Adopting an older dog

[kittenj]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

My sister is interested in adopting a dog from a small rescue group. The rescue seems a little disorganized. For example he is an older border collie... She was told by his foster mom he is 10, but the website said he is 14. When she asked for clarification the rescue group coordinator told her he is 12. I'm not sure if they are just guessing or what.

Anyway I have two questions:
First she had asked them about him being heartworm tested and eventually was told by his foster mom that he was tested hw negative, but that her vet had advised her that 'at his age' the vet was not worried about hw and he did not see the need to have the dog on preventative. Because of this the foster mom is not giving the dog anything for preventative. I'm not sure that this advice is in actuality what the vet said (I think we've all had the experience of telling a client one thing and them hearing another), but can anyone tell me if there is a reason not to give a dog hw prevention based on age?? It seemed weird to me.

Secondly the dog's description says that he 'lays down most of the time', and considering this and the fact that he is an older dog I had her ask them if he has had any bloodwork to screen for metabolic disease. He has not. Do you think it's reasonable for her to ask them screen him before adopting?

Thanks all!

 

[Whyevernot55]

Sounds like there's a LOT of factors here, including misinformation and misunderstandings - personally, I don't know if I'd adopt from a group like that.
As for HWP, there's very few reasons a dog shouldn't be on any. Age is not one of them.
Has the dog had a fill orthopedic exam? Older dogs with arthritis often play less and sleep more due to pain, and I'd look at that as a reason before jumping to metabolic problems. Senior screening bloodwork wouldn't be a bad idea though, in my opinion, but rescues can rarely afford to pay for care beyond the basic exam/vaccines/heartworm test.
Otherwise, I think it's great that your sister is looking at adopting an older dog! There are lots of wonderful senior animals who have a hard time finding homes simply because they aren't cute little puppies.

 

[cowgirla]

Re: The heartworm...most vets I know recommend just the opposite of what this rescue did. They recommend using preventative, and not testing. And the reason for that is because in an older dog, the chances of him being successfullly treated even if he did come up positive are extremely low. The treatment is tough enough on the young, healthy dogs, I cant imagine putting a 12-14 year old dog through that. But to not use preventative? I cant possibly imagine a good reason for that.

It does sound like this rescue org is more than just a little disorganized. I'd be very wary of adopting from them. There are so many wonderful organizations that have all their stuff together.

 

[sumstorm]

Re: The heartworm...most vets I know recommend just the opposite of what this rescue did.

Remember, generally a foster is a part of a rescue group, not necessarily representative of the rescue group's recommendation. Depending on the finances of the rescue, they may not provide HWP for fosters, and for the same reason, some fosters will not provide HWP.

You could ask for bloodwork or additional vet care, but I wouldn't get upset if they refuse. Very few rescue groups have any sort of financial buffer with the current economic client, and they may not feel the need to invest in a panel that might actually discourage adoptions. You could compromise and offer to have a panel done on your dime (as a donation) prior to adoption, if they don't want to fund it. Otherwise, the options are adopting the dog with the understanding that there are many unknowns (very typical with an older adoption) or find another outlet. Also, remember, the more a rescue puts into the animals they help, the higher their adoption fees tend to be.

 

[VeganSoprano]

I think realistically, if a 12 year old dog does not have any medical issues now, he is very likely to develop some in the next couple of years. It's up to your sister but if medical problems would be a deal breaker then maybe adopting a geriatric dog isn't the best option right now. On the other hand, it would certainly be reasonable to offer to pay for bloodwork +/- u/a before adopting just to know what you are getting into up front. A medical issue that is a known quantity may be easier to deal with psychologically than one you find out about the day after you sign the adoption paperwork.

I agree with the others that age is not a reason to stop HWP!

 

[kittenj]

Thank you all for your input. I should clarify that my sister is fine with having the cost of the bloodwork being added to the adoption fee. Also she is aware that older dogs could come with more medical problems. At the same time I don't want to see her surprised with a serious metabolic problem that causes her heart ache and/or financial woes right after adopting the dog.

Whyevernot - thanks for reminding me about OA as a concern too. Good point. I'm thinking should tell her to just get the vet's contact info and then she can call him/her directly to discuss his health history.

Regarding HWP: My experiences with recommendations about HW protocol have been more along the lines of what cowgirl described. If anyone can shed some light on why a vet might recommend what this foster mom says the vet did I'd be interested. I agree that this rescue may not have many financial resources, and it is certainly possible the lack of HWP is related to that. If they had stated that it would not concern me, but it just seemed weird to me they said the vet advised the dog did not need HWP because of age. My guess is the foster mom took what the vet said out of context somehow.

Regarding bloodwork: Sunstorm your comment that the rescues "may not feel the need to invest in a panel that might actually discourage adoptions" is a good one. I had not thought about it that way. Sure if he has a clean panel (speaking generally here) the bloodwork helps find him a new home, but say he has some red flags... who knows. Something to think about before asking them to do bloodwork I guess.

Again, thanks all. 🙂 Nice to get a 'consult.' 😉

edit to add:
VeganSaprano - What you said here "A medical issue that is a known quantity may be easier to deal with psychologically than one you find out about the day after you sign the adoption paperwork." is exactly what I was getting at above. 🙂