After the Adoption:

First Things First
a supplement

The history of an adopted pet is often unknown,
so make sure you take these important steps of pet ownership:

Visit your veterinarian

Have your dog examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible. This is especially important if you have another pet at home in order to help prevent possible transmission of disease.

Make sure your current pet(s) are up-to-date on all vaccinations. If you currently have other pets in your household, it is always wise to keep them separated from your new dog in case they are incubating a contagious disease.

As with people, prevention is the best medicine. Consider this: the average life span of a pet is approximately 12 years. If you take your pet to the veterinarian every two years, 20% of your pet's life has passed between visits. That's the equivalent of a 74-year-old person not seeing a doctor for 14 years!

Your veterinarian will give your pet a thorough physical exam, vaccinate your pet and provide information on any pet health questions you may have. Your veterinarian can be your best friend and advocate in helping your new family memeber settle in.

Socialization

Introducing your new dog to your current pets may be traumatic at first, but be patient. It may take a week or two for your new friend to become comforatble with your current pets. Initially, do not allow unsupervised interaction between the "new kid on the block" and your other pets. If cats are involved, be prepared for hissing and chasing, this is part of the "getting to know each other" process.

Licensing requirements

Make sure your new dog complies with all the animal regulations of your city, county and state. Requirements vary from one community or state to another. Be aware of your community's leash and pooper-scooper laws. A current ID tag is also extremely important. Until the new guy "learns his turf", getting lost is a very real danger.

Wait! There's more!

jump to our other "what to expect" links:

Your New Dog's First Days | Your Dog's 1st Few Weeks | Patience Yields Rewards | Grooming Your Cocker

Information on this page was exerpted from a PetSmart advertising flyer promoting their Pet Adoptathon '99.
Thanks PetSmart, for helping homeless animals make a second chance in life!

This page updated 4/9/06 Get your own FREE Website at