Abandoned puppies given second chance by the Bonnyville and District SPCA

Three dogs believed to have been abandoned off Highway 897 are going to pull through.

The three puppies found by Elk Point RCMP in the Frog Lake area on Jan. 14 were taken to the Bonnyville and District SPCA last Tuesday.

SPCA vice-president Charlene Rask said the puppies, Hank, Max, and Lucy, are three months old and came into through the non-profits doors in rough shape.

They were placed in quarantine, which is a typical procedure when the SPCA has animals come in without medical information.

“They were immediately put into quarantine, and isolated and they were taken to the vet and the diagnosis came back that they were positive for parvo,” said Rask. “It’s very deadly.”

Canine parvovirus is a highly contagious virus that mainly affects dogs and damages the gastrointestinal tract. Rask said, the infected puppies were taken to Magnolia Vet Services.

“Basically, they had to fight for their lives, because in most cases a lot of places won’t even treat parvo babies because it is really hard. It’s very, very expensive. And quite often it’s just the protocol to put the animal down,” said Rask.

“But we did not. We had what we call a Jenny fund, a slush fund, or an emergency fund. And we put the fund into work and we worked with the local vet and we’ve managed to save the pups,” she said.

“We still have one struggling a little bit. But there’s two little boys and a little girl. They’ve now been released from the vet, and they’re back in our care.”

Even though they are strong enough to leave the vet clinic, Rask said they are still receiving a lot of medical attention to help them recover.

The funds needed to treat the animals had come in from local residents. A month ago, Rask explained how a dog came into their care after a pellet had been lodged behind its eye.

After the SPCA posted the story on Facebook, support came flooding to cover the medical care costs.

The dog did lose its eye, but survived and has already been adopted into a new home.

“There was so much money that came in for him. This is the reason why we actually had enough in our emergency fund to take care of these babies that came in,” said Rask.

Rask said this situation highlights the importance of getting your cats and dogs spayed and neutered and brings awareness to animal neglect.

“No animal should ever suffer. No animal should ever not have a loving home to be in. And when you have unexpected litters like this, you end up with multiple animals and taking care of an animal isn’t cheap. And so people literally cannot take care of these animals,” said Rask.

“As a board member, I’m so impressed with the compassion and the knowledge of our staff. Knowing exactly what to do when these animals came in, and the best way to handle the situation for the best for those animals and for everybody else involved.”

To support the Bonnyville and District SPCA, you can give them a call at 780-826-3230 or follow them on Facebook.