The BC SPCA is asking for support to provide urgently needed care for 12 puppies (five eight-week-old puppies and seven ten-week-old puppies) and two young moms who were taken into care at the BC SPCA animal centre in Prince Rupert.
“The two moms and their puppies were found abandoned on the side of the highway, sheltering from the 30-degree-heat under an uninhabited trailer,” says Joe Griffith, manager of the Prince Rupert BC SPCA animal centre. “The good Samaritan who found them contacted the BC SPCA and gave them food and water and brought them to the animal centre.”
The Prince Rupert BC SPCA did an emergency intake of the dogs and their 12 puppies. All the dogs were examined by a veterinarian. “The moms have pressure sores on their elbows and the puppies show some muscle degeneration and are wobbly on their feet,” says Griffith. “They think this may be caused by the moms and the puppies being kept in a kennel. The puppies are also bloated with worms. One of them has an enlarged lymph node under their chin from a possible infection and one of the puppies has a very low body score and will need to be put on a feeding plan to help her safely gain weight.”
“The two moms and their puppies will need a lot of care and attention over the coming weeks,” says Griffith. “The puppies will need veterinary treatments including deworming and vaccinations and each of the puppies will need to be spayed or neutered.”
Griffith says that although the moms and their puppies just arrived, they are settling in well and are behaving like rambunctious, normal puppies. “Now that they are no longer outside where they are susceptible to coyotes, wolves and the heat, they are finally able to relax and are getting some much-needed rest.”
The puppies will be in the BC SPCA’s care for approximately three to four weeks before they are ready for adoption.