What to Know Before You Foster…

By Dr. Mary Carr

Administrator Veterinarian DuPage County Animal Care & Control

To help ensure the safety of your family and your pets, as well as the safety of your new foster pet, the following guidelines are suggested:

  • Ideally, three weeks before you bring a foster dog home, take your own pets in to your veterinarian to have an exam and discuss any concerns you may have about introducing a new dog.

Make sure all vaccinations are up-to-date including Rabies, Distemper/Adenovirus/Parainfluenza/Parvovirus, Leptospirosis, Bordetella, and Canine Influenza (both H3N2 and H3N8 strains). If the vaccines are not current, three weeks will allow ample time for the first vaccine and a repeat booster if needed.

Make sure your pets are treated with a flea and tick preventive product.

Discuss with your veterinarian what to do if your pet gets upset or stressed out (diarrhea, refusing to eat) when the foster pet arrives.

  • Make sure your pets are comfortable with other dogs before introducing a foster pet. Learn the signs that pets give when they are stressed out, nervous, or uncomfortable. Never attempt to break up a fight between dogs as severe injury could occur.
  • Dog-proof your home. Avoid hazards by:

Safely storing chemicals, household plants, pesticides, antifreeze, ant/mouse/rat traps or poisons, mothballs, fabric softener sheets, medications, potpourri oils, and cigarettes.

Safely securing coffee grounds, alcoholic drinks, chocolate, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, and sugar free chewing gum.

Preparing for accidents in case your foster pet urinates, defecates, vomits or has diarrhea while adjusting to your home. Have an enzymatic cleaner on hand for removing pet stain and odor.

Providing proper toys to chew like rawhide, hard rubber bones or cones, and other toys made for dogs. Do not allow the dog to chew old shoes, socks, wood, or children’s toys as they could be hazardous to the dog’s health and teach bad habits.

Providing a safe place (a quiet bedroom, laundry room, crate) for your pets to go to get away from the foster dog as needed. Also plan for a safe place for the foster dog to go to get away and rest as needed.

Checking your fence to make sure the foster dog doesn’t escape.

Keeping trash cans covered or inside a latched cabinet.

Keeping people food, cat food, and cat litterboxes out of reach.

Placing dangling wires from electronics and lamps out of reach and put away knick-knacks and prized possessions to avoid accidental breakage.

Discussing with all family members how to avoid allowing the foster dog to escape through a door or avoid getting tail/foot caught in a door.