Dogs (San Diego, Spring Valley: house, camping, to live)

[possum_magic]

Hi, I am moving over, mid year, from Australia with family and our dog.

What do i need to worm/treat/vaccinate my dog against?

Where I live in Aust I have to worm and tick treat monthly. Heart worm and C5 injection vaccination yearly, plus monthly flea treatment.

I treat for paralysis ticks every two weeks.

Also, what are vet fees like in San Diego. ATM i pay $70 for a basic consult with vet, not including treatments etc.

TIA

[ShelbyGirl1]

Your dog will need to be vaccinated against Rabies, which is a 3 yr. vac. As wells as DHPP ( Distemper, Hepatitis, Para/Parvo....it is an all in one, and also 3 yr. Plan on monthly meds of Heartworm and flea and tick. If you plan on having your dog on hiking trails or in a rural area, a good idea might be the vac for Rattlesnakes( (yearly). It is not required, but a smart move. If you plan on boarding your dog, Bordetella dose is required by all boarding facilities.( every 6 months)
To walk in the door at a Vet. is usually around $50, could be a bit more or a bit less, depending. That does not include any treatments.

[possum_magic]

Wow, thanks.

Rattlesnake vac?? Wow. Are there really that many? Are the dogs attracted to their rattles? We currently live on a bushy acreage and we have red belly black snakes and there are also browns and tigers in the area (but i've only seen black on our property), all venomous and deadly. However, we don't vac. against them as the dogs/horses tend to scare them away when they bark and run around them. I guess it would be the vibrations that would scare the snakes off. Horses and dogs do get the odd bite, but it's rare. Anti-venom is very expensive (thousands $$$).

What's the advice when seeing a rattlesnake? We are taught in Australia when you come across a snake, stand still and let it pass. They generally try to stay out of your way. Browns can be aggressive, but most snakes are placid (but very scary!!). Do rattle snakes try to get out of your way? Do they blend in so well to ground that you are likely to stand on one?? Do you think the vac. is really necessary or just a money making thing for the vets? Are snake bites on dogs common?

I would like to hike with my dog. She's a poodle, but she loves the bush and bounding through the scrub.

TIA

[tonyinsd]

I would go to the Customs website as well. I am sure there are requirements for taking a live animal into the country. I don't know if this is the case for you coming to the United States, but if I were to move to your neighbor to the east, New Zealand, my cats would have to be quarantined for a month.

Also, one thing to remember is that if you live in the city, your chances to let the dog go off leash will be limited. There is no way my sister could move here from Alaska, for example. Her dog is used to going off leash, and for him to be leashed would be too much of a transition for him.

[ShelbyGirl1]

We were told by more than one vet, that the Rattlesnake vac. would be a good idea. We have 5 acres, with having just moved here from Texas, in May. In Texas, in the area in which we lived, our dog would have been hard pressed to find a Rattler. Here, it is more rural and are told they are seen quite often. Again, I am in a rural area of San Diego. We have yet to see one, but for the $25 it cost me, it is peace of mind, that should he be bit, he has a fighting chance to live. And yes, the anti-venom is extremely expensive.
We started training our dogs, when they are pups to "leave it". This goes for snakes too. So far, even with the few non-poisonous , garden variety snake, our Golden has let them be.

[possum_magic]

$25, bargain! I will def get it then. Something like that in Aust would be so expensive.

I pay $100 for yearly C5 Vac (Distemper, Hep, Parvo, Canine Cough) and $75 for yearly heartworm. Worming is about $7 a month and tick treatments cost just over $30 a month.

I don't spend anywhere near this on my horse. Just $11 a month for worming. Cheap as chips.

[TristramShandy]

Originally Posted by possum_magic

Wow, thanks.

Rattlesnake vac?? Wow. Are there really that many? Are the dogs attracted to their rattles? We currently live on a bushy acreage and we have red belly black snakes and there are also browns and tigers in the area (but i've only seen black on our property), all venomous and deadly. However, we don't vac. against them as the dogs/horses tend to scare them away when they bark and run around them. I guess it would be the vibrations that would scare the snakes off. Horses and dogs do get the odd bite, but it's rare. Anti-venom is very expensive (thousands $$$).

What's the advice when seeing a rattlesnake? We are taught in Australia when you come across a snake, stand still and let it pass. They generally try to stay out of your way. Browns can be aggressive, but most snakes are placid (but very scary!!). Do rattle snakes try to get out of your way? Do they blend in so well to ground that you are likely to stand on one?? Do you think the vac. is really necessary or just a money making thing for the vets? Are snake bites on dogs common?

I would like to hike with my dog. She's a poodle, but she loves the bush and bounding through the scrub.

TIA

A lot will depend on where you move into San Diego and where you will take your dogs. My oldest dog just turned five and I've never seen a rattlesnake with her. Now 95% of our walks aren't in the most rugged of environments, but two places that I do take my dogs (Fiesta Island and Lake Murray) either have signs for snakes or there have been posts here about snake sightings there. Other than a snake skin that I saw in the backyard of my Spring Valley house when I lived there (in a somewhat natural setting - - our backyard were wild grasses and flowers rather than a manicured lawn), I've never seen even the remnanats of a snake.

When I was a kid in Pennsylvania, my family's golden retriever got bit by a rattlesnake. Apparently they do have an odor to them - - I've heard it described as smelling faintly of milk or nuts. We were camping and were on a walk in the woods, and she stuck her head under a fallen log and was bit. It took a while to get back to the campsite and then awhile longer to get to the closest vet and my dad had to carry her down the trail because of how quickly the venom got into her and affected her motor functions. She survived, but it was certainly a scare to see how quickly and effectively that venom worked!

[Clark Fork Fantast]

One rattler in our backyard last year--3 the year before! If you choose to live on or near a canyon, be prepared for them. Our vet advised against the rattlesnake vac. She said it only provides a minimum of protection, and can be dangerous to the dog, so do discuss it with the vet you choose. The rattler awareness training involves shock treatment (of the dog! Not the snake ), so we're not thrilled with that, either. We had a "snake guy" come and remove one of the snakes the year before, and did an impromptu training session with our dog, teaching her to stay away. We hope it worked...but it is a constant worry for us. However, we chose to be close to nature. If you're just a few streets removed from a nature area you should have no problems, and just keep an eye out for rattlers when you take your dog for walks (on a leash) in nature areas. The greatest areas for letting your dog run off leash are the dog beaches: no snakes there!

In answer to your question: yes, rattlers do get out of the way if they hear you coming. But sometimes a dog will surprise them, and that's when they strike. And sometimes they're sluggish, sunning themselves. In Nov.-March the snakes are less active. Still, they're around, not dormant. So just be aware. Before we moved to our East County canyon years ago we never saw a rattler.

[ShelbyGirl1]

Agreed on the speaking with your vet first. Our Golden got his first Rattler Vac in Tx. when we were sure we were making the move here. There was little to no threat to him where we lived in Tx. But our vet there was adamant about him being vaccinated in this area. ( he was originally from San Diego and grew up in these parts). Once we got here and I was interviewing different vets, I inquired about the Vac to each and every one of them. They all highly recommended it for our area. Do a google search...there is lots of info on the subject.

Rattlesnake Vaccines Basics

Also:
Q. How safe is rattlesnake vaccine for pets?
A. Rattlesnake vaccine is laboratory tested, government approved, and has been used in over one hundred thousand dogs over many years. Thousands of veterinary clinics nationwide recommend this vaccine for dogs at risk. The side effects are rare and typically very mild. About 1% of dogs may get a temporary lump at the injection site that doesn’t bother the dog and goes away by its self in a few weeks. Temporary flu like symptoms are reported in about one in 3,000 vaccinations and other miscellaneous symptoms are reported in fewer than one in 15,000 vaccinations. These systemic symptoms are rare, and don’t appear to have any pattern, so it is possible that many are coincidental and unrelated to the vaccine use. Even the most severe side effect reasonably attributable to the vaccine is likely to be much easier for a veterinarian to treat than a moderate rattlesnake bite.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Very useful info, Shelby. Thanks. Our vet was adamantly opposed to administering the vac, so I don't know what was up with that. We'll do some research ourselves...the pooch is overdue for a visit to the vet, anyway.