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You will receive an ORANGE FOLDER for each of your foster pets. The folder will contain:
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Animal Health Record (AHR)
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Microchip information & registration instructions
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A “What’s Included” sheet
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Complimentary wellness visit info; our adopters can take to selected veterinary partners within 2 weeks after adoption for a FREE wellness visit
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Trupanion flyer
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DNA test flyer; Good Karma gets a donation for each DNA test purchased through this company
This folder should stay with the pet at all times including to vet appointment and adoption events
Once your foster is adopted, this folder will be given to the new guardians, so be sure all information is accurate, as this will serve as a medical record.
Please be sure to obtain a vet printout for major diagnosis or chronic condition, as you don’t want to incorrectly document it; please let this come from the doctor. This print out can be requested through GK Medical if it wasn’t given to you.
Think of a name.
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Pick a unique but attractive name. Submit to Melissa Trask for approval to make sure we haven't had another one with the same name in the rescue in the past year which can make recordkeeping confusing!
Fill out your orange folder.
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Fill out the Animal Health Record with the details you know. Keep this up to date as you move through the vetting process.
Fill out an intake form.
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Fill out an intake form within 48 hours of receiving your foster pet. When you have new bio info or pics, do an updated form.
Get started on vetting.
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Deworm and vaccinate right away if your foster pup is old enough. Start making a plan for speuter when your pet is ready.
Let's get that pup a home!
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Take pics & videos to share in our Fans group on Facebook. Do update form when you have new pics or bio info.
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Attend adoption events
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Get an Adopt Me bandana to have your pet walk on any outings
VacCINES
Vaccines are important to protect animals from serious illnesses that can get from other pets, in the outdoors, or from YOUR hands or shoes if you come in contact with a sick pet.
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See vaccine page for vaccine protocol.
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Your pet can get vaccinated by most VetBox folks or with a vet tech by making an appointment. Also available with our vet partners.
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Pets need at least one vaccine before they get spayed/neutered.
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Dogs should not go to dog parks until fully vaccinated.
Fecals and deworming
Almost all the pets that come into our program have likely been exposed to intestinal parasites. Left untreated, these parasites can cause a dog or cat to suffer from nutritional deficiencies, GI issues, and even fatal complications. To combat these parasites, we use a deworming protocol and regular fecal exams to ensure the parasites were eradicated. Fecal exams consist of a trained veterinary technician preparing and examining a fecal sample under a microscope or by sending out to a lab.
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See deworming page for deworming and fecal protocols.
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Dewormer can be obtained from the Office front lobby 24/7 or from any VetBox.
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Fecals can be performed at office or GKPAC with vet tech visit, or with our vet partners.
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Pets must have at least one negative fecal before they can be adopted.
Flea prevention
Fleas live off of the blood they access by biting. They cause irritation which can develop into skin conditions. Heavy loads can cause dangerous cases of anemia. They can also transmit tapeworms. It is important to keep our pets up to date on flea prevention.
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For active infestations on intake, always give Capstar which is a pill available in the Office lobby 24/7 and through all VetBoxes. Capstar quickly kills all fleas on a pet, and is active for about 24 hours.
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To prevent future infestations, flea prevention should be applied monthly on all adult animals and puppies over 6 weeks. The rescue uses Advantage for topical flea prevention, with the following exceptions:
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Pregnant and nursing dogs with flea infestations should be given Capstar. If a topical is needed to fend off reinfestation, Revolution should be used which you can get from the Office by doing a supplies request. Revolution can also be used to treat mange, lice, and ear mites and should be used when we are attempting to rule out flea dermatitis.
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Any dog who has a flea infestation should also be treated with oral praziquantel, which kills the tapeworms they may have. You can request this from the office.
routine diagnostics
There are diseases for dogs and cats that are so common that it is considered a part of routine vetting to screen them. These routine screenings must be done before a pet can be adopted.
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All dogs receive a 4Dx snap test to screen for Heartworm, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, and Lyme disease.
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These tests can be done at a vet tech appointment, at participating vets' offices, and with some providers at time of spay/neuter.
ticks
Ticks are disgusting. They can cause diseases such as Ehrlichia and Lyme. If you receive a foster dog who has ticks, act swiftly.
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Nexgard is an oral medication which is extremely effective at killing ticks. You can get from the Office by doing a supplies request. We ONLY use it in cases of ticks or mange at is expensive. One dose lasts a full month.
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Do not pull ticks off the animal unless you have a special tool to do so; you will likely end up leaving the head of the tick in the skin, which can cause issues. Instead, just give the dog a Nexgard and put him in a crate or room. Then just wait. Nexgard acts quickly and within a few hours all the ticks will be dead and you can bathe the dog.
microchips
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We often put microchips in at the time of spay/neuter, but if your pet is already speutered, you can make an appointment with a vet tech to have it done. If your pet visits one of our vet partners, they often will implant the chip then. It is also recommended for any pets who may be a flight risk without waiting until surgery date.
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Microchips are required for adoption.
At this time, our options for sterilization surgeries are limited, so we thank you for being flexible!
WHEN CAN A PET HAVE SURGERY?
When the pet is healthy, and after the pet has been in the care of the rescue for at least two weeks so we can be sure they won't come down with any cooties.
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NURSING MOMS: Mama dogs can be spayed as soon as their babies are weaned.
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IN HEAT: If a female animal has gone into heat, they should wait at least two weeks before having surgery.
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PUPPIES: Some veterinarians are comfortable doing spay/neuter surgeries on pets 8 weeks and older. Others have a later minimum age for surgery, especially in the case of small-breed puppies.
WHEN SHOULD I SCHEDULE THE APPOINTMENT?
Please book in advance, allowing some time for the pets to get healthy or make weight. Do not wait until they are fully ready to be adopted to request an appointment or you will lose valuable searching-for-a-home time. Your mentor can help you figure that out!
HOW DO I MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?
Visit the Spay/Neuter page to learn more about spay/neuter options for your foster and instructions for scheduling.
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Feeding puppies
Puppies should be free-fed dry puppy food and offered wet puppy food 2-4 times daily.
Housetraining
Housetraining your foster dog is instrumental to them finding a forever home. Talk to your mentor, or read more about housetraining here.
socialization for puppies
Socialization is extremely important for puppies to allow them to become well-adjusted adult dogs. Make sure you are taking opportunities to introduce them to new people, animals, and experiences. Read more here.