08/20/2025
Friends, we would love if you took a brief bit to read today’s longer post.
WARNING, pictures are included (to honor their existence).
Today we faced a situation that every rescue dreads…
We received 4 Chihuahua mix puppies, around 8 weeks old. We had been told they had been quarantined in a foster home in rural WA since August 2nd and that they were healthy. With that information we felt comfortable accepting these pups to come to us today.
We named them Hopper, Happy, Jilly and Jojo. They made the long drive from Sunnyside and arrived around 11:30 AM.
Within minutes of arrival it became very apparent that these puppies were not healthy at all. They were emaciated, vomiting, and pooping liquid and bloody diarrhea. We have seen this before… these are all the signs of Parvo.
Anytime we see puppies with these symptoms our stomachs turn because we know how deadly Parvo is and how expensive it is to attempt to treat it. One puppy seemed already far gone and was barely able to stand up. She was shivering and clearly felt so so sick. Two others were listless and lethargic. The fourth pup, a little boy we named Hopper, was in mildly better spirits but continuously pooping liquid.
We sent all four pups to our partners at VEG, Veterinary Emergency Group in Redmond. Once there, they tested positive for Parvo, which was no surprise to us.
Here comes the really hard part though… treating Parvo requires hospitalization, monoclonal antibody treatment, and intensive care. We have done it for many Parvo pups in the past, some who survived and some who did not. The cost of treating 4 puppies for one night in the hospital is around $15,000 to $20,000. The treatments do not guarantee their survival. Most Parvo pups require hospitalization for 3-4 days, sometimes longer, so you can imagine how incredibly expensive this can get. A litter of Parvo puppies can wipe out an organization’s reserves in an instant, without the guarantee of a positive outcome.
It was clear that these pups had been ill for some time and that their chances of survival were slim, even with intensive treatment. After much deliberation we had to make a very difficult decision to euthanize all 4 puppies.
We’re not sure how to convey how devastating these situations are for our team. We love dogs more than anything and it is our life’s work to help them. We usually go to the moon and back for our dogs and don’t hesitate to do expensive surgeries like Tango’s heart surgery or Oliver’s emergency surgeries for life-threatening injuries. But unfortunately the reality is that there are limits. Our donor’s generous support must be applied mindfully and in such a way that our organization can survive, even in these very hard times.
We grieve for the loss of these 4 precious lives. We are angry because if someone had recognized the signs of Parvo sooner, they may have had a better chance to survive. We are angry because a $15 vaccination could have prevented the loss of their lives but a backyard breeder did not care enough to provide it. We are deeply sad for these babies who had to suffer because of someone else’s negligence.
Rest easy Hopper, Happy, Jilly and Jojo. We loved you, even though it was briefly.
