An injured dog and her nine puppies are currently in the care of staff at the BC SPCA’s Fort St. John shelter after being discovered by a Good Samaritan recently.
The mother dog, now named Nova, and her litter were brought to the animal welfare agency underweight and suffering from severe physical trauma to her back and neck, including two dislocated shoulders, BC SPCA’s Lori Chortyk said in a statement on Tuesday (May 5).
“In addition to these injuries, Nova was enduring the constant discomfort of ear mites and a skin rash,” she continued. “She is now on multiple medications, strict cage rest and is undergoing physiotherapy to decrease the swelling in her joints.”
It’s unclear exactly how the dog sustained the injuries. Due to medication required to make her better, Nova is unable to feed her nine puppies so staff have stepped up to provide supplemented feedings multiple times a day, Chortyk said.
ALSO READ: More than 400 animals have been adopted amid pandemic
“Despite the agonizing pain she [Nova] has been in, she has been such a devoted mom, but now it’s time to let her rest and recover while we look after her babies,” she added.
Nova will require up to four months in SPCA care before she is ready for adoption. Meanwhile, the puppies are still growing and will not be available for adoption for at least five weeks.
@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Want to support local journalism during the pandemic? Make a donation here.