Foster Parent Manual
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FOSTER PARENT MANUAL A guide to caring for JHS ’s tiniest rescues! The Goal of Foster Care: • Keep animals warm, clean, and provide adequate nutrition. • Protect from infectious disease. • Provide positive socialization with people and littermates. • Nurture animals in preparation for adoption. JHS foster staff is NOT available after hours. All messages (telephone, email, social media) received after the close JHS foster staff is NOT available after hours. All messages of business will be returned on the following day. (telephone, email, social media) received after the close of business will be returned on the following day. EMERGENCY CARE PROTOCOL on PAGES 22-23 EMERGENCY CARE PROTOCOL on PAGES 22-23 Thank you for becoming a JHS foster parent! This manual contains information on how best to care for your EMERGENCY PROTOCOL: AFTER HOURS foster animals and get them ready for adoption. Below is a quick JHS staff is NOT available after normal business reference guide to some common foster parent questions. hours for emergency care. All messages (phone, email, social media) received after the close of How can I reach How to reach foster staff during business hours: business will be returned on the following day. the foster office Phone (904) 493-4567 staff? Email [email protected] Facebook message “Be Humane” on the JHS If your foster pet experiences an after-hours life- Fosters Facebook group. threatening emergency, foster parents may take their foster pet to Blue Pearl Emergency Pet Hospital for dis- What do I do if These symptoms are sometimes referred to as counted emergency care. Discounted services will be my kitten is ‘fading kitten syndrome’. See page 14 for more offered for life-threatening emergencies only. lethargic and not details on how to help the kitten with warming Payment will be due at the time services are rendered. eating? support and increasing their blood sugar. Kittens Please be advised that the Jacksonville Humane Society must be WARM before trying to syringe or asssit is not able to provide reimbursement for emergency or feed. veterinary care provided by an off-site/outside clinic, How much and For bottle babies, please refer to the table on including Blue Pearl Emergency Pet Hospital. how often do I page 7. Blue Pearl offers two emergency hospital locations: feed my kitten? For mush babies and kittens eating on their own, you will need to feed 4-5 small meals 3444 Southside Blvd, Suite 103 / Jacksonville, FL throughout the day. 32216 / Tel: (904) 646-1287 Checking your kittens’ weight with an at-home 275 Corporate Way, Suite 100 / Orange Park, FL food scale is a good practice to verify they are continually gaining weight. What do I do if See page 12 for a list of common symptoms Upon arrival to Blue Pearl, please notify staff that my kitten is sick? and how urgently they should be addressed emergency care is needed for a JHS FOSTER ANIMAL. by JHS medical staff. Please note that discounted services are strictly offered Sick kitten appointments can be booked online for JHS foster animals and will not be honored for at jaxfoster.youcanbook.me. personal pets under any circumstances. Please present If there are no appointment times available, the JHS Foster Animal Handout to staff upon arrival as please contact the foster office. verification of being a JHS foster parent. What if my foster During business hours, contact the foster of- Discounted emergency services are offered for JHS animal is having a fice and bring the foster animal in to JHS. medical After– hours, refer to the emergency care pro- foster animals at Blue Pearl Emergency Pet Hospital only. emergency? tocol on pages 22-23 of this manual. Emergency care received at emergency/veterinary clinics other than Blue Pearl Emergency Pet Hospital may Maddie’s Pet Assistant is a useful app that gives you not be discounted for JHS foster animals. 24/7 access to expert advice from shelter veterinarians and behaviorists, as well as information about your own foster animal’s medical records. Page 23 EMERGENCY PROTOCOL Table of Contents Intestinal parasites (“worms” - may resemble rice or Wellness Visits / Developmental Periods 4 spaghetti), sneezing, coughing, vomiting and/or diar- rhea are generally not considered life-threatening emer- Underage Kittens—Bottle Babies (0-5 weeks old) 6 gencies. If your foster pet(s) is currently experiencing Underage Kittens—”Mush” Babies (5-6 weeks old) 8 any of these symptoms, please schedule an appoint- ment online at JaxFoster.YouCanBook.me or contact Underage Kittens—Almost Adoption Ready (6-8 10 the foster office at (904) 493-4567 during normal busi- weeks old) ness hours for further direction. Nursing Mom with Kittens 11 Examples of life-threatening emergencies include: Seizures Common Medical Warnings / Skin Conditions 12 Difficulty breathing Fading Kitten Syndrome 14 Traumatic injury Unresponsiveness Foster Puppy Information 16 The most common life-threatening emergencies are Emergency Protocol 22 underage kittens that are failing to thrive or “fading”. What JHS supplies for foster animals… Please refer to the “Fading Kitten Emergency Protocol” on pages 14-15 for associated symptoms We aim to provide each foster parent with enough food and suggested at home supportive care. and litter for a two week period since all underage animals return to JHS for bi-weekly preventative care. SUPPLIES ARE SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY EMERGENCY CARE DURING BUSINESS HOURS: JHS greatly appreciates the generosity of foster If there is a life-threatening emergency with a foster pet parents who purchase supplies for their foster pets, during normal business hours, foster parents should which helps us to save even more lives! contact the foster office at (904) 493-4567 and/or bring the animal to JHS for immediate medical evaluation and Pet carrier treatment at the Pet Help Center. Hours listed below. Age appropriate canned and/or dry food If a foster pet is experiencing a life-threatening Non-clumping litter and pan emergency before the Pet Help Center opens, Bottle and/or syringes with nipple emergency services can be accessed through the Kitten Milk Replacer (such as KMR, PetLac, or Breeder’s Edge) Veterinary Services entrance which opens at 8:00AM, Puppy Milk Replacer (such as Esbilac or PetAg) Monday – Saturday. Rice sock for warming support Gloves, gowns, etc. available upon request On-site veterinary care & medication during posted business hours Page 3 Page 22 WELLNESS VISITS NURSING MOM WITH PUPPIES Underage kittens and puppies are required to be seen EVERY 2 WEEKS from 4—16 Creating a Nesting Area weeks of age by foster office staff. You’ll want to give the mother dog and her Wellness visits include an updated weight, puppies a quiet, secluded space in your vaccine, deworming, microchip and flea/ home—away from other pets. A plastic baby heartworm preventative. An appointment pool or large dog bed can be used to create a is required for animals that are sick or nesting space that the mother can enter/exit, injured. but the babies You will receive email reminders from Maddie’s Pet As- can’t leave. Ensure sistant to alert you when your foster pet is due for their the nesting area for next vaccine. Foster staff will also provide a handout outlining when your kitten is due to return to the shelter mom and babies for preventative care. has soft towels and blankets and some Kitten Age Average Vaccination Due Weight puppy pads. 4 weeks old 0.8—1.0 lbs FVRCP booster Mother will spend 6 weeks old 1.0—1.5 lbs FVRCP booster most of the time 8 weeks old 1.5—2.0 lbs FVRCP booster—Most kittens reach 2lbs nursing, cleaning and can be spayed or neutered and be and caring for her made available for adoption! pups. She will need 10 weeks old 2.0 -3.0 lbs FVRCP booster to be taken out to eliminate regularly—pups 12 weeks old 2.2—4.0 lbs FVRCP booster, Rabies annual vaccine should stay in nesting area. How to Schedule Foster Appointments: A nursing mother will need 2-4 times the Foster parents are responsible for scheduling an appointment normal feeding amount to stay healthy. Be for illness/injury visits. Appointments can be scheduled online at sure to feed and provide water daily. JaxFoster.YouCanBook.me. During peak kitten season, we will offer walk-in clinic dates for routine visits. Ask your foster coordinators or check your foster handout for current clinic dates/times. Page 4 Page 21 UNDERAGE PUPPIES—FADING PUPPIES KITTEN DEVELOPMENTAL PERIODS Born with eyes closed and Fading puppy syndrome occurs when a tiny folded ears. Spends puppy that was healthy at birth begins to 0-2 WEEKS OLD most time asleep. decline around 1-2 weeks old. Eyes open, ears unfolded, The symptoms of a “fading” puppy include taking wobbly steps and are 2-3 WEEKS OLD becoming more aware of the following: surroundings. Lack of activity or appetite Canines and incisor teeth Weight loss are coming in. Becoming Continuous diarrhea or vomiting 3-4 WEEKS OLD more stead on their feet by 4 weeks. Continuous crying Mother dog pushing out of the nest Ready for 1st vaccinations. 4-5 WEEKS OLD Okay to begin offering mush Puppies fade very quickly. They will generally at 5 weeks of age. not survive without immediate veterinary care. Alert to surroundings— playful and active. Learning Contact the Foster Office immediately and see 5-6 WEEKS OLD to use the litter box. page 15 for info on what you can do at home until bringing the puppy in for medical care. Ready for 2nd vaccinations. 6-7 WEEKS OLD Occasionally deworming is There is no clear cause for this condition—it is needed prior to vaccines.