Eight puppies, of the 46 seized from Princeton farm by the BC SPCA, have now died from the parvovirus enteritis.
The 46 puppies were part of a large animal seizure by cruelty investigation officers on Sept. 22, which also saw 21 adult dogs, 27 horses and three cats taken from a substandard breeder.
Due to an extremely poor environment, lack of shelter, unsanitary living conditions, overcrowding, poor ventilation and exposure to injurious objects, the medical costs to care for the animals are rising for the BC SPCA to the tune of more than $100,000.
Marcie Moriarty, chief prevention and enforcement officer for the BC SPCA, said Thursday that 33 of the seized puppies and one adult dog have received emergency treatment for parvovirus enteritis, a highly contagious virus that causes an infectious gastrointestinal illness, and eight have died.
On Wednesday, BC SPCA officials confirmed six puppies had died of the illness. Since then a further two have died.
“Unfortunately, most of the puppies who came into our care were suffering from the canine parvovirus, a highly contagious viral illness that affects dogs, particularly puppies between six weeks and six months old,” she said.
READ MORE: 6 puppies rescued in mass seizure on Princeton farm have died of illness: BC SPCA
Nineteen puppies and one adult dog are currently hospitalized and receiving treatment, while six are stabilized and recovering in shelters.
“This is such a heart-breaking situation, particularly because parvo is a preventable disease. These puppies would not be suffering and fighting for their lives had they received proper vaccinations and medical treatment in their owner’s care,” Moriarty explained.
The dogs and puppies seized from the property included Labrador retrievers, Dalmatians, Corgis, Great Pyrenees, King Charles spaniels, Yorkies, Maltese, Poodles and Australian cattle dogs.
The medical costs to care for these animals are already in the thousands of dollars per day.
“Anyone who has had a puppy infected with the parvovirus knows how expensive the on-going emergency treatment is and we are dealing with dozens of parvo puppies in addition to the medical and care costs for all of the other puppies, dogs, horses and cats seized from the property,” said Moriarty. “These animals have been through so much and we want to give them every chance to survive and have a safe and wonderful life.”
If you can help the BC SPCA with these extraordinary medical costs, please visit spca.bc.ca/help-now.
READ MORE: 97 distressed horses, cats and dogs seized from farm in Princeton
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