A
young female boxer was
given away to a man and
two weeks later he
contacted
animal control.
He asked them to come
out to his home to trap
the boxer because the
dog would not come to
him. When animal
control arrived they
called to her, and she
came right to them.
Unfortunately this
boxer, who we named
Grace, was taken to a
small town pound where
they house the animals
in a metal building that
has no heat in the
winter and no air
conditioning in the
summer.
We
first heard about this
sad story when we
received a frantic email
from a concerned woman
named Nancy. Nancy
volunteers with a small
animal rescue in
the area and she
contacted us begging for
our help. Animal
control suspected that
Grace was pregnant and
she was scheduled to be
killed. NBR agreed
to take her and started
to make transportation
plans.
When
Nancy contacted the
shelter to let them know
there was a place for
the boxer, she was told
that Grace had already
delivered five puppies
two days earlier.
We were panic-stricken
knowing that
new born puppies
do not fare well in a
shelter environment.
To our horror Nancy
explained that, in the
past, small puppies in
this facility have
fallen through the metal
grates in the floor and
have been lost down the
kennel drains.
We
immediately made
arrangements with Nancy
to remove mom and pups
from the shelter.
When she arrived to pick
up the dogs, she was
told one of the puppies
had already died and the
other pups were “not
looking good”. In
fact, two of the puppies
were skinny and limp.
Tragically these two
pups died shortly after
arriving at Nancy’s
home.
Nancy
was frantic. She
could not get the
surviving two pups to
nurse. It was obvious
that this was Grace’s
first litter and neither
she nor her puppies knew
what to do. NBR
called the only
emergency animal
hospital in the
area to let them know
that Grace and her two
small babies were
on their way. It
would be a 45 minute
drive, but we knew they
needed medical care and
we wanted to give them
every possible chance to
survive.
We
spoke to the ER doctor
after she completed her
exams and were told that
mama Grace was extremely
malnourished, weak, had
a low grade fever and a
vaginal discharge.
Antibiotics were
subscribed. The
puppies, both females,
had yellow diarrhea that
was so violent it
squirted from their tiny
bodies across the room.
Their body temperatures
were too low. The
larger fawn pup (who we
named Destiny) seemed
more frail, but she and
her sister (who we named
Faith) both had a very
weak suckle.
We
were not satisfied with
the quality of medical
care that was given
however, under the
circumstances, they were
the only available
hospital at the time.
The doctor would not
keep the dogs in the
hospital but was able to
show Nancy how to
stimulate the pups and
place them on their
mother’s nipples to get
them to eat. The
doctor sent them home
with a hot water bottle
and instructions to keep
the pups warm. She
was told she would need
to wake up every two
hours to assist with
their feedings.
We
held our breath until
morning, concerned that
we would receive bad
news. However, thanks
to Nancy’s vigilant
care, little Destiny and
tiny Faith survived the
night. We had
already made
arrangements for the mom
and pups to be seen by a
vet who has saved
several of our rescues
in the past. We
knew they would get the
best of care.
Nancy
and her husband drove
over four hours to get
mom and pups to their
scheduled vet
appointment in the
morning, stopping on the
way to assist Destiny
and Faith to nurse.
The doctor was waiting
for their arrival and
saw them immediately.
Grace was given a
complete exam and blood
tests as well as
radiographs of her
abdomen. Luckily
there were no other
puppies in her birth
canal. Blood tests
showed that Grace was
anemic but her levels
were otherwise normal.
She was also infested
with fleas which were
taken care of as well.
Faith
and Destiny were also
examined thoroughly and
both pups were given
subcutaneous fluids to
avoid dehydration and
medication to soothe
their irritated
digestive tracts. Mom
and pups have been
receiving round the
clock medical attention,
and all three are doing
well with supportive
care. Despite
Grace’s malnutrition she
still has plenty of milk
so no supplemental
feeding has been
necessary so far.
Her motherly instincts
are starting to “kick
in” and she is starting
to get more accustomed
to being a mom.
They
have all been getting
stronger and stronger
each day, however the
pups are in “guarded
condition” and need
attentive care.
This
poor, frightened little
mama, who is not much
older than a puppy
herself, does not seem
to know how to drink
water out of a bowl or
even walk on a leash.
It is very pitiful to
think about the type of
life she must have been
used to living.
She needs to be carried
outside to relieve
herself. It
appears that Grace has
lived the majority of
her life in a crate or a
kennel, and seems most
comfortable in confined
spaces. Despite
everything she has been
through, she is
incredibly sweet to
everyone who has come in
contact with her.
Grace,
Faith and Destiny are
clearly survivors and
need your positive
thoughts and prayers.
Once their condition is
more stable they will
also need a foster home
where someone is home
most of the day.
Patience and an ability
to care for their
immediate needs is a
must. Please
contact us to offer your
help. Your assistance
will be rewarded with
immeasurable gratitude
from Grace, Faith and
Destiny as well as all
the NBR volunteers.
