There are days when you'd just like to kill pet stores and people who get animals without being willing and able to care for them should they get sick.
Today in walks a couple with a puppy that is as close to dead as you can be without being officially dead. They picked the puppy up from a pet store on Saturday for $450 dollars. This is the same pet store we've turned in for abuse for having sick puppies on the premises and selling them...well, this puppy was one of those sick Shih Tzu pups one of our employees had viewed in the store. The store didn't even vaccinate the pup until it was going out the door with the new owners, which I'm sure pushed the pup over the edge since they appeared to be laboring already while they were at the pet store.
The new owners arrived at our hospital today and said that the pup hasn't eaten since they got it (that's 6 days for a 2 pound 8 week old puppy), other than the nutrical they've shoved into it. They took it to the pet store today who took one look and said get that pup to a vet. The pet store (who sold the sick pup) of course won't refund or pay for any treatment.
The owners wouldn't pay for any treatment for the pup and were just going to take the puppy home to die a miserable death (it costs to euthanize, we'd rather let it suffer and die at home mentality). We finally convinced them to at least surrender the dog so we could treat it and give it a chance to live. If it survives, we'll place it in a home who can provide for it.
This puppy has got a raging pneumonia, is just skin and bones, eyes matted shut, nutribac caked on its muzzle, and was nonresponsive on presentation with at least 10-15% dehydration, a temperature of 97 (normal 102) and low blood sugar. I'd imagine it's full of parasites, too, but we'll treat that when it's healthy enough to do so.
After a couple hours of fluids, dextrose, antibiotics, nebulization, and active heating, the puppy has a normal temperature, can stand for short amounts of time, and is responding sluggishly to you if you talk to her. Poor thing can't walk more than a couple steps before it becomes too difficult to breathe for her, but she'll wag her tail for you. I've taken a couple photos which I'll post later, but unfortunately I won't be home to upload them until Sunday night or Monday morning, but I'll share pics then.
Anyway, I just wanted to vent. Pet stores selling sick animals should be shut down (and yes, we called the authorities on them again) and people should not get pets that they aren't willing to or can't provide for. Letting that pup sit for a week with pneumonia until it was basically dead before even bothering to seek help because they didn't want to pay any more for the dog is abuse, pure and simple, sick and wrong.
Hopefully the little girl will bounce back with proper treatment and won't have any lasting effects from having been left so sick for so long. She seems to be a trooper and she's young enough that my hopes are for her to recover fully since she's come this far.
Wish her luck!
Today in walks a couple with a puppy that is as close to dead as you can be without being officially dead. They picked the puppy up from a pet store on Saturday for $450 dollars. This is the same pet store we've turned in for abuse for having sick puppies on the premises and selling them...well, this puppy was one of those sick Shih Tzu pups one of our employees had viewed in the store. The store didn't even vaccinate the pup until it was going out the door with the new owners, which I'm sure pushed the pup over the edge since they appeared to be laboring already while they were at the pet store.
The new owners arrived at our hospital today and said that the pup hasn't eaten since they got it (that's 6 days for a 2 pound 8 week old puppy), other than the nutrical they've shoved into it. They took it to the pet store today who took one look and said get that pup to a vet. The pet store (who sold the sick pup) of course won't refund or pay for any treatment.
The owners wouldn't pay for any treatment for the pup and were just going to take the puppy home to die a miserable death (it costs to euthanize, we'd rather let it suffer and die at home mentality). We finally convinced them to at least surrender the dog so we could treat it and give it a chance to live. If it survives, we'll place it in a home who can provide for it.
This puppy has got a raging pneumonia, is just skin and bones, eyes matted shut, nutribac caked on its muzzle, and was nonresponsive on presentation with at least 10-15% dehydration, a temperature of 97 (normal 102) and low blood sugar. I'd imagine it's full of parasites, too, but we'll treat that when it's healthy enough to do so.
After a couple hours of fluids, dextrose, antibiotics, nebulization, and active heating, the puppy has a normal temperature, can stand for short amounts of time, and is responding sluggishly to you if you talk to her. Poor thing can't walk more than a couple steps before it becomes too difficult to breathe for her, but she'll wag her tail for you. I've taken a couple photos which I'll post later, but unfortunately I won't be home to upload them until Sunday night or Monday morning, but I'll share pics then.
Anyway, I just wanted to vent. Pet stores selling sick animals should be shut down (and yes, we called the authorities on them again) and people should not get pets that they aren't willing to or can't provide for. Letting that pup sit for a week with pneumonia until it was basically dead before even bothering to seek help because they didn't want to pay any more for the dog is abuse, pure and simple, sick and wrong.
Hopefully the little girl will bounce back with proper treatment and won't have any lasting effects from having been left so sick for so long. She seems to be a trooper and she's young enough that my hopes are for her to recover fully since she's come this far.
Wish her luck!
