Q. What are your adoption fees and what do they cover?
A. There is a one time, NON-REFUNDABLE application fee of $25.00 for ANY adoption. Our adoption fees vary from $105.00-$175.00 for dogs and $60.00 for cats. Adoption fees for other types of animals vary. Our adoption fees help to cover our costs for spaying/neutering, the rabies vaccine and county tag, puppy/kitten vaccines, heartworm, leuk/aids, and fecal testing, and microchips. Our adoption fees most of the time do not even cover the basic veterinary costs, ANY EXTRA CONTRIBUTIONS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED AND GO TOWARDS FEEDING AND SHELTERING THE ANIMALS HERE.
Q. Exactly what vaccinations has my new pet received?
A. All dogs are vaccinated against Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parvovirus, Parainfluenza. Pets over 5 months old also receive their Rabies vaccine and county tag (dogs and cats). The Rabies vaccine is a Statewide requirement and you MUST register your new pet with your county. Please check the laws in your county regarding registration procedures and costs.
Q. Why does my new cat/dog have to be spayed/neutered?
A. Our goal at H.A.L.O. Rescue is to save as many lives as possible. Nearly 70,000 puppies are born in the United States every day. Only 25% of those puppies will find loving homes. Five million of them are euthanized in shelters every year. That’s one every 6.5 seconds. Decreasing the overpopulation of abandoned and abused animals is our highest priority. By spaying/neutering we are not only ensuring better health for your pet, we are also decreasing future accidental pregnancies, which causes the overpopulation. Becasue of our strong belief that spaying and neutering decreases our pet overpopulation, we have teamed up with our veterinarian and offer the community low cost spay and neuter vouchers. Come to the shelter and pick up your voucher. It’s so affordable and for every pet spayed, you are doing your part in saving hundreds if not thousands of lives.
Q. What if my puppy/kitten is too young to be spayed/neutered or to receive the Rabies vaccination?
A. We do not believe in premature alteration of young pets. When you adopt a puppy or kitten from H.A.L.O. Rescue you will be given a voucher that you will take to the vet when your new pet reaches maturity (usually around 5-6 months old). This voucher allows you to take your new pet to our Vet to be spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped at no additional cost to you. It is important that you do not lose this voucher. If the voucher is lost you will still be required to have the pet altered and vaccinated but you will have to pay the full cost of the procedures at that time.
Q. When should I take my new pet to the vet?
A. Your new pet should be taken to the vet of your choice as soon as possible for what is often called a “well-check”. We have made every effort to ensure you a happy, healthy new pet. Unfortunately it is impossible to predict future health problems. If the animal is ill, and you are unable to incur the costs of veterinary care, please return the pet to this shelter. We do our best to ensure that every pet that going into a home is healthy, but we have no way of predicting unforeseen illnesses, such as kennel cough, upper respiratory disease, tape worms, etc. Please, if within the two week adoption trial your pet comes down with any of these treatable illnesses due to the stressful change in environment, call us. Many medications we have on hand and we will do our best to make sure you are happy with your new addition and they make it through their adjustment time as easily as possible!
Q. What happens if I am no longer able to keep my pet for any reason?
A. It is our sincerest hope that you and the new member of your family are a perfect match. If for any reason you are no longer able to keep your pet you may return the pet to us within 14 days from the date of your home visit and we will gladly refund your adoption fee (less a $25 charge for veterinary re-examination). If you cannot keep the animal for any reason AFTER the 14 days we do require that you return the pet to us, but we are not able to refund the adoption fee at that time.
Q. What are Heartworms and how do I prevent them?
Unfortunately we have had animals returned to our shelter heartorm positive which greatly saddened us that people still do not understand the importance of heartworm prevention in Florida. We now do require that you either purchase heartworm prevention from us, or show proof at the time of your home visit.
Heartworm disease is a parasitic infection that can affect any dog regardless of age, sex or habitat. Heartworm disease is found in virtually all parts of the United States and many parts of Canada. Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes. The disease tends to have a higher incidence in areas heavily populated by mosquitoes.
Heartworms live in the blood of a dog’s heart and adjacent blood vessels. They can grow from four to twelve inches in length, reach maturation one year after infection and live for approximately five to seven years. Adult heartworms produce offspring, known as microfilariae, which circulate in the animal’s blood. When a female mosquito bites an infected animal, it sucks blood containing the microfilariae. When the mosquito bites another pet, the infected larvae are transmitted. In many cases the infected dog will not show symptoms in the early stages of the disease process.
Heartworms are the most serious common parasite for dogs because they stress the dog’s heart by restricting blood flow and also damage other internal organs. The heart may enlarge and become weakened due to an increased workload, and congestive heart failure may occur. Left untreated, the disease can be fatal to dogs.
Blood screening tests can verify the presence of heartworms. Radiographs and x-rays are used to detect the disease in its later stages. Prevention prevents needless suffering and through our shelter starts at only $18.00 for a 6 month supply. It is affordable!
