Tacoma animal shelter caring for 6 severely malnourished puppies
TACOMA, Wash. - Six freezing, severely malnourished puppies were rescued and are being cared for at the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County.
A community member found those shepherd mixed puppies outside somewhere in Tacoma and brought them over to the shelter for medical attention, according to the Humane Society.
One puppy was so severely underweight that you could see its bones, and all the puppies were close to being hypothermic.
"Just looking at the puppies, we guess that they’re a shepherd mix and about eight weeks, and they should weigh a lot more than they currently are — we’d guess around 10 pounds — and one was just four pounds," said spokesperson Lauren Green.
Right now, the shelter is administering IV fluids to the dogs, parasite preventatives and putting them in heated kennels to regulate their temperatures, but they need help.
"We are here for our community’s most vulnerable pets, and we can’t do this work without the support of our community," Green said.
She says with puppies at this age and in this condition, the care is around-the-clock and that puts a strain on the shelter’s resources.
"Every few hours they’re being fed, we are constantly monitoring them to make sure they’re getting the nutrients they need safely," Green said.
Because they’re one of very few open-admission shelters in the state, which means they don’t turn away any animals, they rely heavily on community donations, both monetary, supplies, and fosters.
"Anyone interested in getting a pet, there’s no better time than the holidays, right? Folks are home, you can get your new pet acclimated," Green said. "But it’s no different than any time of the year. We encourage folks to do their research and figure out what you want in a pet that will join your family and be part of your family for years to come."
As for the little pups, they, too, will eventually be up for adoption as soon as they’re medically cleared. That could take a handful of weeks based on the shape they were in when they arrived.
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