Vaccination & Behavior Questions

tyffpostlethwait · 06-10-2009, 11:11 AM

My family just adopted a 7 month old border collie from an older couple (we found on petfinder) who was moving and couldn't keep him. They seemed genuine and on the up and up so when they said Stewie was completely up to date on shots, I took that at face value. Well, when we went to get him, I completely planned on asking a list of questions about him (including a specific list of what shots and when he'd recieved). However, when I got there I was too engrossed in Stewie to even think about it. So I figured no biggie, I had their email I would just email them and find out. Well, I emailed them the day after we got him (now been like 4 days) and since I sent the email I've seen the man online several times. I've yet to hear a word from him. I'm trying to be optimistic and say that he's just busy and will get back to me. But if for whatever reason he's not going to, I had a couple of questions I was hoping someone could answer. Please bear with me, I'm new to this.

1. If stewie is 7 months old and "up to date on shots" what would that imply that he has had? And what would that mean he needs?

2. Should I take him at his word and assume he's in fact had those shots and just keep up with the boosters and such? Or should I have the shots all redone?

3. He didn't give me anything saying he'd had shots done so if I have to prove that (say to board him or groom him, etc) how would i do that?

Also, not vaccine related...

4. We had given Stewie the last several days to settle into the house without taking him to the dog park - figured slow changes. Well, we took him to a nice big fenced area yesterday to play - no other dogs. It was he, my 2 year old son, my husband and I. We were just throwing his tennis ball and rope and this 7 month old dog was pooped out after like 15 minutes. Is this normal for their age? Or is it maybe from still being in a new situation? If it's the age, about what age will he be when he can actually go at playing fetch or frisbee or something for a longer period of time?

Thanks so much for hanging in there, lol, I know it was a long post with a lot of questions.

Tiffany

rosemaryninja · 06-10-2009, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyffpostlethwait

4. We had given Stewie the last several days to settle into the house without taking him to the dog park - figured slow changes. Well, we took him to a nice big fenced area yesterday to play - no other dogs. It was he, my 2 year old son, my husband and I. We were just throwing his tennis ball and rope and this 7 month old dog was pooped out after like 15 minutes. Is this normal for their age? Or is it maybe from still being in a new situation? If it's the age, about what age will he be when he can actually go at playing fetch or frisbee or something for a longer period of time?

Sorry I couldn't help you with your other questions. I would be wondering the same thing. You should direct these questions to your vet. Stewie should pay a visit there soon anyway; all dogs, no matter how old or from where, should visit a vet when brought into the home for the first time, just for a general checkup.

"Pooped out after 15 minutes" doesn't describe any 7 month-old Border Collie I've ever heard of. I want to say he's just tired from the overhaul in his environment, and it's very likely that. It's still worth mentioning to your vet while you're there.

Take it easy for now. Exercise him according to his energy levels; don't force him to take more than he decides he can, or he could end up injuring himself. If he's anything like 99% of Border Collies, you'll soon be struggling to keep up with him.

I would give it a few more weeks before I'd be too concerned about this.

HORSEandHOUND · 06-10-2009, 05:08 PM

vax:
da2ppv bordatella rabies
there are other vaccines that are regionally specific (like lymes)
he will not be due again until 1 year and 4 months if all his vaccines were done on time. i do not recommend just getting them redone. over vaccination is a cause of cancer in pets. i would talk to your local vet about what they recommend and ask about titer testing from here on out.
a titer test is where they take a blood sample and count the antibodies against a certain virus. if the level is too low then you re vaccinate. it drastically reduces the chance of fibro sarcoma caused by over vaccination.

as far as exhaustion goes if it were really hot out i'd expect him to be pooped (i have a border collie i understand their energy) but with some water and 5 minutes of rest he should be ready to go again. BUT don't expect him to be his normal self til he's been a member of your family for at least a month. if he's still pooped after 15 minutes a month from now, i'd analyze his nutrition plan and maybe pull blood.