[Sashy]

Its a very sad thing when a new pup/kit you rescued from a shelter falls sick. The owner faces the dilemma of whether to put the pup to sleep, give it back, or try to keep it. Personally I can understand Yongs feelings at the turn of events.

Firstly though, I wonder why the month old pups were put up for adoption? Did they come with their mother to the shelter, or were the pups alone? 1 month is a pretty young age, and if not on mothers milk, more likely than not, they will be sick.

I think SPCA should also take the responsibility to verbally inform adopters about the risks of adopting a pup from a shelter. Like it or not, thats how things are, we can't vaccinate everything and guarantee perfect health .. even pet sellers can't and dont do that.

Another thing SPCA can do is to inspect pups regularly, if they are vomiting/diarrhea/very lethargic, I think as the Shelter should take the responsibility to either treat (either self or vet), as well as to take those pups off the adoption list and isolate them until its better. If an adopter insists on adopting the sick pup, they should be informed of the potential risks and costs. Thats what I usually see the Malacca SPCA do.

As for the adopters, just be aware when you adopt a pup they may not be in perfect health. The shelter does all it can, but as they are usually undermanned and underfunded, a lot of things can slip past. Try to observe the pups over a period of time before adopting, maybe come back and visit them over a few days before making the decision to take one home. And as soon as possible, vaccinate the dogs, and don't bring them out for walks (so they dont sniff other dogs poo/get infected from outside) until they are fully vaccinated. THIS GOES FOR ALL NEW PUPS IMO! I personally am of the opinion people like showing off their new puppy by bringing them out (esp pedigrees, and those pups arent exposed to germs like mongrel pups too, so they dont have much immunity). Unfortunately as they are no longer on moms milk and not fully vaccinated, its too easy to pick up germs when sniffing around the ground. If there are dogs walking around, theres dog poo, even if we don't see it.

On a side note, do other SPCA's vaccinate their dogs or pups before they are given out after people confirm the adoption? Malacca doesn't. I was pretty impressed when I adopted a dog from a person who adopted her from PAWS. She came spayed AND vaccinated. He gave me her card with the vaccinated stickers (6 disease vacc). Cost him about RM300 I believe. She is a little pom-spitz mix, adult, estimated (by me, hah) to be 5 or more yrs old.