Is dog pound responsible????

Question

We had given our dog to our sister inlaw while our other dog had puppies. She was only suppose to have him a month or so. Her husband decieded he didnt want the dog and "accidently" let him loose. When we finally found out that he had "ran away" it was three days later. I went the next morning and found him at the pound. Since hes been home hes has become very sick. The vet said it is kennel cough. He is constantly hacking and even has thick green boogers. Its horrible. Shouldnt they have something to prevent this from happening at the pound? My poor dog has suffered for no reason. I feel they should be held responsible. Shouldnt they????

he was vaccinated thank you very much. they said its not always preventible. im not trying to take legal action just wondering why the pound doesnt have something they could use to prevent this

Answer 1

No they can't be responsible for it. There are so many dogs that come through their facilities that they can't stop other dogs from catching it.

And even with the vaccine, it only covers 1 strain of kennel cough- there is more than one type- so it is possible to still get kennel cough even if having the shot for it.

Go to a vet and just have a check up and get pills to take care of the cough. It should clear up pretty quick.

Answer 2

The pound is not responsible for your dog's condition. Bordeatella (Kennel Cough) vaccinations need to be done twice every six months and the efefctiveness is not immediate. Even if the pound had the money to vaccinate every stray, the vaccine would not protect the dog quick enough to avoid it getting kennel cough.

Had you kept the dog up on Bordatella vaccinations he might have made it through without getting the virus, but he might have gotten it anyway. The vaccine is not a sure thing.

You are the person responsible because you probably had not had the nasal vaccine in the past six months, and because you gave your dog into the care of irresponsible people whowere not committed to keeping it safe for you. And why, pray tell, did they not tell you immediately when the dog got out?

Thankfully you got the dog back you were lucky on that score. Chalk this up to a learning experience.

The good news is that Kennel cough is just basically a cold. He'll get over it. You can go to the vet to get some meds to control the symptoms faster.

Just don't worry and don't be mad at Animal Control. After all they picked up the dog and kept it for you so that it didn't get run over and so that you could find it once you knew what had happened. You got the dog back because of animal control. They are the hero of this story.

Answer 3

There are many strains of Kennel Cough and the vaccine is good for only a few of those strains.

The Kennel Cough vaccine is only good for 6-7 months . So if the shot was given 8 months ago, it is no longer working. Newest recommendations are that the vaccine should be given 2 weeks before boarding.

There is also a dog flu going around that starts out like Kennel Cough. So watch the dog to make sure that he isn't getting worse.

If it is Kennel Cough, it is a self limiting disease. If you research the net, you'll find that most otherwise healthy dogs will get over it with no treatment at all in about 2-3 weeks. It is contiagous, so keep this one away from the other and her pups. Kennel Cough is like a human cold.

I do agree, your brother-in-law is the one who should take the blame in all this. Shelters are dealing with a lot of dogs and can't be held responsible for the illnesses that are brought to them.

Answer 4

No, it's not the pounds responsibility that your pet ended up there and got sick. They do what they can, but diseases in shelters is common. Vaccinations by you would have prevented this from happening in the first place. The pound doesn't usually have the financial means to quarantine and vaccinate strays that come in. Sad that many animals get put down, but they aren't going to spend meds on a dog that might not find a home.

Answer 5

No, the pound is not responsible. He could have gotten sick from another dog on the street before he got to the pound. Was he there all 3 days?
Plus,the vaccine against kennel cough has to be given days before exposure.

BTW A microchip or tattoo on your dog could have saved you some of this grief. Even if he lost his collar the pound could have identified him and called you when he arrived.

Answer 6

Disease typically runs rampant in shelters etc - kennel cough is a highly contagious disease. Your dog will more than likely be fine but it's like a human cold which can make you feel miserable for awhile. If his breathing gets bad I would take him back to the vet though.

It's not the pounds fault that your family member let the dog out and that it ended up in the pound on the first place. if anyone should be held "responsible" it should be your brother in law for letting it happen in the first place!

Answer 7

The husband of your sister-in-law is responsible, and not the pound. IT is not the pound's fault. Take the dog to the vet if you haven't done so, and make HIM pay for all the bills till your dog gets well again. The husband should never let him loose in the first place whether it was an accident or not.

Answer 8

the dogs that i have rescued from the pound have all been very sick. Unfortuntely the pound is so over crowded and have so much to deal with the kennel cough is something they cant prevent. Just be happy you found your dog before it was put down. If i were you i would kick your your brother in the balls.

Answer 9

Yes most people would say the pound is at fault. However this is a case not worth fighting because you will not win.

Animal control picks up animals in varying degrees of health and illness. These animals along with the healthy animals must be held throughout their hold period to give their owners a chance to claim them. At the end of their hold period the really sick animals are then euthanized.

So being in an enclosed shelter situation and you have healthy dogs mixed in the same room with sick animals many of the healthy dogs are going to become ill.

In your case your dog was in violation of the leash law and if he were not running at large he would not have been picked up. This is what they are going to say.

My advise is if you go thru this again take him to the vet to start a round of antibiotics even if he is showing no signs.

Answer 10

your brother in law is the responsible one. the pound honestly doesnt protect against that kind of stuff. in my eyes, they are just a place to keep an animal safe from the hard core weather outside, play/socialize with them, feed them, and bathe them. i had adopted a st. bernard once and she was so sick that she would have died if she stayed at the pound for another month. definately take the dog to the vet and see exactly whats going on. make a mental note to never let the in law near your animals again. what a nice guy.