We transport dogs from areas of the US with severe dog overpopulation and different infectious disease concerns. We do this to save their lives. Every day they spend in the environments from which they came, they are at higher risk of being exposed to life—threatening infectious disease than they are in our homes and community.
With the help of veterinarians and shelter medicine experts, HH has worked to follow best practices for interstate relocation of dogs by creating protocols and investing in high-quality care. HH and our partners provide age-appropriate vaccinations, medical exams, de-worming, and behavioral evaluations, and we quarantine in foster homes and rescues prior to transport. We also work to make their travel time as low-stress as possible.
Despite all of our efforts, there are elements of infectious diseases that are out of our control. These dogs come from places where there are too many dogs and puppies, and where infectious diseases and intestinal parasites are relatively common. Therefore, we advise that for the first 2 weeks that they are in your home, you avoid having them meet other dogs outside your home, especially any young dogs under 6 months of age. This means avoiding dog group settings (i.e. dog parks, playgroups, etc.) to just be sure they don‘t share colds or other issues. Additionally, during that time you should also visit your veterinarian with your new pet. Here are some facts about the most common issues seen in these communities.
Parvovirus - Parvovirus in dogs is a preventable disease with vaccination. It is part of the standard "distemper" or DHPP or DAZPP vaccine that is considered “core" for dogs. Once adult dogs have had a series of 2 DHPP vaccines within 2—4 weeks of each other, they are considered protected for years. All our dogs receive these vaccines. The big risk is with puppies, who despite receiving the vaccines, may continue to be susceptible to parvovirus until after they get their last vaccine at 20 weeks of age.
Puppies with parvovirus develop vomiting and diarrhea. This can be confusing because intestinal parasites —— also common -- can also cause these issues. If your puppy develops vomiting or diarrhea in the first 2 weeks in your home, we advise you see your veterinarian and discuss testing them for parvovirus and intestinal parasites just to be safe — these can usually be done easily at your veterinarian’s office.
Canine distemper —— Canine distemper (CDV) is a disease that is also prevented by the DHPP vaccine, and again, dogs who have had 2 DHPP vaccines within 2-4 weeks of each other when they are over 5 months of age have very low risk of getting infected. Puppies are susceptible until they are over 5 months of age when they complete their vaccine series, even if they are regularly getting the vaccinations as they should.
In very rare instances if a dog was recently exposed to distemper prior to coming into rescue with our Southern partners and their vaccines were not yet protecting them, the dog may develop distemper in the few weeks after arriving in NY. Signs include respiratory disease, then vomiting and diarrhea a couple of weeks later, and then finally neurological signs a few weeks after that. The incubation period for the disease is 2-6 weeks so this is the window of time in which you see these signs.
If you have concerns in the 2-4 weeks after adopting your pet that they may be sick, your veterinarian can submit a PCR Canine Respiratory Panel to check and see what they have. There are many causes of diarrhea and upper respiratory disease in pets, especially those that have been in shelters and under stress of transport.
Kennel cough/URI -- just like in people, there are many causes of colds in dogs, both viral and bacterial. Most of these are mild and self—limiting in a couple of weeks. Some can be more serious. HH and their rescue partners provide upper respiratory vaccines for the most common causes, but these do not work 100% of the time to prevent disease —-just like the flu vaccine in people, they reduce the severity of illness but especially given the stress of transport some of the dogs will get mildly sick.
If your dog has yellow or green nasal discharge and/or serious coughing and lethargy in the next 2-3 weeks, we advise you see a veterinarian for testing (the canine respiratory panel PCR) and antibiotics. Understand that although the dogs showed no signs of illness when they left the South, the stress of travel and their close proximity to other animals can result in URI. Just like people traveling on airplanes or crowded buses, the process of relocating them can bring out illness despite all the efforts of rescue and shelter staff.
Intestinal parasites: All the dogs adopted through HH have been dewormed both at the site of origin, and on arrival at our shelter. However, it is important to realize that parasite lifecycles require repeat de-worming; this is usually accomplished with monthly heartworm prevention and episodic treatment. We strongly encourage you to repeat de-worming medication at your first veterinary visit with your new pet, as well as to start monthly heartworm prevention.
Heartworm disease: All the dogs over 6 months of age have been tested for heartworm and started on heartworm prevention if they were negative. Positive dogs have either been treated or given a treatment plan. However, it is important to understand that rarely, even though the test was negative, and the dog is on prevention, the dog could be incubating heartworms and will test positive in 6 months. Therefore, we strongly advise that you start monthly heartworm prevention, and re-test your pet in 6 months.
