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Foster Portal

Welcome to the Underdog foster portal! The resources here are intended to help set you and your foster animals up for lasting success. Please use the references below to help familiarize yourself with common fostering questions, concerns, and timelines.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

General inquiries/concerns/needs: foster@underdogpetswa.org

More urgent requests: 206-413-8596

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

If you need to go to the emergency room:

Bring your foster directly to the e-vet. Do not wait until you hear from us. If it is a true emergency do not call ahead to the vet. Just show up. Emergency facilities are legally required to take steps to stabilize a patient if it is there, but if are at capacity, they will try to send you elsewhere. Give the vet our phone numbers and we will authorize care, arrange payment, and make treatment decisions.

Reasons to go to an emergency vet:

Not breathing/labored breathing/choking
Not responsive
Seizure
Difficulty walking/standing
Uncontrolled bleeding
Extreme lethargy
(Male cats) Straining in the litter box w/ no urine production
Toxic object ingestion

Trauma/injury (broken bones)
Severe/acute pain
Persistent vomit/diarrhea
Animal bite
Hard, distended, painful abdomen
Complete and persistent inappetence
Neurological symptoms (extreme head tilt, mobility issues, tremors)
Eye injury
White gums/tongue

Emergency Vets

This facebook page is a good resource that shows a list and wait times for various ER Vets in Western Washington. It's a very difficult time in emergency vet med, and you may have to work hard to find a place to go.

SVS BluePearl Downtown

805 Madison St Suite 100

98104.

(206) 624-9111

Off of 8th and Madison, attached parking garage.

AMC Seattle (Shoreline)

17518 15th Ave NE, Shoreline, WA 98155

(206) 204-3366

SVS BluePearl Kirkland

11814 115th Ave NE Bldg. J, Kirkland, WA 98034

(425) 823-9111

VSC Lynnwood

20115 44th Ave W, Lynnwood, WA 98036

(425) 697-6106

Diamond Everett

3625 Rucker Ave,

Everett, WA 98201

(425) 230-6880

Emergency

GUIDES

New Foster Expectations

If you've never fostered before, this is a great way to set your expectations for the first couple days with your new friends. Many animals we bring in are coming from shelters, stressful transports, and more, and may be different from your experiences of bringing a pet home for the first time.

Basic Foster Orientation

Getting ready to bring in a new foster friend? Here is the first step in the process! This is our foster guide for new fosters. Use our checklist to make sure your home is ready.

Health Basics

Rescue animal's histories are often a mystery, and unknown or unexpected health issues may present themselves. This is a guide to familiarize yourself with the most common health concerns seen in animal rescue, and what to do when you see them.

Bathroom Habits

Yes, it's gross. But it's also one of the main ways we can identify health needs and status of an animal. Learn what's normal, and what's concerning.

Basic Kitten Care

Fostering kittens is rewarding and adorable, but also comes with a few extra steps. Learn specific kitten care and more about these delicate friends.

Spay and Neuter

How to prep your foster for their spay or neuter, what to expect afterwards, and what to look out for.

Long Term Fostering

The heart of Underdog's mission is giving animals time and space to thrive; by opening your home to an animal for a longer amount of time, you allow us to do right by them. What to expect when taking on a long term foster project.

Behavior

Navigating behavior is often the most complicated part of fostering. These animals are often a mystery, so we rely on you to spot behavior, communicate, and help us address these needs. Learn how to manage basic nuisance behaviors, and what some of these behaviors may mean.

Guides

FOSTER TOOLS

Foster Report

Use this form to report key information about your foster. Underdog coordinators monitor this regularly.

Emergencies

We hope you never need to use it, but we recommend screenshotting this page and saving for emergency situations.

New Foster Checklist

Getting ready to bring in a new foster friend? Use our checklist to make sure your home is ready.

Kitten Weight Log

Use this form to report your kitten's weight journey. Make a copy and share it with foster email so we can track it as well!

Photo dump

Your photos help us so much! Use this Google Album to share photos of your fosters. Please label the file name with your foster's name!

Tools

EXTERNAL RESOURCES

This material does not belong to Underdog and was created by external parties. Underdog finds these to be reputable and accurate sources on average, but may have differing opinions on topics and techniques. Reading is for additional context and learning.

The Kitten Lady

The Kitten Lady is a wealth of knowledge on all things rescue kitten. Her website is a great resource library for further learning about neonates, underage kittens, feral cats, and more. Check out her videos, instructional guides, and more to learn more about the most vulnerable population in animal rescue.

Socializing Your Foster

While this guide is for helping feral kittens acclimate to a human world, it has several very useful tips for general cat knowledge, and makes for a well rounded cat foster parent.

Dogs Playing For Life

Dogs Playing for Life is a group that travels the country to visit shelters and teach group play strategies as a way to help with remedial dog behavior. We have seen them in action and have witnessed first hand the positive benefits of group play. Their manual is a great source of dog-dog interaction knowledge.

Austin Pets Alive!

Austin Pets Alive! is a sheltering foundation that helps lead the way in the shelter industry. They have tons of resources for fosters, adopters, and more.

External Resources