for a new life with a family. In this case, you will need to do all that & much more. I am not doubting that you can do it...I am just asking you to be sure that you want to, and that you will be able to cope with any problems, health or otherwise, that may occur. Because this really has to be forever...you have no breeder or shelter to return her to, and another rehome would really not be fair to this poor girl. Please do not let the fear of losing out to the 22 other applicants cause you to make a hasty decision. When it is right, you will know it.

[Adina P]

I second Karen's advice. No matter what you decide to do, just be 100% sure.

[Karen & Lucy]

I agree with Adina, You and your family have to be in this for the long haul. Just knowing that this poor dog has had no socialization and has been left outside for a long time, you have many training issues to face. Put alot of thought into this and if you are not experienced with this type of situation contact IDOG or our rescue group and maybe they have someone that would also give her a great home with the experience that is needed.

[Brad Smith & Britny McGillem]

I too agree that you should help the poor dog. We rescued a doodle from a similar situation.....free to roam outdoors. She took absolutely no time to adjust to indoor living and is wonderful with people. When she came to us, Brad was sick and on the couch for 3 days......so she had those days of quality time and attention to adapt to her new home. I recommend bringing her home on a weekend when the family can spend a lot of time working with her before going back to work or school.
We have 3 doodles and the only issue with our 1 rescue is that she has separation anxiety. Our other 2 doodles roam the bedroom when we leave, but we have to crate our rescue or she will shred everything in sight. She is just sooooo loyal to us and freaks out when we leave her. In her crate, she is fine though.
I think with any dog you run the risk of serious health problems and while it definitely helps to have the health guarantee, etc......I agree that the poor girl deserves a chance at a happy life. It definitely is a big commitment, but it sounds like you have a lot of people in your home to give her the love she needs! As far as the heartworm test.....it is probably anywhere from $15-$30 depending on where you go. The treatment could be several hundred. The weekend you have a trial, I would take her to a vet and just have them look her over.
With having 3 girls, vet expenses can add up. Though we have pet insurance on all 3 that reimburses a bit for shots, I found a Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic that is soooooooo cheap for shots, spay, etc. Rather than paying $100 per dog at our vet, we pay $35 per dog at this clinic which is a huge savings. Though they don't typically take appointments and it's first come, first serve.....it's worth it. I recommend looking for one of those in your county.
Also, I order all of my Heartworm and Flea medicine from www.petcarechoice.com where it is significantly cheaper. I order the generic heartworm, Nuhart. They have the best prices of anywhere I have researched....by far.

That's more information than what you asked for, but hopefully some of it will help. I wish you the best of luck!!!

Britny

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It often does help a great deal in these kinds of rehome situations when there are other dogs already in the home to help the new one adjust; many rescues strongly prefer to place them where there is already another dog to "show them the ropes"... housetraining & everything else does go more smoothly.