Resources for Current Foster Parents

Underage kittens and puppies are required to be seen every two weeks from 4 to 16 weeks of age by foster office staff. When you pick up your foster pet(s), you will be given a follow-up due date so that you can schedule an appointment or plan to attend a wellness clinic. These visits are required for the safety and health of JHS foster animals.

 

Wellness Clinics

During peak kitten season, the foster office will offer walk-in wellness clinics for routine preventative care including an updated weight, vaccine, deworming, microchip and flea/heartworm preventative. Walk-in wellness clinics are only available on weekends from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Wellness clinics are now located in our Pet Help Center. When you arrive at JHS, please look for the entrance labelled Pet Help Center.

If you are unable to attend a walk-in wellness clinic, please schedule an appointment online. Please be advised that appointments book very quickly during peak season (May-October) and attending a scheduled wellness clinic is preferred for routine care. This will allow for available appointment times for urgent illness/injury visits.

Remember: Schedule your appointment in advance and please arrive on time. If you are unable to keep your scheduled appointment, please refer to the link provided in the appointment confirmation email to cancel or reschedule the appointment. This allows the appointment time to be made available to another foster pet in need.

Our staff will let you know when it is time to have your foster pets scheduled for surgery and book the appointment for you. Most likely, this will occur during a wellness visit when kittens are nearing 1.7 lbs and puppies are nearing 8 weeks of age Once your foster pet reaches these requirements they will stay at the shelter and receive surgery the next day.

(Generally adult foster pets are spayed/neutered prior to being placed in foster care, while underage kittens and puppies are not.)

Morning drop-offs should go to the JHS Veterinary Services side entrance. Look for the orange sign and smiling staff member!

Day-before drop-offs should go to the foster office.

Do you believe your foster is experiencing an emergency? Please use the Yellow Flag and Red Flag list below to determine your next steps.

YELLOW FLAG SYMPTOMS

If any of these symptoms occur, please contact the foster office to schedule an appointment to be seen. These do not typically require urgent care.

Yellow Flags –If any of the following signs are seen please contact the foster office to schedule an appointment, and monitor. Care may not have an urgent need.

• Sneezing, wheezing, nasal discharge and/or coughing
• Ocular discharge
• Mild lethargy or depression but still eating and is not experiencing weight loss
• Loose stool
• Occasional vomiting (unless this animal is an underage kitten)
• Decreased appetite
• Straining to defecate
• Limping
• Intestinal parasites
• Behavior that is unusual compared to its normal behavior

RED FLAG SYMPTOMS

If any of these symptoms occur during normal business hours, contact the foster office immediately to receive medical attention ASAP. If your foster pet experiences a life-threatening emergency after business hours, please refer to the  JHS Emergency Foster Protocol. 

• Not eating during multiple feedings and is lethargic
• Weight loss
• Liquid diarrhea
• Dehydrated skin test
• Foster is listless/lethargic
• Vomiting
• Bleeding
• Neurologic signs
• Underage kitten has not urinated or defecated
• Straining to urinate

NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS:

If there is a life-threatening emergency with a foster pet during normal business hours, foster parents should contact the foster office at 904-493-4567 and/or bring the animal to the shelter for immediate medical evaluation and treatment.

The Foster Office is now accessed through the Pet Help Services entrance, which opens at 10:30am each day.

If a foster pet is experiencing a life-threatening emergency before the Foster Office opens at 10:30, emergency services can be accessed through the Pet Help Center which opens at 9am, Monday through Friday. The Pet Help Center is now accessed using the entrance marked Veterinary Services.

Outside of these hours, please refer to our after-hours emergency protocol below.

AFTER-HOURS EMERGENCIES:

JHS staff is NOT available after normal business hours for emergency care. All messages (telephone, email, social media) received after the close of business will be returned on the following day. If your foster pet experiences an after-hours life-threatening emergency, foster parents should consult the JHS Emergency Foster Protocol.

Although life-threatening emergencies with foster animals are generally infrequent, those that do occur are usually underage kittens that are failing to thrive or “fading.” Please refer to the Fading Kitten Emergency Protocol for associated symptoms and suggested at-home supportive care.

If your foster pet is exhibiting concerning behavior such as resource guarding, food guarding, growling, hissing or other behavior concerns, please contact our foster office directly. JHS pets are considered the property of JHS and we must be notified of all behavior concerns. Our staff will then work with you to create a modification plan to get your foster on the road to success.

If you would like to adopt your foster pet, or if you have found adopters for your foster pet, please let the staff know in advance. Adopters will be put in touch with our adoption team who will help finalize the adoption.

Remember – fostering is a journey! It may be sad to see a foster go to a new home but that just means you can pick up more and start the journey all over again. Goodbye is the goal.

Promoting a foster pet for adoption is a great way for you to serve as an ambassador not only for your pet, but for JHS! Foster pets in our Staycation program need that extra boost to find them a home. Staycation dogs and cats are listed on the JHS website and can be featured on JHS social media. If you are currently doing a Staycation with a JHS dog or cat, you can email information and pictures to our team at [email protected].

Additional adoption promotion resources:

Click here to visit our Pinterest board full of ideas.

Click here for tips to find families for kittens.

Download a BINGO game to help promote your foster pet for adoptions.

Download a weekly checklist to stay on track.

Foster first responders assist the shelter on a nightly basis by taking our tiniest kittens home for the night, feeding and providing TLC, then returning them to the shelter the next morning. It’s a great option if you cannot commit to several weeks.

Signing up is easy! Text the phrase @jhsfos to 81010 or register for our text messages with this link to get started.