Animal shelter asks for donations to save puppies from virus

A parvovirus outbreak has one Calgary animal shelter scrambling to treat the puppies after twoof the 11 recent arrivals died.

DeannaThompson, executive director of the Alberta Animal Rescue CrewSociety (AARCS), says11 puppies tested positive for canine parvovirus a contagious virus spread from dog to dog by direct or indirect contact with their feces.

She says that over the past week and a half, volunteers at AARCShave been treating puppies in hopes they make a full recovery.

"It's an awful virus for these guys to be dealing with. Sadly, we have lost two, Taiga andTookey. Unfortunately, both had to be humanely euthanized," she said.

Thompson says the other pups are getting round-the-clock care as they fight the virus, and four have since been released from hospital.

"As difficult as it can be rescuing animals, it's the victories such as this that make every day, every tear and every broken heart worth it," AARCSstated on its Facebook page.

The shelter director says the spread of parvo originated with a litterof puppies from a rural property. She adds thattreating the surviving nine has put a strain on the organization.

"We needed to buy an additional IVpump in order to provide round-the-clock care for these guys," she explained.

"They're not cheap these IVpumps, sowe're trying to raise the money so that we can provide the best possible care."

AARCShas posted an urgent call for donations on itsFacebook pageandwebsite in order to treat the puppies.

"Nobody wants to see these young beautiful puppies suffering from this sort of thing knowing that it is treatable," said Thompson.

"We have a 90 to 95 per cent success rate in treating parvo, so we've reached out to our supporters and animal lovers in Calgary and beyond just asking for some help," she said.

The shelter is tryingto raise$10,000 from the public so it can purchase four additional intravenous pumps for the puppies.

"We really do need the help of the public so that we can continue to provide the best possible care so these guys can have a good outcome," she said.

She also reminds breeders and owners to ensure their dogs are vaccinated so they don't contract the deadly virus.

"This virus is something that is completely preventable with vaccines," said Thompson. "It's highly contagious, especially in puppies."