Medical Care for Foster Animals

Is it an Emergency?

If the animal seems lethargic, unable to walk, has abnormal twitching, breathing heavily or labored, has excessive vomiting or diarrhea, vomiting yellow, or is bleeding from anywhere, it is an emergency.

What to Do in a Medical Emergency

During business hours, between 8:00am and 6:00pm, call our main number at (973) 377-2295 and ask to speak to someone on the foster team. If you have a medical emergency after business hours, you can call the number that the foster team will share with you when you take home an animal.

Health Care & Medical Issues

  • If you have any questions regarding your foster animal, contact the Foster Team.

    The Foster Team will gather the needed information from you, the foster volunteer, regarding the health issues and refers them to the necessary staff.

    Even if your foster animals appear healthy when you pick them up from the shelter, they may be incubating an illness. It is very important that your companion animals be current on all vaccines for their own protection and well-being. You may wish to discuss the fact that you are fostering with your veterinarian. Due to the increased chance of exposure, your veterinarian might recommend vaccines that are not routinely given.

    If your foster pet needs to see a veterinarian for a non-emergency exam, please contact the Foster Team directly to make an appointment. The foster team will contact you if your foster animal needs to be seen for vaccines or other reason.

    Common Illnesses and Medical Conditions

    • URI- Upper Respiratory Infection can infect dogs and cats. It is called Bordatella, or Kennel Cough in dogs. Cats cannot give URI to dogs, nor can dogs give it to cats, but it can be spread within the same species. Symptoms include sneezing, coughing, discharge from the nose or eyes, lethargy, loss of appetite and elevated temperature.

    • Diarrhea- Generally, feces should be brown and formed. Diarrhea can be a symptom of many different illnesses and parasites. Diarrhea can also be caused by overfeeding, especially in puppies and kittens. If your foster animal develops diarrhea, you will need to bring a sample of the stool into the Animal Shelter so that the necessary diagnostic tests can be run.

    • Dehydration- Animals with diarrhea can quickly become dehydrated. To check for dehydration, pull up gently on the skin at the scruff of the neck. If it bounces back quickly when you let go, hydration is fine. If it does not go back or goes back slowly, your foster animal is dehydrated and needs medical attention quickly.

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    • Worms- Your foster will be treated for worms before coming to your home. If you detect worms in your foster’s stool, contact the Foster Program Coordinator to make arrangements for treatment. You may also see dead or dying worms if your foster animal has JUST been de-wormed.

    Signs and Symptoms of Pain and Illness

    The best way to monitor your foster pet’s health is to know what is normal and report what is not. The vet will always ask about food and water intake, energy level, and for a fecal sample.
    The foster parent should keep an accurate and detailed account of their animal’s symptoms to help us and our veterinarian correctly diagnose and effectively treat the illness or condition. Most illnesses are detected through a combination of various signs and symptoms:

    ·       Sneezing and or coughing

    ·       Green mucus from the nose or eyes

    ·       Squinting or crusting over of eyes

    ·       Vomiting 

    ·       Diarrhea

    ·       Straining to urinate or defecate

    ·       Bleeding from any part of the body

    ·       Loss or decrease of appetite

    ·       Breathing heavily

    ·       Wheezing

    ·       Change in attitude or behavior

    ·       Tiring easily

    ·       Lethargic or depressed                        

     

    Pain in Dogs

    Dogs that are in pain will likely indicate that they are in pain by giving you clues as to where the area of discomfort is. For instance, a dog that has abdominal pain will continually glance toward their belly, bite or lick the area, and will not want to leave his bed. The dog may stand hunched over, or take the ‘prayer position’ which is when a dog gets down on its forelegs with the hind legs still standing, because of the pain in her abdomen area.

    Dogs cannot tell you that they are hurting or cry real tears, but a dog may vocalize their pain in a different way. A dog that is hurt suddenly (such as being stepped on) will cry out or whimper in pain. This also happens when an external injury or internal injury (such as an organ) is touched. Whining or vocalization that is unprovoked may be caused from an internal injury as well.

    Another clue to pain is a change or distress in temperament. A dog that is in pain may show signs of aggression. Please take note of this before concluding that a dog has become vicious and let your veterinarian know so that the correct treatment can be administered. Also, animals in general have days when they are just in a bad mood for no obvious reason. Take note of days or times that these mood swings occur as well as any events that might have triggered them.

     

    Pain in Cats

    Cats often disguise their pain so that it’s difficult to tell they are feeling bad until they are very sick.  Therefore it is especially important to keep an eye on your foster cat’s behavior.  Cats that don’t feel well may do one or more of the following:

    ·      Hide or sleep even more than usual

    ·      Be irritable and avoid being touched or move around, unable to get comfortable

    ·      Growl, hiss, swat or try to escape when you touch them or try to hold them

    ·      Stop eating

    ·      Sit hunched up

    ·      Stop grooming or Move around, unable to get comfortable

     

    Other Signs that Your Foster May Be Sick
    • Ears: discharge, debris, odor, scratching, crusted tips, twitching or shaking.
    • Eyes: redness, swelling or discharge.
    • Nose: runny, thickened or colored discharge, crusty.
    • Coughing, sneezing, vomiting or gagging.
    • Shortness of breath, irregular breathing or prolonged/heavy panting
    • Evidence of parasites in the stool, strange color, blood in the stool, or lack of a bowel movement (constipation).
    • Loss of appetite or not drinking as much water as normally would.
    • Weight Loss.
    • Strange color of urine, small amount of urine, straining, dribbling, or not going as frequently as normal.
    • Bad odor coming from mouth, ears, or skin.
    • Hair loss, wounds, tumors, dander or change of the skin’s color.
    • Biting of the skin, parasites, scratching or licking the skin frequently.