Dogs from high-kill shelters can sometimes come with some medical issues. Together we can make sure they stay healthy on their way to their forever homes. If you are ever at all concerned about your foster dog's health, please contact us right away (and before taking them to the vet on your own).
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Overview & Emergency
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Common issues
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Rare issues
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Medication dosage
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Spay/neuter
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Female/male
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It's our policy for fosters to contact us before seeking veterinary care for a foster dog. Why? We stock medications, can give advice on next steps, and have designated partner vets -- all of which can keep our costs down (leaving more money in the bank for the costly medical emergencies our dogs encounter every year).
Minor medical issue?
Please email [email protected] or [email protected] for guidance.
Life-threatening emergency?
Minor medical issue?
Please email [email protected] or [email protected] for guidance.
Life-threatening emergency?
- Call a director until you reach one. Jill: (650) 455-4371 or Lee: (415) 359-5111
- If you’re unable to reach us (you have called all directors and left messages) – and you believe your foster dog needs immediate medical care to survive, bring your foster dog to a clinic listed below.
- Please note that we will make the final decision on whether and how much of the vet bill to reimburse if you did not receive prior authorization.
Peninsula
SAGE Redwood City 934 Charter St (650) 417-7243 24/7 |
Mountain View
Alta View 690 Showers Drive (650) 948-1021 Mon-Thurs, 8am-8pm Fri-Sat, 8am-6pm Sun, 9am-2pm |
San Francisco
SF SPCA 201 Alabama Street (415) 554-3030 All week, 8am-6pm |
San Rafael
Pet Emergency and Specialty Center or Marin 901 Francisco Blvd E (415) 456-7372 24/7 |
*We also have accounts with SAGE Centers in Campbell and Dublin with 24 hour emergency services.
Rescue dogs from overcrowded high-kill shelters can sometimes arrive with minor health issues such as kennel cough, demodex, or worms. We stock medication for these issues, so please be sure to contact a director. Once you have your medication, you can get more info and dosages here.
Kennel cough (Bordetella)
Known as the common cold for dogs. Symptoms: Hacking cough, nasal or eye discharge Treatment: Older puppies and adults with healthy immune systems usually recover on their own. We do have antibiotics that may be given to young puppies with immature immune systems or adults that don’t appear to be getting better on their own. Contagious? Yes, it’s contagious to other dogs so it’s best to have your rescue dog use their own water and food bowl if living with other dogs. Not contagious to cats. Worms Intestinal parasites See a worm in your dog’s feces? (We know, ew!) Contact us and we’ll provide you with a dewormer. A trip to the vet is not required for worms and they are generally not a serious condition unless left untreated for an extremely long time. |
Demodex mange
Skin mite, affects dogs with compromised immune systems. Symptoms: Patches of hair loss Treatment: We usually give dogs at least 2-4 weeks to recover from demodex on their own. Treatment is not always effective and can also have harsh side effects. Most of the time when a shelter dog is placed on a high-quality diet and removed from the stressful shelter environment, their hair grows back on its own. Contagious? This type of mange is generally not contagious to other dogs who have healthy immune systems. Diarrhea Runny, frequent defecation It’s very common for shelter animals to have diarrhea when they’re first rescued due to change of diet and environment. It’s not cause for concern unless it lasts for more than 2 or 3 days, or there’s actual blood in the diarrhea. If you see blood in the diarrhea, it’s most likely a parasite called Giardia, which is treated with a medication the rescue stocks called Safeguard or Panacur. Contact us and we’ll send some to you. |
It’s rare for our rescue dogs to arrive with serious medical conditions, especially if they’ve been fully vaccinated (which can be the case with older adults). The only serious illnesses our rescue dogs have been diagnosed are below.
Parvovirus
Who’s at risk? This disease is predominantly found in puppies because most adults have been fully vaccinated against it. Symptoms: Vomiting, and liquid or bloody diarrhea with metallic odor, extreme lethargy (no interest in taking walks, playing, etc.), no drinking or eating for more than 24 hours. What do I do? Please contact us immediately if you think your puppy may have Parvo. Separate them from all other dogs in your care, putting the dog in a small area that can be cleaned with bleach later. Note: The good news is the vast majority of puppies survive Parvo with treatment. Keep in mind that Parvo is much rarer in puppies over six months of age and adults. In older puppies and adults, what appears to be Parvo is usually just a bad case of diarrhea and/or stomach viruses |
Distemper
Symptoms: It starts out like kennel cough – cough, nasal or eye discharge, lethargy, and lack of appetite. When it gets to the neurological stage, you will see facial or muscular tics and possibly seizures. What do I do? Please contact us immediately if you think your dog has Distemper. Separate them from all other dogs in your care. Prognosis: Unfortunately, the prognosis for Distemper is extremely poor, and most dogs do not survive even with treatment. Neurological symptoms also can take months to appear so this is a disease that is very difficult to diagnose. What are the odds? Luckily, out of over 1,900 dogs rescued, only 3 have been diagnosed with Distemper. |
To keep our medical fund reserved for costly veterinary emergencies, we stock medications for common health issues. If we've given you some medicine for your pup, see below for dosages and advice. Thanks for helping them feel better soon.
Safeguard
Treats parasites and worms that frequently cause diarrhea.
The rescue uses a very concentrated type of Safeguard sold for cattle but the dosage has been adjusted for use in dogs and puppies.
Dewormer pills
Treats up to 11 types of intestinal worms.
We use this product. Active ingredients: Praziquantel, Pyrantel, & Oxantel.
Metronidazole
Treats giardia and other intestinal parasites, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Large dog? Just coat the capsule with wet dog food or peanut butter and give it like a treat.
Minocycline
Treats kennel cough.
Small dog? The capsules can be twisted open and the powder inside can be mixed with a little bit of wet dog food or peanut butter.
Large dog? you can just coat the capsule with wet dog food or peanut butter and give it like a treat.
Cephalexin
Treats skin infections.
Small dog? The capsules can be twisted open and the powder inside can be mixed with a little bit of wet dog food or peanut butter.
Large dog? you can just coat the capsule with wet dog food or peanut butter and give it like a treat.
Safeguard
Treats parasites and worms that frequently cause diarrhea.
- All dogs should receive one dose once a day for 3 to 5 days. Each dose is 2.5 ml per 10 pounds of body weight.
- You can give the medication with a syringe by squirting the liquid directly inside the dog’s mouth or you can mix it with a little bit of wet dog food or peanut butter.
- This medication should be refrigerated.
The rescue uses a very concentrated type of Safeguard sold for cattle but the dosage has been adjusted for use in dogs and puppies.
Dewormer pills
Treats up to 11 types of intestinal worms.
- All dogs receive one dose of the medication.
- Each tablet covers up to 22 pounds of body weight and all tablets should be given at the same time.
- Tablets can be given directly like treats. If your dog doesn’t eat them plain, you can coat them with a little bit of wet dog food or peanut butter.
We use this product. Active ingredients: Praziquantel, Pyrantel, & Oxantel.
Metronidazole
Treats giardia and other intestinal parasites, and inflammatory bowel disease.
- All dogs should receive one dose twice a day for 14 days.
- Dogs between 30 to 50 pounds should receive one pill for each dose.
- For other weights, please check with the rescue.
Large dog? Just coat the capsule with wet dog food or peanut butter and give it like a treat.
Minocycline
Treats kennel cough.
- All dogs should receive one dose twice a day for approximately 10 to 14 days. Each capsule is 100mg.
- Dogs weighing less than 15 pounds would get one third of the pill for each dose.
- Dogs weighing between 15 to 30 pounds would get one half of the pill for each dose.
- Dogs weighing between 30 to 60 pounds would get one pill for each dose.
Small dog? The capsules can be twisted open and the powder inside can be mixed with a little bit of wet dog food or peanut butter.
Large dog? you can just coat the capsule with wet dog food or peanut butter and give it like a treat.
Cephalexin
Treats skin infections.
- All dogs should receive one dose twice a day for 14 days. Each dose is 10 mg per pound.
- Dogs ~25 pounds receive half a pill
- Dogs ~50 pounds receive one pill.
Small dog? The capsules can be twisted open and the powder inside can be mixed with a little bit of wet dog food or peanut butter.
Large dog? you can just coat the capsule with wet dog food or peanut butter and give it like a treat.
No more puppies! (Yep, as cute as they are, we don't need any more of them). Spaying and neutering is fundamental to reducing our homeless pet populations. Thanks for helping us do our part.
Locations
We have partnerships with spay/neuter clinics in Mountain View, San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland. You can see a list of our partner vets here.
Timing
Drop off is typically first thing in the morning and pick up is at the end of the business day.
Cost
We pay for the surgery and vaccinations when done at a partner clinic. Fosters should never have to pay any portion of the bill. If you’re asked to cover any payment, please decline and have the vet contact us.
Post-surgery
You'll want to watch your foster pup closely to make sure they aren't licking or chewing at their incision site. Excessive redness or other signs of infection is a good reason to contact us (snap a photo and email it to us). If you don't have a cone to use to keep them from messing with their incision site, you can use a towel to make an e-collar. Video instructions here.
When it's time for the stitches to come out and they aren't dissolvable, you can do it yourself with some nail clippers, we can at an adoption event, or the vet technician could do it for no charge.
Locations
We have partnerships with spay/neuter clinics in Mountain View, San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland. You can see a list of our partner vets here.
Timing
Drop off is typically first thing in the morning and pick up is at the end of the business day.
Cost
We pay for the surgery and vaccinations when done at a partner clinic. Fosters should never have to pay any portion of the bill. If you’re asked to cover any payment, please decline and have the vet contact us.
Post-surgery
You'll want to watch your foster pup closely to make sure they aren't licking or chewing at their incision site. Excessive redness or other signs of infection is a good reason to contact us (snap a photo and email it to us). If you don't have a cone to use to keep them from messing with their incision site, you can use a towel to make an e-collar. Video instructions here.
When it's time for the stitches to come out and they aren't dissolvable, you can do it yourself with some nail clippers, we can at an adoption event, or the vet technician could do it for no charge.