Thank you for all the information it's really been helpful! It makes me so sad walking in to there cause I know half of the dog in there don't make it out!!!! I know I can't save them all but I really wish I could! I need to win the lottery
-- Sent from my Palm Pre On Oct 28, 2010 10:26 PM, Peggy &amp; The Girls <[email protected]> wrote: If it is possibly and as long as your dogs are fully up to date on their shots, bring your dog to see if they get along. Most of the shelters have very limited info on their dogs. I also suggest checking the dogs teeth, it will not only give you a good idea as to the previous care that it had, but also an idea of his age, especially the back teeth. Also very carefully run your hands over his entire body, checking for tiny tumors. Take a good look at those knees, especially when he walks and runs from behind. Check and smell his ears. Check his eyes, are they clear and sharp and bright, especially when the light is on them? Is he spayed/neutered, up to date on shots, de-wormed, tested and negative for HW is very important? Ask if it is okay to take a couple of pictures so you can show the family while you are deciding. It sometimes helps to make a decision when you look at those pictures for a couple of days. Make sure that you are in a good position to pay for any medical needs that may arise before you adopt another dog. Lastly, when you do decide to adopt, of course you will bring him to a Vet asap for an exam, but also ask for a full blood workup. It's better to pay for the test now, then to find out in a couple of months that he may have something serious brewing and then you find out you can't afford a couple of thousand of dollars to take care of him. I did that with both of my girls. Princess was fine. Gigi has border line kidney problems, probably because no noticed that she does not drink water at all and has to have her food soaked twice a day in order to have enough fluids in her. Her second blood test was much better after I hydrated her for a couple of weeks, but the little damage that has been done will never go away. Only the blood test could have shown that. Looking at her you would never know. So it is possible that this may be what is in store for us when she hits the senior years. I hope not. But for now every three months I have to run a blood test to make sure she stays stabilized. I have only had her for three months now, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. Lots of luck! BTW, I don't know what state you are in, but you should know, that when a dog is listed on Petfinders from a public shelter, it means that the dog only has 5 days to be rescued by a rescue group or be adopted. If not it will be put down, as the shelters are overloaded on a daily bases. Even if you find a dog out of state that you would like to adopt, some of the shelters have rescue groups that work with them to get a dog transported to you. If you go directly through a rescue group they too can make arrangements for transportation. Be aware that the rescues do the standard shots, and spay and neuter first before they transport the dog, but most do not do a blood panel. You could ask them to do the blood panel and they may say okay if you pay for it up front, in which case, make sure that you get a copy of the test for your own files. ♥ Peggy & The Girls ♥ -----Original Message----- From: Brea Rae <[email protected]> To: Chihuahuas <[email protected]> Sent: Thu, Oct 28, 2010 10:34 am Subject: [Chihuahuas] after a long debate I am starting my search to add another chihuahua to my famil I am going to the shelter today to start my search for chihuahua family member, my question for people who have rescue or dog from the shelter what should look for and be aware of?
