NEWS

Humane Society: Rescued puppies sicker than originally thought

Bethany Bruner
Reporter

NEWARK – The Licking County Humane Society is working the most challenging rescue they have had, Executive Director Lori Carlson said.

Since the more than 60 dogs were surrendered by their owner on April 15, the humane society has been caring for the animals, most of which were puppies of varying ages, some as young as four to six weeks old. The humane society was called after the dogs were found without drinking water and running in the roadway on U.S. 62 north of Johnstown.

"We're trying to save them, not just keep them healthy," Carlson said.

Carlson said that, although the dogs looked healthy, they noticed within a few days that there were some potentially major health issues.

"We were seeing animals decline rapidly," she said.

Workers began doing fecal exams on all of the dogs and discovered a number of parasites.

"They had tons and tons of parasites, which is difficult for any dog, but particularly difficult for puppies because they're smaller and can't bounce back as fast," Carlson said. "They were dehydrated too, so that didn't help."

Three puppies died in the first few days, and their bodies were sent to the Ohio Department of Agriculture for necropsies to be performed. Carlson said the dogs had tested negative for Parvo, a contagious canine virus, while at the humane society, and the first test at the Department of Agriculture tested negative also.

A second test looking at the tissues of the three dogs who had died, however, determined that Parvo was present in those dogs.

Five puppies have died as of Tuesday morning and another five have been hospitalized with a local veterinarian, Carlson said.

"We are hyper vigilant looking for symptoms of illness," she said. "It's trying to stay ahead of the tide."

A humane society staff member is working full time just with the group of rescues, dubbed "Rescue 62."

The dogs had originally been expected to be quarantined for about two weeks before they would be able to be adopted. That quarantine is being extended.

"We don't want to release any animal that is still sick or shedding a parasite," Carlson said. "They're a lot sicker than we thought they were."

Though the dogs have all been vaccinated, Carlson said, there isn't much they can do except wait and see how the dogs are feeling on any given day. She said their behavior is lethargic and staff members are constantly working to clean the area and monitor the dogs.

More than 100 applications were received in the first several days after the dogs were rescued from people willing to adopt one of the dogs. Even more people have supported the humane society through donations of supplies and money to help offset costs.

Carlson said community support has been phenomenal in the wake of the rescue.

"We have not had to buy a single supply," she said. "Every supply we need is here. The cash donations are being used to pay the vet bills."

The humane society had to order more than $1,000 worth of antibiotics last week and had more than 120 additional hours worked by staff members than in a normal week.

Carlson said the amount of donations received from local residents, businesses and schools has been overwhelming.

"The shed is full of dog food and bleach and paper towels," she said.

Carlson said charges have been sent to the Newark Law Director's Office for review. Law Director Doug Sassen said that the case remains under investigation and that no charges have been filed as of Tuesday.