.:Friends of the Habersham County Animal Shelter, Inc.:.

This Tuesday was no different than any other at our shelter but one of the phone calls that came over the line was quite alarming to say the least. The young lady on the other end told me she had some puppies that were in pretty bad shape and she needed help.

As the story unfolded, I was amazed ! She proceeded to tell me that her dog had been killed by a car over a week ago and this was the mother to the eight little orphan pups. She knew the mother dog had pups but it had taken over a week to locate them. The pups had been found under an old barn and had been without food or warmth for over a week. This was just the beginning....

One of the pups had passed away, there were seven left. She then continued to tell me that they had maggots in their feet. I asked her to please get them to the shelter immediately!

When she arrived with the box of pups, there were only four. These four were the ones that were in the worst shape, and she was correct! There were maggots crawling through the feet of every one of them and fleas like I had never seen before. The little heads of the white pups were black with fleas and these babies are only two weeks old. It was obvious that one of the pups was clinging to life by a thread but the others were a bit stronger. Our shelter turned into an ER very quickly, grabbing for Karo syrup , Nutri Cal, and gauze pads to begin washing their little bodies and dabbing them gently to kill what fleas we could.

Like I said, she only brought four, but after I saw their condition I begged her to bring the other two. At first she was hesitant although she had stated she had no money to care for them properly. After explaining the importance of getting them seen by a veterinarian and them needing more than what she was saying she could provide, she agreed to return with then other two. By the time she returned we had lost the weakest of the group although we tried everything we could to save her. In the short period of time we hd them, we had given them names and hers was "Hope."

The babies got a quick appointment with Dr. Stephanie Maples ( my hero ) and after some Sub Qfluid, flea spray applied again with gauze, and a start on antibiotics, these pups have a chance now!

We're happy to say that the maggots are all gone, although several have holes completely through their paws ! I am once again, the foster mom to six little orphans and babies are doing well. All o the little darlings are getting their antibiotics twice daily, and eating well now about ever 2-3 hours. Some are stronger than others but all of them should pull through just fine ! I am looking forward to the next few weeks raising these babies, as everyone knows I have a huge heart for the ones that are at a disavantage. When they perk up at the sound of your voice and nuzzle when you feed them, it's a very good reminder that you're greatly needed and a warm fuzzy feeling to know that you can help such a tiny little helpless creature.

Keep these babies in your thoughts and prayers, and don't forget to do the same for mom here....lots of bottles to make, poop to clean, and puppies that need lots of love!

		Copyright © 2006 Friends of Habersham County Animal Shelter, Inc.