BCSP Report – Week 9

1 dolly wwl 7

February 24 – March 2, 2014 (written by Marilyn Neville)

Saturday February 22 was when we rescued the two litters from the green hunting cabin off of Highway E, about a mile from Highway 51. That weekend I received little sleep caring for their feeding and potty schedule while their bodies worked to find normalcy.

Monday would be another long evening and there had been no naps to replenish lost sleep. So Tuesday night I was hoping to turn in early, but that was not to be.

A stray white puppy, thin, dehydrated, with a short thin coat and covered in Sarcoptic Mange would be on Tammy Beck’s porch. That night she returned home from working in Cape Girardeau about 6:15.

I am very angry that this happened again, and involved a lady also somewhat involved in saving the puppies from last Saturday night’s episode. In just four days time three young groups of pups were abandoned in freezing temps. Honestly, I just don’t understand what it will take for some residents to comprehend that I can help them with unwanted puppies. I “get-it” some folks need help because they financially can’t afford a vet bill. I recognize that accidents happen and female dogs get bred.

Yes, I am a spay advocate, and I shake my head in wonder as to why mutt dogs are not spayed. Why aren’t purebreds with genetic issues like Demodex mange or who suffer from poor hips or that harbor aggressive temperaments and those with substandard conformation: why aren’t they spayed?

I understand what it is like to survive on a limited income, and how hard it can be to scrape up the money to spay a pet. I know time and money can be factors.

We can have plenty of excuses and legitimate reasons, but the fact remains: dumping your unwanted pets is a form of animal cruelty.  PLEASE call for help.

So who was it last week who dumped the litter of 3 lab mix pups, the litter of 5 small breed black and tan pups and then the single white puppy who is pictured as today’s Pet of the Week?

Tammy Beck has named her Holly Hunter.

When Tammy got home she let her dogs out to potty. Then she heard a horrific dog screaming episode. Her pets were defending their territory and had attacked the stray puppy on her porch. Tammy brought the terrified puppy in and took her to the tub for a warm bath to clean and warm her. She wrapped her in a cozy fleece robe and called me within minutes of determining the situation.

“Can you take a look at this puppy that someone left on my porch,” she asked.

I was in the middle of cooking supper, feeding house dogs and now needed to prepare for a possible ER situation. Tammy warned me that the puppy had a skin condition, was weak and cold. Her gums were actually blue, worse than grey.

There was a cold breeze that night. Her bones protruding, coat thin: hypothermia quickly set in. I braced myself for another possible lose-of-life situation. Could I handle another death this week? Could my weary body take another all-nighter of IV and feedings to pull this pup through?

I prepared a kennel for her in our bedroom, isolated from the other pups. Then I laid newspaper over my washing machine where I would lay the pup on a towel to examine her, give a Parvo test, then administer fluids by IV.

Tammy arrived before 7:00: supper still cooking. The dogs were fed and removed from that section of the house, gated in crates or in the living room with my husband.

Holly’s eyes were dreary, head and torso scaly, and her gums were still blue. Desperate, but for me it was love at first sight, like seeing a newborn baby that was mine.

Weird how that happens…

Holly was negative for Parvo, so an IV was given. I had warmed the IV fluids with a hair dryer. Tammy helped hold Holly while I administered 30cc. She cried and fought it with the little fight she had. Soon she would vomit, a lot.

Tammy said she had put her in a crate with her dog’s food bowl while she had finished taking her dogs out to go potty then change her work clothes.  The little dog ate enough to feed a larger medium sized dog, which made her more fraile.

She would continue to vomit several more times that night, even laying her head in it, too weak to move. This is why you do not offer a starved dog or pup a normal meal. They must receive small portions several times a day so their belly can adjust. Vomiting steals the liquids needed to rehydrate. Dry food also steals the fluids needed to spread throughout the body and joints.

Every 90 minutes that night I gave her 30cc warmed IV fluids.  After midnight she finished throwing up, then each IV session, I would also offer her a drink of warm water with an egg yolk whisked in the brew for protein and fat.

By Wednesday morning I was a zombie, but she was doing great, able to hold her head up and cry when she needed to potty.

She went to the vet last Thursday, receiving medical dypes for her mange and is being boarded for a week so I can get some rest.  Please call me when you need help.  Don’t abuse our kind hearts or that of a needy pet.

Accepted strays and relinquished dogs:

… White to tan Rat Terrier type pup: Pet of the Week.

… German Shepherd mix female, black and tan: about 8-10 months of age.

… Returned: Shih Tzu female, owner’s caretaker not willing to help her with the dog.

Adoptions, return to owner or placed in other rescues:

… Heart of Golden: black Lab and Golden Retriever mix female puppy, St. Louis family.

… Black and white Maltese and Poodle mix male pup: Chaffee family.

… Chocolate Lab female: stray in Advance dragging a chain, returned to owner.

Cat calls:

… FREE kittens age about 8 weeks Hwy B area.

… FREE, ten cats: age 1 year, all spayed or neutered house cats, litter trained. Well cared for, call 573-495-2033

… FREE, three long hair tabby kittens: one dark tabby semi long, a white with tabby, and a black tabby with white, age 6 months, spayed.   Call 573-495-2033

Calls requesting assistance for dogs we did not admit:

… FOUND 2/27/14 about 3 miles on Co Rd 300 off of Hwy 34: Black Lab and Shar Pei type mix female, 8-10 months old, white on hind food. taken to the Humane Society in Cape Girardeau.

… FOUND Des Arc Mo: Catahoula male, milk chocolate with dark chocolate spots, bobbed tail, 2 yrs old. May be neutered or cryptorchid.

… LOST 2/17/14 Co Rd 238 and Hwy K: tall, yellow neutered young male, 4 white legs.

… LOST first of February Palmore Church on H: two mix breed malamute dogs, white faces, gold coats, wearing red or blue collars.

… LOST 2/6/14, near Arab Stone on Hwy 51: Heeler/Lab mix male, chain and dog.

… LOST 2/6/14 was 8-9 wks old, OO and 51- 3 miles: black Lab male puppy.

… LOST REWARD 2/4/14 Co Rd 710 south of Zalma school: Black, tall, slim, German Shepherd and Lab mix neutered male, might be wearing a collar / tag for St. Louis area.

Miscellaneous and contact info:

We had 48 dogs at our home 3/3/14.

Dumping dogs is a form of abuse and against the law. We want to find out who dumped the two litters of pups last week and the Pet of the Week this week.  We either accept or find other rescues to take young puppies in hours to 3 days from the call in most cases. Young puppies are in high demand in the rescue world because most callers prefer puppies, thinking older dogs are harder to adjust to a new home. Actually older dogs are easier to train and you already know their temperament and personality.

Please report animal abuse or neglect. Please help us find out who the dog owners were that dumped these two very different groups of pups at the same location on Highway E, about a mile from the junction of Highway 51, south of Zalma.

Coyotes are mating and lots of dogs are missing. This is typically a season that dogs are killed by coyotes and you won’t find leftovers. They will kill any size dog. Please assist any strays that come to you for help.

Cats need shelter too. Deworm to help them so they cat maintain a layer of fat to help keep them warm. Supplement with the best quality food you can afford. Many of the cheaper foods can cause urinary problems in some cats. Dog food is especially dangerous to feed cats often causing stones which can lead to death. Dog food has a lower protein and fat level than most cat foods too, and it not otherwise nutritionally adequate for cats to thrive.

Please give your pet shelter with 4 sides and a roof, liquid water and food to maintain body weight and heat in this cold.  Shelter needs proper bedding to keep pets warm.

Please do the following when you pets are expecting or caring for a litter:    offer any pregnant dog small-breed-puppy-food the final 1-2 weeks before delivery and while the pups are nursing. Give those mothers all the food they want: bowls full all day and lots of fresh water available all day.   Cats need kitten food.  Free feed the higher calorie food during the nursing stage to help mom make milk and maintain her own body mass.  Babies need to be dewormed as young as 1-2 weeks, then every 7-10 days until age 10-weeks or older if in a confined environment with re-infestation concerns.

Offer strays water on day one and food day two or three. Call if missing a dog or you have a stray.

If you suspect an animal is being neglected or abused, call the Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Hotline, 314-647-4400 or 800-383-9835 or you can make a confidential report on line at Humane Society of Missouri.

To understand when an animal is being abused or neglected in the state of Missouri read the following link:http://asci.uvm.edu/equine/law/cruelty/mo_cruel.htm

We LOVE Buchheits!  Donate a buck or more at the Jackson store for dog food and supplies when you shop. Also, Second Time Around in Marble Hill is taking donations for the Stray Project. Monetary donations are accepted at the Bollinger County Veterinary Service, Marble Hill Coop, Buchheits, and the MH Town and Country.

Thank you to the County Residents who have continued to support the Bollinger County Stray Project. 

Check out our available pets at Petfinder.  Call 573-722-3035 about our adoptable pets.