UPDATED: Another puppy has tested positive for parvo and is currently en route to Animal Health Care Clinic. It's the puppy found in a carrier on top of the rescue's refrigerator and subsequently named Fridge.
Editor's note: Last week, Suncoast Animal League stepped in and rescued almost 30 dogs from an Alabama rescue. The following reprinted Facebook post comes from SAL founder and executive director, Rick Chaboudy. The time-sensitive nature of the need prompted us to share this with our readers online.
All the planning, getting there and bringing back 64 cats and dogs, the physical hardships of working in deplorable, filthy conditions in scorching heat, the heartbreak of seeing cats and dogs living in those conditions, as difficult as it was, that was the "easy" part. It's facing the reality of the rescue, the aftermath, that is always the most difficult part of any rescue.
We are facing that aftermath right now…
Although we tested all puppies for parvo on location at the Monroe County Animal Shelter and they all tested negative, seven broke with the disease yesterday. This means they were harboring the disease while there. Canine parvovirus infection most commonly attacks the intestinal area in puppies and is often fatal. We hope we have caught the illness early enough to give the puppies a better chance to survive.
Currently, the puppies are in quarantine, under 24 hour care at the Animal Health Care Clinic. The puppies are receiving antibiotics, anti-vomiting medication and fluids. As is typical for vet's offices, the hospital only has two IV Infusion Pumps, which is the ideal form of treatment. Those machines are currently hooked up to the first two puppies which became sick.
To give the other five puppies the ultimate chance of survival, we are searching the area for used pumps that we can get our hands on ASAP. Unfortunately, many used pumps don't come with the necessary accessories required and we do not have time to wait for shipments. The cost of these used pumps are between $350-$450 each bringing the total to $1750-$2250, if that's all we need, as we keep our fingers crossed that some of the other puppies don't also break with the disease.
Animal Health Care Clinic is putting forth a heroic effort on behalf of these puppies and Suncoast Animal League has promised to do everything in our power to keep them alive. Please keep these little ones in your thoughts. They need all the help they can get.
This article appears in Aug 18-25, 2016.