Community rallies to help nine sick puppies rescued by the Brant County SPCA

Thanks to the generosity of a local business and members of the community, a litter of sick puppies is on the mend after they became seriously ill with a highly contagious disease.

Early May, the Brant County SPCA placed 12 mastiff mix puppies into foster homes, according to a press release they issued earlier this week. The puppies’ mama had an unexpected litter of 12 pups and the owner reached out to the SPCA for help in finding homes for them.

Later that week, the Brant County SPCA animal care team received a call from one of their foster volunteers reporting that a pup seemed nauseated, and that they were concerned.

Within a few hours, the calls started to come in from other fosters, and the Brant County SPCA teams rushed two of the 12 puppies to an emergency vet clinic.

The pups tested positive for canine parvovirus (parvo) and since they were just recently separated, the entire litter had been exposed. Parvo is a highly contagious disease passed from dog-to-dog that has a 91% mortality rate when left untreated.

Animal Care staff jumped into action triaging the puppies’ showing symptoms and providing both inpatient (in a Vet Clinic) and outpatient (at the shelter and in foster homes) care for 9 of the 12 pups; three managed to not catch it.

The sick pups were treated with IV medication and closely monitored. Even with treatment, parvo is awful The puppies endured days of nonstop diarrhea and vomiting, which makes it tough for them to keep food down and absorb muchneeded nutrients, which are critical in their early stages of growth and development. Billy, one of the pups rushed to the vet, eventually needed a feeding tube

The Brant County SPCA is a not-for-profit organization that has been providing animal protection and welfare services in the City of Brantford and the County of Brant for over 50 years. While they were doing everything they could to keep the puppies alive and protecting the other dogs in their care (as well as the volunteers and staff), the vet bill was climbing. Costs have already reached $6,000 and will continue to climb until everyone has recovered.

The press released noted that the Brant SPCA asked supporters to donate to help cover the puppies’ medical bills and they were blown away by the community’s immediate response They wanted to thank the community for raising over $10,000 for these puppies in need. The Scotlynn Group, who hosted a bake sale at their Brantford Vittoria and Norfolk locations, raised a remarkable $4,500 in a short period of time. Continued on page 8

Mounties Report

"At Scotlynn, we take pride in fostering a culture of teamwork and community spirit. I am proud to share that our employees have raised $4,500 for the Brant County SPCA's Project Patchwork program,” says Scott Biddle, CEO & President of Scotlynn. “The generosity and dedication of our team truly embody the values that we strive for at Scotlynn. We hope that our efforts inspire others in the community.”

Although many of the puppies are still under observation, they are getting stronger day by day, reports the SPCA Eight puppies are recovering well and currently scheduled for vaccines and eventually spay/neuter surgery. They will be up for adoption. Three of the puppies that never showed symptoms of Parvo are thriving in their foster homes and will be available for adoption. One puppy, Sampson (aka Sammie), wasn’t responding to treatment and sadly passed away.

“Our hard-working staff and incredible foster families were working tirelessly 24-7 to ensure the puppies received the care they needed. We’re so grateful for our local veterinarians and RVTs at Paris Veterinary Clinic and Brant Norfolk Veterinary Clinic who provided the emergency treatment and ongoing support to help us provide the best inpatient and outpatient care,” says Nadine Dwinnell, Director of Animal Care. This story is cautionary tale to remind pet owners of the importance of vaccines, which can prevent illnesses like Parvo. In addition to working closely with amazing local veterinarians, the Brant County SPCA also works collaboratively with the University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College’s Kim and Stu Lang Community Healthcare Partnership Program (CHPP) to optimize Shelter Medicine care at their shelter.

The ongoing work will support shelter staff on things like Shelter Medicine best practices, disease prevention, outbreak management and developing policies and procedures to ensure we provide the highest level of care for the animals at the SPCA.

It is with the incredible support of local veterinarians, advice from OVC’s Kim & Stu Lang CHPP, the tireless work from the animal care team and foster families that these puppies’ lives were saved. Donations and fundraisers like this one support the Brant County SPCA’s Project Patchwork program that helps animals that need above-and-beyond medical care. If you would like to donate, it's not too late! You can do so online at wwwbrantcountyspca com today to help Billy and his siblings on the road to recovery.

This sick little pup is on the mend now, thanks to the fast actions of the Brant SPCA Submitted photos

Camp Phoenix fire camp applications close May 31

Camp Phoenix is returning for a second year, after a successful program last summer empowered young women from across the county Camp Phoenix is a free, immersive day camp hosted by the County of Brant Fire Department. It’s open to young women ages 14-18 who are interested in pursuing a career in fire fighting. This year’s camp will take place from July 12 to July 16 and will introduce the girls to real life scenarios in all areas of fire prevention and suppression, including search and rescue, forcible entre, auto extrication and

Basic First Aid And More

The application process closes on May 31 You can find more information on this camp online Last year, organizer’s received 53 applications and 20 were hand picked to take part in the camp. The most rewarding part of the camp, according to camp leader, Lisa Herbert, is watching the girls grow.

“Some were shy and nervous at the start of the week and we watched those girls bloom in the course of a few days!”