Adopting a dog that has had no shots?

ransom · 10-09-2007, 10:13 AM

Is it a bad idea to adopt a 1-yr-old dog that has had no shots? I have the opportunity to adopt a sweet mixed breed, but the owner (who got it from a shelter about 8 months ago) has not taken it to the vet for its shots. Any idea how much all the shots will end up costing? And how much for spaying?

Thanks

the-tenth · 10-09-2007, 10:21 AM

There are a lot of variables in the cost of spaying. Your area and the size of the dog are probably the two biggest. I can't imagine a shelter adopting out a 4 month old pup without most of it's shots. You can probably contact the shelter and find out exactly what the dog needs and the vet for the costs before making any decision on the dog.

peace36 · 10-09-2007, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ransom

Is it a bad idea to adopt a 1-yr-old dog that has had no shots? I have the opportunity to adopt a sweet mixed breed, but the owner (who got it from a shelter about 8 months ago) has not taken it to the vet for its shots. Any idea how much all the shots will end up costing? And how much for spaying?

Thanks

The last vet visit with my dog to up date her on all her typical shots and I chose not to get the "kennel Cough" shot but did also get a $20 heart worm blood test and $38 worth of Heartworm prevenative the total bill was $160.

Getting my dogs spayed and Neutered cost total problably $150.00 I was told $100 but then asked if I wanted special stitches that dissolve by them self and pain shot after surgery well it added up.

I live in Northern IL.

Lorina · 10-09-2007, 11:15 AM

One thing you should look into, before you get the dog, is contacting the shelter and find out about getting listed as the dog's rightful owner. Most shelters have rules about giving away a dog adopted from them, that the dog should be returned from the shelter if the owner needs to rehome the dog.

lovemygreys · 10-09-2007, 12:02 PM

Call your vet and ask how much they charge for spay & vaccinations, plus you'll want a general check up and probably a fecal & heartworm test. Price varies greatly from vet to vet even within the same city or town.

cvcraven · 10-09-2007, 01:23 PM

Ransom- First I want to say it's wonderful that you are considering adopting a dog! The thing I want to caution you on is that the cost of this dog won't stop at the vaccines. You will also need heartworm & flea medication. Not to mention food and routine vet visits. If the cost of the vaccinations will put a strain on your budget, you will want to consider how all of the other doggy expenses will also fit in the budget.

Good Luck!!

ransom · 10-09-2007, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvcraven

Ransom- First I want to say it's wonderful that you are considering adopting a dog! The thing I want to caution you on is that the cost of this dog won't stop at the vaccines. You will also need heartworm & flea medication. Not to mention food and routine vet visits. If the cost of the vaccinations will put a strain on your budget, you will want to consider how all of the other doggy expenses will also fit in the budget.

Good Luck!!

I didn't mean to make it sound like my budget would be strained. It was really a two-part question. The first is whether I should be concerned that this dog hasn't had its shots over time. Do I need to worry about health problems that we will now have to deal with over the life of the dog because she wasn't vaccinated properly? Second was just the curiosity factor of how much it will cost us to spay her and get her shots. But the cost isn't really a big issue. The biggest issue is my first question. Thanks much.

the-tenth · 10-09-2007, 03:03 PM

Not as long as the dog checks out initially. I don't think there's a problem with the dog getting whatever shots it hasn't gotten already, at 1 year old. I would definately contact the shelter it was orignally adopted from to find out what it has been given already, and what another poster mentioned. Most of the time when you adopt a dog, you sign an agreement that if something happens tht you can't keep it, you will bring it back to the place you aopted it from. That may be a blessing in disguise if they want the dog back. Make sure they know you want the dog. They may take it back, have it vet checked, get it up to date, and have it spayed and charge you an adoption fee (which is probably less than everything I just described).

ransom · 10-09-2007, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the-tenth

Not as long as the dog checks out initially. I don't think there's a problem with the dog getting whatever shots it hasn't gotten already, at 1 year old. I would definately contact the shelter it was orignally adopted from to find out what it has been given already, and what another poster mentioned. Most of the time when you adopt a dog, you sign an agreement that if something happens tht you can't keep it, you will bring it back to the place you aopted it from. That may be a blessing in disguise if they want the dog back. Make sure they know you want the dog. They may take it back, have it vet checked, get it up to date, and have it spayed and charge you an adoption fee (which is probably less than everything I just described).

Thanks much for the advice. Sounds good.