Thanks for taking action and saving innocent lives.

Fantastic isn't a strong enough word for what you did. Wish there were more people like you and fewer people like the ones that had the pups first. Thanks for being one of the "good guys."

i saw them today up close for the first time since they were weeks old.
They are eating, and keeping food down!!! they were not the first few days, so that is great.
They are just the tiniest things though. And their skin is covered in sores from the fleas. But i have antibiotic shampoo, so that is good. I am picking them up after their spay/neuter tomorrow!
they have sweaters, and harneses(collars will be too much right now) and tags and everything!
Plus tons of grain free canned food, and that high-calorie paste to mix in their food.

i will be crating them separately, and working with them separately, so do i need to put their crates in different rooms? or will they be ok next to each other?

and is there such a thing as gaining weight back too fast, do i need to worry about that, or should i be trying to pack the weight on(not make them fat, just not looking like they have never been fed).

still can't think of names...

 Quote: Mallory Kwiatkowski

I am picking them up after their spay/neuter tomorrow!

As sick and starved as these pups are, why won't the shelter hold off on the spaying until they're healthy??? In your original post just one week ago, you said the pups were barely alive. How is it the shelter will perform surgery on these pups??? This makes me livid .

I asked them that!!!
they said that their vet was very good, and if they got to the clinic and the vet felt they werent healthy enough to have the operation, they would wait.
But i guess our definition of healthy enough, and the animal control's definition are two opposite things.
They said they try as hard as possible to send the animals already fixed. They will neuter at 8 weeks as long a the animal is over 2lbs.....that is just plain stupid!!
but i can't ask them not to, they were already leery of my "declining certain vaccinations"(they called my vet).

They are barely 4 months old, there is no reason they can't wait until 6 months at least. But they aren't going to wait, and now i 'm nervous, in one week, these pups will have had the 5 in 1 shots, rabies, dewormer, and a spay/neuter.......

but, i get a comp vet visit at my own vet for one week after i adopt, and free pet insurance for a month for each of them, and i have a feeling i will be using it.....

 Quote: Mallory Kwiatkowski

i will be crating them separately, and working with them separately, so do i need to put their crates in different rooms? or will they be ok next to each other?

Now, before I say this...I am a HUGE proponant of keeping pups seperated. BUT, I would tell you that considering their unstable condition, I would leave them together IF you find that seperating them causes undue stress. They don't need more stress just now. For sure, try to seperate them...but if it's causing a lot of stress...I would wait to seperate them until they're out of the woods, health-wise. Getting them healthy comes before anything, IMO. And it shouldn't take long for them to rebound. But especially if they're already going through the trauma of the mom being gone, starvation, possible anemia from the fleas, open sores, being swooped up by animal control, being put in a shelter with all that stress, then being neutered so young and probably vaccinations that they're giving them at the vets...well, in my eyes, letting them stay together for a week or two is not a big deal in the big picture if it ups their security and decreases their stress enough to help them heal.

 Quote: Mallory Kwiatkowski

and is there such a thing as gaining weight back too fast, do i need to worry about that, or should i be trying to pack the weight on(not make them fat, just not looking like they have never been fed)

IMO, yes. Sudden, drastic weight gain is hard on the heart and gives the body a sudden shock of things to deal with. I would feed them frequent normal meals instead of letting them gorge (this is what they do with humans who have experienced periods of starvation anyway). There may be special nutrition needs that they have, but I can't speak to that. And I'm hoping the vet checks for anemia because that's common in little animals with a bad flea infestation. Just my opinion, though, and I could be wrong.

Good luck and lets see those pics as soon as you get them!

I'm glad you followed the advise and they are doing great!! Good job!!! I hope the follow up and fine them at least! Jail would be better!!!!!!


Sgt Matt

ok, huge sigh of relief!!!
they aren't going to spay/neuter them for about 2 more months!!!!!

i got them about an hour ago, the female is sooooooo flat out aggressive. Even if i wanted to house them together, i couldn't, she keeps biting the male, and drawing blood. I mean, she clamps down, and i have to pry her off of him.
But now that they are in a good place, i am going to try and rediret that energy into toys and walks etc....

they are 8 and 7 lbs, lighter than i thought they were, Abigail weighed more than that at 10 weeks.

i will go take some pics now....

 Quote: Mallory Kwiatkowski

ok, huge sigh of relief!!!
they aren't going to spay/neuter them for about 2 more months!!!!!.

My local shelter and rescue experience is this: Yes, they will insist on neutering, but the vet they use makes the decision about whether the animal is healthy enough yet.... NOT non-vet shelter personnel.

I have known the shelter to release intact animals, even for permanent adoption (as opposed to fostering), with a contract about altering when it's safe and about protecting the animal from oops mating while the animal is regaining health.