VET CARE

Rescue is expensive! To bring a dog into the care of Save Our Scuff we pay the costs of flights (if flown in), gas, crate fees (if applicable), medication, vetting expenses, training (if needed) and required supplies that are not donated.

Adoption fees help to cover the following costs:

  • General health exam;

  • DHPP vaccine, if due;

  • Rabies vaccine, if due;

  • Fecal test and treated if results show it’s required;

  • Flea/Tick prevention (year-round, one dose per month);

  • Heartworm prevention (June – Nov, one dose per month);

  • 4dx blood work, if due, and treated if required;

  • Spayed/Neutered, if of age (6 months or older);

  • Geriatric Bloodwork, if of age (7 years or older):

  • Other costs incurred while the dog was in SOS care

If a dog is adopted prior to the above care being completed, the adopter will be required to complete the care through an SOS approved vet. SOS will cover the costs. Should the adopter choose not to use an SOS approved vet, the costs for the care will be covered by the adopter. 

Once the dog is adopted (congrats email is sent), it is the owners’ responsibility to start covering the costs of the vetting and care. We highly recommend you take your new addition to your vet within the first week post adoption. 

To learn more about what do to once you've adopted your dog, check out our helpful tips. 

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED continued vetting care includes:

Please don’t wait until your dog has a medical concern to build a relationship with a vet clinic. Once you have received the vetting records from Save Our Scruff, contact a clinic to get your dogs file established. We strongly recommend booking an appointment at your clinic within the first week of adoption so you, your vet and dog can all begin to build a trusted relationship. This will make vet visits smoother and should an emergency arise, you will feel more at ease going to see your trusted vet.

Check-up exam       
During a routine check-up, your veterinarian will ask you questions about your dog's diet, exercise, thirst, breathing, behavior, habits, elimination patterns (i.e., bowel movements and urination), lifestyle, and general health. Your veterinarian will also perform a physical examination of your dog. Based on your pet's history and physical examination, your veterinarian will then make recommendations for specific preventive medicine treatments such as vaccinations, parasite control (including preventive treatments for fleas, ticks, intestinal parasites and heartworms), nutrition, skin and coat care, weight management &/or dental care. In addition, your veterinarian will discuss your pet's individual circumstances and decide whether any other life-stage or lifestyle recommendations would be appropriate.

Bloodwork                
Dogs cannot tell you how they are feeling, and as a result, disease may be present before you are aware of it. To further complicate matters, as part of their survival instincts most dogs will hide signs of subclinical disease (i.e., a disease that is in its early stages and is only causing minimal symptoms). This means that a health condition may become highly advanced before your dog shows any obvious or recognizable signs or problems. Some early warning signs may be detected by your veterinarian during the physical examination, or subtle changes that are suggestive of underlying issues may be found, prompting recommendation for further testing as outlined above.

If a disease or condition can be detected before a pet shows signs of illness, steps can often be taken to manage or correct the problem before irreversible damage occurs, thus improving the prognosis for a successful outcome. In addition, early detection and treatment is often less costly than waiting until a disease or problem becomes advanced enough to affect your pet's quality of life.

Heartworm Testing 
A heartworm test should be performed yearly to make sure your dog hasn’t contracted heartworm from the previous year; a test should be performed before your dog is put on their heartworm prevention.  An even more advanced test called a 4dx test is the best and most recommended test to run as it not only tests for heartworm but also tests for 3 tick borne diseases (Ehrlichia/Anaplasma and Lyme).  Every dog that comes into Save Our Scruff’s care is tested for heartworm; depending on where they come from some dogs need an additional test run 6 months after the initial one to ensure they are a truly negative for heartworm.  If a dog is positive for Ehrlichia/Anaplasma or Lyme a further work up should be performed.

Heartworm Prevention (REQUIRED: June – Nov, one dose per month)
Dogs can ONLY get heartworm from the bite of a single infected mosquito and there’s no way to tell if a mosquito is infected. That’s why prevention is so important; ALL Save Our Scruff dogs are put on monthly prevention, so it is important your dog continues on it. 

Fecal test                 
Your veterinarian will recommend that a fresh sample of your dog’s feces (bowel movement) is examined as part of their annual check-up. This sample will be processed and microscopically evaluated for the presence of parasite eggs. In puppies, monthly fecal examinations are extremely important since many puppies will have intestinal parasites that aren’t picked up on every fecal test.

Flea and Tick Prevention
A flea and tick preventative is applied to all the dogs in Save Our Scruff’s care, it is important that your dog continues on the prevention; most heartworm prevention have flea and tick control.  Depending on your lifestyle and where you take your dog your vet might recommend a different product.

**The way animals get fleas are ~ another flea-infested animal (like a stray dog/cat, the neighbors’ dog/cat, urban wildlife and your yard.

**The way animals get ticks are ~ because ticks are out in the environment.  As soon as it hits 4 degrees Celsius ticks become active and undergo questing (where they crawl up on these low shrubs or grass, generally 18 to 24 inches off the ground and they basically hang out) so when you are walking through the woods or high grass, be cautious as when you or your dog walk by and brush up against these ticks they dislodge and get onto us and the dogs.  Always do a tick check when you get home and if you find a tick the most important thing when removing it is to make sure the head is removed; if you don’t feel comfortable removing it contact your vet.  Either way it is recommended to call your vet to inform them that your dog had a tick.