There's A Dog At A Shelter About To Be Put Down And You Want To Bring It Home? Take It To The Vet First

If you went to a dog shelter and you saw a dog that was about to be put down, bringing it home with you was a great idea. If you already have a dog at home, however, you should never just bring the new dog straight into your home. Instead, you should have to dog checked out at the veterinarian.   Because the dog has been in a shelter, you do not know what problems it may have. Some problems could be life threatening to the dog. Below are three things the veterinarian will check when you bring your dog in for their visit:

Check for Heart Worms

The only way a dog can get heart worms is from the bite of a mosquito. It is not contagious to other dogs.

Some symptoms the shelter dog will have if it does have heartworms include weight loss, decreased appetite, fatigue, and a persistent cough. If the dog has heartworms for a long period of time the worms can kill it. For example, the dog would eventually get heart failure, and their belly would be swollen with fluid. If you see that the dog has a swollen belly, you should take it to a vet hospital immediately just in case heartworms is the problem. The sooner the dog gets treatment, the higher the chance of it living.

The veterinarian can do a blood test to determine if the dog does have heartworms. If found, they will start the dog on medication immediately to kill the worms. You can then start the new dog on heartworm preventative medication, so this will not happen again.

Check for Fleas

Another thing the dog may have is fleas, which would quickly jump to your dog.  You would then end up with two very itchy dogs and fleas in your home. The veterinarian can check to see if the dog has fleas and if so give you some flea treatment.

You can ask the vet to give the dog a flea bath if you prefer. Once they are finished bathing the dog, the vet can put the flea preventative treatment on the dog. There are different types of treatments. One type is a spot treatment that is a liquid that is put on the dogs back in different areas. There are also pills the dog can take, and there are flea collars that can keep fleas off your dog for a few months at a time.

Check for Mange

If the dog has an area on their skin that has sores, it could be mange, and one type of mange is very contagious. For example, demodectic mange is when mites get on their skin, and the mites overpopulate. The dog will scratch constantly creating sores. This type of mange is not contagious.

Another type of mange is known as sarcoptic mange. This type of mange is when mites burrow under the dog's skin. Once this happens, the dog will develop sores and start losing their hair. This type of mange is very contagious.

The veterinarian can take a sample of the dog's skin to determine if it does have mange and if so what type of mange it has. A veterinarian like Reabe Kevin C for more information and assistance.