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It’s no surprise: at Mission Mayday, many of the dogs and cats we take in need medical care. We sometimes underestimate the commitment and the responsibilities that come with fostering an animal. We often take on difficult cases that require more time than average.
Care at home
Whether you welcome the animal before or after the start of its care, we will give you all the explanations of the treatments that need to be done. If the animal does not cooperate during the treatment, it is very important to let us know, as this can have serious consequences. We’ll give you advice and possibly a new medication.
Medical follow-ups
Special medical cases often have follow-ups (or several appointments with different specialists) in reference centres. We choose which one will provide care based on the animal’s needs, so it may not be the one that’s closest to your home. For instance, we’ll choose a surgeon according to their specialty.
Many animals also need long-term treatments, which means that you need to let us know in advance when it’s time to order their medication and food so that you can pick it up at the clinic.
These are the centres we collaborate with:
- Centre DMVet Lachine
- Centre DMVet Blainville
- Centre vétérinaire Montréal
- Centre vétérinaire Rive-Sud (Brossard)
- CHUV (Saint-Hyacinthe)
Basic care
Our animals normally leave with all their basic care done. So booster shots are at our expense. Basic care includes spaying and neutering (so oral treatments have to be given and healing monitored) + vaccines + parasite treatments + SNAP test. Animals requiring urgent care cannot receive their basic care quickly (unless we spay/neuter at the same time as we do surgery) and therefore stay with us longer.
We do our basic care at:
- Clinique vétérinaire de la Pointe (Montreal)
- Clinique vétérinaire du Plateau Mont-Royal (Montreal)
- Clinique vétérinaire Laennec (Laval)
- Hôpital vétérinaire St-Jean (Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu)
- Hôpital vétérinaire des Maskoutains (Saint-Hyacinthe)
Isolation
When a new animal comes aboard Mission Mayday, foster families who have pets must ensure that they are kept separate from our protégé at the beginning. We want to protect them from possible diseases and parasites (e.g., worms), as well as ensure a gradual integration between the animals.
Taking the necessary steps
Families are asked to be extra vigilant with our protégés, because in case of an accident, it is the public that covers the bills and our volunteers who must sacrifice their personal life to manage the fundraising and care.
For these reasons, our dogs must be walked on a leash at all times and are not allowed in dog parks. They must be kept away from any food or toxic plants, and their space must be controlled at first while you assess their behaviour when you leave. For puppies, space management is very important as they tend to want to eat anything lying around (yes, including rocks).
As for our cats, they must be kept strictly indoors. We ask that you ensure any toxic plants are kept out of their reach (high shelves or closed rooms) and that they not be allowed access to the balcony (because not all cats land on their feet when they fall...). Always check the dryer before turning it on, and make sure to put away anything that falls in the category of strings, yarn, rubber bands, etc., which are often ingested.
Commitment
When fostering an animal for Mission Mayday, you should expect it to stay with you for a long time, especially if it received intense medical care, if it needs long-term care or if its behaviour will make it difficult to adopt. Therefore, we ask you not to apply if you are planning to travel or move in the next few months.
Rescuing an animal in need with us is very rewarding and can change a life forever. As we take medical cases, we are sometimes confronted with the loss of animals despite all our efforts... It’s not always as rosy as some might think.
To apply as a foster family, click here.