Mama Dog Loses All 21 Puppies After Being Dumped At Shelter With Labor Complications
A senior dog dumped at the Boone Area Humane Society in the middle of a dangerous labor crisis has now lost all 21 of her puppies. Even so, the shelter says she is stable, and the community has already rallied around her with nearly $20,000 in donations.
The dog was reportedly in labor for about 24 hours before she was brought to the Boone shelter on Saturday morning and rushed to the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine for emergency care. After arriving, she was stabilized, confirmed to be pregnant, and quickly delivered two puppies, one stillborn and the other who died minutes later.
What happened next turned a heartbreaking case into a major rescue effort, and the story is still unfolding.
“She came in the back of a pickup truck, unresponsive," Boone Area Humane Society director Vanessa Heenan said.
"Her abdominal area was swollen, her nipples were enlarged; you could tell she’d nursed pups recently, at least in the past."
The shelter's funds have been low because of COVID and needed some extra help from the community.
“After realizing her blood values were down and that she was septic, that’s when the price estimate went up to $18,000-20,000," Heenan said. "So we reached out to the public immediately, just because our funds have been depleted due to COVID."
Heenan believes that the dog wasn't taking hormones and most likely wasn't a victim of a puppy mill.
“I think she’s had a lot of litters and her uterus has been expanded,” Heenan said. “It also could have been that she was inseminated by multiple male dogs, so this could be two separate litters.”
According to Heenan, half the puppies couldn't survive even after receiving blood transfusions since they were too underdeveloped to survive, and the other half were stillborn.
According to the American Kennel Club, Labrador retrievers have an average of seven puppies per litter. The largest dog litter is 24 puppies, which is currently the Guinness World Record.
“Having 21 puppies is extremely high, especially considering this mama dog wasn’t under the care of a veterinarian,” said Mindi Callison, founder of the Ames-based group Bailing Out Benji. “A responsible breeder would have had a scheduled C-section and would have had the mom and pups under veterinary watch.”
Here's the full news report about the mother dog and her story:
The shelter stated in a recent update that it will take all the necessary steps to file charges, "but with Iowa's weak animal protection laws, it's always an uphill battle." The mother is now once again able to lick baby food and breathe on her own, and she is to remain in ISU care for a week, although her blood pressure has now stabilized.
If you want to donate, please visit bahs.us or the Humane Society's official website.
A heartbreaking case, but the community showed up fast.
For another heartbreaking family power move, see how a mother-in-law rehomed her dog during labor.
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