# I'm Fostering 6 puppies and mom



## MomLynn (Mar 19, 2008)

Does anyone know what I could place on my living room floor so that the puppies could run around and if they have an "accident" its easy to wipe up? I have carpet and we have a paint tarp covering the entire room but I'd like something a little nicer looking since we entertain in the same room. I don't want to keep the puppies in a play pen all the time its great to see them out chasing each other around the room!!!


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

I don't allow foster animals to be exposed to any other pets in the household (they may be carrying diseases or parasites not obvious yet) so I confine them to an un-used bathroom or my laundry room. Both have tile floors. The doors are kept closed until they have had their 1st set of shots. But there is almost always someone playing with them while they are awake. Once they are a bit older I put a gate across the doors.

Unless you have no other animals of your own in the house, or these are older pups, I'd be hesitant to allow them contact.


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## ILuvCanines (Dec 29, 2007)

Maybe you could get a cheap linoleum remnant and put it down for a tempory floor. I don't know how else you could keep them contained in a specific area unless you had some kind of fence with flooring inside the fence. I don't know how big you livingroom is, but linoleum is easy to clean up messes, and there are no cracks for any liquid to seep through.

Good luck with the brood.


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## Shalva (Mar 23, 2007)

briteday said:


> I don't allow foster animals to be exposed to any other pets in the household (they may be carrying diseases or parasites not obvious yet) so I confine them to an un-used bathroom or my laundry room. Both have tile floors. The doors are kept closed until they have had their 1st set of shots. But there is almost always someone playing with them while they are awake. Once they are a bit older I put a gate across the doors.
> 
> Unless you have no other animals of your own in the house, or these are older pups, I'd be hesitant to allow them contact.


I totally agree with this...... I have known to many people who have fostered and ended up exposing their dogs to diseases.... I would find a spare room or an area elsewhere but I agree about not allowing them to interact. 
s


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## MomLynn (Mar 19, 2008)

That is a wonderful idea!!!



Shalva said:


> I totally agree with this...... I have known to many people who have fostered and ended up exposing their dogs to diseases.... I would find a spare room or an area elsewhere but I agree about not allowing them to interact.
> s



Does this mean you never allow the pups to interact with your own dogs the entire time they are with you?


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## Shalva (Mar 23, 2007)

MomLynn said:


> That is a wonderful idea!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I know of at least two situations, one recently and the other one about six months ago in just my teeny tiny breed..... one in which foster mom brought pups in and the other an adult dog.... where they both had parvo..... 

I would keep them seperated until enough time has gone by that I know longer have to worry about them spreading diseases to my pack..... 

it is a great fear of mine as a dog owner and a breeder that I will with the greatest of intentions introduce soemthing harmful to my pack.... 

I am a bit paranoid about this especially considering these two recent events.
s


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

I no longer foster dogs or cats because of this issue. We had an entire litter of kittens die from parvo, while in our home being fostered. The shelter vet accidentally gave the wrong vaccine to the kittens or they were way too young to produce antibodies and they were already infected. I've also had adult foster dogs come to us with hideous worm infestations and skin diseases that were contagious. We've made the rounds of ringworm and every intestinal parasite. 

Often times the shelter discounts diarrhea in recently surrendered animals since stress can cause this. We have had a few little ones (pups and small breed adults) die from intestinal parasites. I finally got to the point where I wouldn't take any animals unless they received worming medication. But then we had ringworm, a skin infection, which can also be transmitted to humans. The parvo case was the absolute worst and the last straw. Over the years we have spent hours. days at vet appointments with animals that seem to be sick all the time. These animals generally come from poor environments (construction sites, evictions, surrenders) and some of them never seem to recover from their imposed misery. My teenage daughter just couldn't bear the thought of losing any more animals. Getting up to feed and care for the animals every few hours 24/7, dispensing foul tasting meds, then holding them while they die is just too much. 

All the years we fostered we never allowed interaction with our own pets or allowed the fosters anywhere in the house except the designated room, which was thoroughly disinfected (50/50 bleach to water and Lysol) every week, or more as necessary. However, just the thought of losing one of my own pets due to a foster animal is more than I can bear. So we no longer foster.


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## onthink (Mar 28, 2008)

You are very kind hearted and great!


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## Cobalt (Jul 27, 2007)

It takes a special person to be able to do what you all do. 

I think I am banned from my local humane society! I volunteered one sunday 15 years ago and was given a tiny sick kitten to care for and some solid food. There was no way it could eat the food. At the end of the day I was told to leave the kitten and they thought it would be gone by morning.

I snuck the kitten out and cared for it overnight with animal formula replacement etc. In the am I took it to my vet and he gave it fluid and said that it was 50-50 that it would make it. The shelter called and I took the kitten back. They would not let me foster it and they put the kitten down. This shelter has had some bad press and has done some great things but in this case, they failed. The director of the shelter can be a real, you know the word I want!

Thanks for doing what you do.


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