[jarvisj]

O.K. so here is the deal, My wife had been looking around for a new addition to our family for quite some time when she feel in love with a picture of a lab puppy on petfinder.com. The rescue kennel was near our area so we looked into it to see what info we could find out. The Rescue Kennel's website seems to be very upstanding and after speaking with the owner we felt pretty good about our rescue adoption. We had the kennel hold the puppy for a week in order to get our bearing's and get the house ready for the new arrival. Well during that week the puppy came down with some sort of respiratory illness and our adoption was delayed until she has a clean bill of health. So I guess my question is how many of you have gone about adopting a puppy in this "blind" fashion. And most importantly does this sound common (speaking about the respiratory illness) in kennel life. I sort of liken it to a daycare where germs are constantly being passed. The fact that the Adoption Kennel was up front and has told us everything that has been going on makes me feel like they are a reputable place, but there is always that skeptic in the back of my mind that worries about getting a sickly or ill type dog. Can anyone offer any words of encouragement here or relay any similar situations they have been in?

Thanks I appreciate your time!
JAJ

 

[Felix]

Over here, if you adopt a puppy, or a dog out of a animal shelter or a kennel, they checked the dog from A to Z if you get what i mean

And that is the minimal thing they could do, if you take such dog in you're home

 

[TimC.]

It's not uncommon for a puppy to get sick in these situations. The fact that they told you up front that the pup got sick is a good sign I think I would trust them. Just to be on the safe side see if you can get insurance even if its only for the first couple of months.
Olie

 

[jarvisj]

I do feel that the pup will be checked over A-Z because the Vet has to authorize or give permission to give the dog to it's new owners (us)!

Also, thanks for the advice on insurance. Where does one go to get said insurance, is it expensive?

Thanks
JAJ

 

[AngusFangus]

Well, I think kennel cough is pretty common in this type of situation, and I agree that it's good they were up front about it. You can take the puppy to the vet right away and have it checked out, and most shelters/rescues say that they will take the puppy back within 48 hours if it does not get a clean bill of health.

We adopted Angus from a shelter and he came home with worms and kennel cough. Both were easily cleared up.

 

[georgie]

It shoulds like they were very upfront about the dog. I hope everything works out & you get the dog soon.

 

[Dani]

Lots of people adopt from the internet. That is why rescues and Petfinder are so successful. The rescue wouldn't make you hang on to a pup that you didn't click with. We make sure that when you meet the dog it's a good fit before we send you on your way.

KC is very common and it will be easily cleared up.

 

[TimC.]

I use Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) The amount you pay is dependant on the breed, age, and weight. Oona is 7 and I pay $42 a month. Earlier this year she broke a tooth and had to have it removed. They reimbursed me for 60% of the cost. If she were ever to get Cancer they would cover 100% of the cost. You would have to check to see how much it would be for a puppy.
Olie

 

[Apollopuppy]

Hey we have VPI for my cat, Roxie May, we wanted to test it on her cuz its cheaper then a dog. I haven't had to use it yet, thank god. But I'm pleased with it and we'll be getting it for the other two cats and apollo as well. I'd reccomend VPI they are pretty good.

 

[Bob Pr.]

I have no objection to people getting health insurance for their pets but I do not because I think it's more expensive for the average healthy pet.

Consumer Reports ran an article several years ago on pet health in which pet health insurance was mentioned and they did not recommend it.

I recently saw an article on health costs for humans and one of the reasons health care is so high in the USA is that 30% of each $$$ is spent on administrative costs in health insurance. I can see no reason that the 30% margin would be any lower for pet health insurance than for people health insurance.

Some health insurance plans require you to see certain doctors and those plans have agreements with those doctors to accept a lower rate of reimbursement in return for a potential greater number of clients. They have limits in how much they will pay and exclusions of certain disorders or for pre-existing conditions.

Health plans for people that are part of an employment package are an element in the overall attractiveness of a job.

Health plans for pets are something that one pays for 100% out of one's own pocket.

Health plans for pets are offered by corporations that must satisfy the profit demands of the share holders, pay the executives, managers, clerks, salespeople, claim evaluators, the vets, office space, etc.

My opinion is that if your pet has above average health problems that the insurance will take care of, it may be less expensive to you.

But if your pet is average or below average in health problems, I can see no way that health insurance could be less expensive.

Now if you work for a company that offers pet health insurance along with family health insurance, by all means seriously consider it!! ;D

BTW, if you live within driving distance of a School or College of Vet Med, their teaching hospitals often allow self-referral and I've found (as have several others in other states) the level of care to be very high and the costs reasonable to low.

JMO

 

[Apollopuppy]

I had all my ferrets insured until I found out that they wouldn't cover the cost of the 3 major diseases in ferrets. Roxie's insurance is only $11 a month and that includes routine care and vaccination coverage PLUS flea/tick/heartworm medication and a yearly allowance for teeth cleaning. So I'm pretty please with their coverage for cats. I dont know about dogs yet...still kinda waffeling. Its more expensive and i don't know if its worth it.

 

[jarvisj]

Thanks all for the information! I will look into to the VPI. First we just need to get this little girl home and then get her to a vet for a new puppy check-up. Although I would assume that the Vet the Rescure Kennel is using is satisfactory we want to get her in the system with her new vet that we use now! The last we heard from the Kennel Owner was that the medication was woking very well and that Aviva seemed like she was well on her way to getting back to normal!

Thanks and we can't wait to introduce you all to our new addition to the family!
JAJ

 

[jarviss]

Hello. I'm the soon to be Mommy of Aviva. I wanted to share the picture that made me fall in love with this little girl!! We'll take homecoming pics and will share. Thanks for all of the well wishes and great advise. Stacy

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[imported_gabbys mom]

I saw in your intro post that you may be from Saint Louis. I am from Saint Louis

What group are you working with? (Was it Dirk's Fund?) Did they recommend a vet clinic?

I use the insurance recommended by the Humane Society ...hmmm can't think of it off the top of my head.

 

[kpowell]

OMG she is ADORABLE!!!! Can't wait to see more pics!!!!

 

[jarvisj]

A fellow St. Louisian, cool! My wife found Aviva (We are going to call her Ava for short) from a rescue kennel in Bunker, Mo called Diana's Grove. We have had a good experience with them so far. They did not recommend a Vet. but we already have one that we use for our cat (who is in for a big surprise come Wednesday). The name is Binder Animal Hospital. If you happen to think of the insurance you have, I'd love to hear more info about it! Where abouts are you located in St. Louis, we are actually in Ballwin and we work in Clayton!

thank you and everyone else for all the replies!

JAJ

 

[imported_gabbys mom]

I live in Brentwood and am a SLU Law student.

I use Barrett Station Vet Hospital- love them- my family has used them since they opened.

Heres the insurance I use: http://www.hsus.org/shop/petplan_pet_health_insurance.html

PM me if you want to have a play date for the doggies. Also, Apollopuppy (Giuli) is another native and would probably like to set up puppy play dates.