No system is f00lproof and
anyone who tells you theirs is, simply isn't telling the truth. However there are
ways to eliminate risks when transporting animals and that is our goal. Out of
the 1800 animals moved by SAP Rescue we have had very few health issues.
When something has gone wrong over the last few years we have learned from
it and have taken measures to prevent it from happening again. SAP
has a program which primarily moves animals from Gloucester County
in Virginia. This county has a program called Puppy Transport that has
been in place for 7 years now, and they have a great program. They pull dogs and
puppies, cats and kittens from their facilities that encompass 6 counties and
place them in one of their 20+ foster homes. Some dogs live in
outside pens, others live right in houses with families. During
their stays with these families several things happen. The family gets a real
feel for the animal, its behavior and its personality. This allows us to not
only know who we are getting, but to match up descriptions pretty well for
adopters, with the kind of dog they are looking for. This time spent in foster is a
minimum of 2 weeks and can be as long as several months for some animals. This
two week holding allows us to be sure that the animals are healthy and that no
transmittable diseases are hiding their symptoms until later. Although it
is rare for our shelters here in New England to have a case of rabies, parvo or
distemper these diseases kill thousands in shelters in other parts of the
country every year. Parvo is very prominent in young puppies in
shelters and puppies die from it more than 50% of the time when exposed to
it. A lot of the puppies we transport are born in foster homes and remain
there until they are transported to New England. That eliminates even more of
the risk and also allows the foster homes time to give them love, and
socialization. A good percentage of the pups that travel here are crate
trained and on their way to being housebroken. They are happy and
healthy. Each animal is vaccinated age appropriately. Adult dogs are just
given one DHLPP booster, as well as a rabies shot, and Bordatella (kennel cough)
vaccines. Puppies are given at least two DHLPP vaccines, and three if age
appropriate, as well as kennel cough vaccine and rabies shot if over 12 weeks of
age. In order to stick to this rule though, it does mean that we
rarely transport puppies under the age of 10 weeks. If they
have 2 vaccines it simply eliminates a lot of the risk of disease. All animals
are also wormed, although we suggest each foster home take a stool sample to their veterinarian on arrival and be sure that they do not need to be wormed again. Fleas are prevalent in the warmer climate of Virginia, consult with your veterinarian on the best age appropriate treatment if your animal arrives with extra passengers. All
dogs over 6 months are also tested for heartworm to be sure they are
negative. Heartworm is very prevalent in the south, and can be very costly to
treat. So, we also suggest strongly that all animals (puppies & dogs) are
put on heartworm preventative as soon as they arrive in Vermont, regardless of
time of year. This may sound extreme, but even though a dog tests negative
for heartworm, if they are exposed to it before they leave they can still get
the condition and it can take up to 6 months to show up. So, for cost reasons
and for your animal's health they should continue on treatment. Last but not
least, each dog is given a health certificate within a couple days of the
transport by a vet to show they are healthy and clear to travel. Cats and kittens follow the same protocol but with feline appropriate vaccinations.
They are not tested for heartworm, but they are tested for feline leukemia and
proven to be negative before traveling.
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