Introducing An Adult Rescue Female Rottie (4/5yrs With Possible Health Issues )To Female Rottie Puppy

Wouldn’t normally have two dogs (let alone two females) but a rescue (mixed) rottie has touched our hearts and she is in desperate need of a loving home. She appears very friendly and we are going back to see her today out of the cage. She looks more rottie than anything else but her face looks too long and thin for a pure rottie.

This poor dog has been in kennels since 2007. We think she has a hernia on her belly and we did notice she whelped on moving but not sure where it came from. The kennel is not the best but lucky for the dogs they do have caring people watching out for them.

We have bought a rottie puppy (born 18 feb). We are picking her up on 16th April but we have to get all her jabs done, which we will arrange before we pick her up and take her straight to vet if we can.

As for the adult, one of the kennels volunteers parents are vets and she is willing to take adult rottie for health check. Is there anything we should ask them to check for? We are not passing the buck, but we need to know that she is not going to bring anything undesirable or life threatening home to a vulnerable puppy.

How long after puppy jabs before we can introduce them? Any tips on introducing them? I love this site and will direct family and friends here. I have a page for Sam (who has passed) and will have one for new family members too! Thanks for any advice.

Hi
This is a difficult one – this adult dog desperately needs a loving home, and you already have a puppy that will be moving in soon. I think it’s important to be realistic and to go into this realizing that there are risks, and that it may not have a happy ending!

I am not trying to ‘rain on your parade’ and I definitely admire your desire to help this older girl inspite of the upcoming arrival of your puppy, but if they were a male and female I would be less concerned. Same if the puppy were older and fully vaccinated. Both situations carry risks.

I would absolutely not recommend having these two in the same home unless the adult has been fully vaccinated regularly, is up to date on all shots and hasn’t been in touch with other unvaccinated dogs within the last month. Even with one set of shots ‘under her belt’ a Rottie pup is extremely vulnerable to disease including the dreaded Parvo. A dog who has been kenneled with other homeless dogs who may have questionable health could quite easily pass on disease. I’d strongly advise you to ask your vet about this situation and get his/her advice so that you can take excellent precautions and protect both of them.

In an older rescue dog who’s been vaccinated, the main health issues would be parasites in my opinion. Diseases such as Coccidiosis or Giardia can be present even in a dog who isn’t showing symptoms and Heartworm or intestinal worms need to be ruled out/treated. I’d definitely make sure a vet checks for all of these.

Joint problems such as inflammation, swelling or pain should also be looked for, as Rotties can experience hip and/or elbow issues.

If all goes well, then introduce them slowly and carefully and don’t leave them alone together unsupervised for quite some time. Most dogs are fine with puppies after the initial adjustment period, it’s when the pup begins to mature that issues can arise and that’s something you’d need to be on the lookout for.

I’m not by any means saying that two females can’t or won’t get along long-term, just that the potential for conflict is most definitely there and you’ll need to be prepared. I’d also recommend making sure that both Rotties get formal obedience training so that they respect and will obey you. If they get into a squabble later on, you will need them to listen to you!

I hope this helps some, your vet should be able to give you more assistance as well. I wish you the very best of luck with this and hope it all works out well.