application questions (please help)

[raingirl]

I need some help with these questions on an adoption app.

"do you plan to go to a conventional vet or holistic vet"

I was just planning on going to the vet closest to me, how do I know if a vet is one or the other? I am a fan of natural medicine and would totally do that for a dog. Is it ok to say both??

"will you feed measured meals" "how many times per day" "will you leave food down" "amount of food fed per day"

I would assume the rescue would advise us what is suitable for the dog we get right (i.e how much food, when, etc) I know some of it depends on the dog. For most dogs, you give them food, if they don't eat in a certain time we are supposed to take it away right? But I know Great Danes you leave food out all the time.

"what do you do if your dog doesn't like his regular food"

??? I heard it's bad to change food because it makes them picky. Maybe I'm wrong. What should I do.

"Do you plan to give your dog treats each day/table scraps during the day?"

I don't know about the first, but I would assume no to the second.

"what brand of medication to prevent heartworm will you use?"

how should I know? whatever my vet would suggest I guess?

I have more but I have to run to catch my train!!

[heeler's rock!]

YIKES! Some of those questions are a little pre-mature for an application! Here's my suggestions:

"do you plan to go to a conventional vet or holistic vet"
I would think the vet closest to you is conventional, as holistic vets seem harder to find, well here in Calgary anyways. Phone and ask and say whatever the vet is. You can always change to holistic later if you find one close to you, but no need to say all that on an application.

"will you feed measured meals" "how many times per day" "will you leave food down" "amount of food fed per day"You are totally right. The amount of food per day is totally dependent on the size of the dog. I would answer it just like that. I wouldn't recommend free feeding for the dog as it could cause him to overeat. I feed my dogs twice a day, which I was told is easier on the dog.

"what do you do if your dog doesn't like his regular food"
There are too many factors as to why a dog isn't eating, and the fact that they don't like it is hard to tell. I would say that I would try for a day or so to get him to eat, then if nothing is working, go to a vet to rule out any medical problems, then look into switching the food if he is still not eating the old food.

"Do you plan to give your dog treats each day/table scraps during the day?"
I would also answer this honestly. You probably will give them treats everyday, so I would say yes. Definitely say no to table scraps!

"what brand of medication to prevent heartworm will you use?"
Say exactly what you said in your post. Tell them that it would depend on what your vet suggests.

I hope that helps, but more experienced people on here might have some better suggestions! What rescue are you looking into? I've just never heard of these types of questions before!!

[raingirl]

Thanks for the reply. I hope it's ok to quote the application here, because I'm a little confused.

When I printed the application, it was 9 pages!! Half the stuff I have no idea what they are talking about.

like:

"Do you plan to let your dog off lead? "
(do they mean a leash?)

"WHAT, IF ANY, OF THE FOLLOWING TRAINING EQUIPMENT TOOLS HAVE YOU USED OR DO YOU PLAN TO USE, AND WITH WHAT SUCCESS IN THE PAST?
Flat buckle collar or plain collar with a plastic clip, Regular body harness, Anti pulling harness (lupi) (?), Head halter (Gentle Leader? Halti? Response halter?), Choke chain, slip Collar, Prong or Pinch collar, Electronic Training collar, Citronella spray collar, Electronic anti bark collar"

and this one baffles me...I guess I will, but who knows! ("Do you plan to play tug of war with your dog, if he/she likes this game")

I will get on with the application now..

Thanks again!

[Lucky Rescue]

Wow - talk about picky!! It's good that they care this much, but as has been said - some questions are hard to answer until you have the dog.

Do you plan to let your dog off lead?

Yes, they mean off the leash. You can tell them where and under what circumstances you will do this, if you are planning on doing it. They just don't want one of their dogs off leash in an unfenced area, as accidents can happen in the blink of an eye.

As for what brand of heartworm meds, you can just reassure them you will NOT use Proheart 6.

As for feeding, twice a day is always good.

The main concern is that the dog will not be living on a chain or outside, that it will get any necessary vet care, decent food, adequate exercise, and will not be abused in any way. Some people consider anti-bark collars and choke chains to be harsh.

[Spurby]

Interesting application! Maybe they are saving time by getting some of these questions answered first, rather than a phone interview?

If you are unsure of some of the questions, just answer that, you are unsure, but are willing to follow the advice and info provided to you from the rescue. I certainly don't think everyone should be an expert on training/care etc when adopting a dog, but if someone is responsible, and willing to learn and have an open ear, that is what is really important. If this is a Great Dane you are looking to adopt, i would suggest you read up on Bloat-this affects large breeds, and they will want you to understand this well. Asking them for information on this, and anything else you might want to know would be a good thing, since they will see that you are willing to learn more.

Good Luck!

[raingirl]

well, I think my application is too late... the little pup I was completing it for is now gone of petfinder..

Oh well. The rescue said they would keep the application on file and consider us for additional rescues that come in.

(it's the Bulldog Rescue)

Thanks everyone.