If it wasn’t for their long fluffy fur, you would be able to count every rib on each of the 10-week-old puppies being cared for by volunteers of the Shuswap Paws Rescue Society.
Normally pups this young would be hard to keep still but the three malamute husky dogs are conserving their energy in the fight of their lives.
“This is one of the worst cases we’ve seen,” said Barb Gosselin, Shuswap Paws Rescue Society.
A week ago a volunteer was sent to pick up a husky and her four puppies from Northern Saskatchewan only three of the pups survived the harsh temperatures and starvation.
“They were found inside of a trap, and the temperatures there are freezing. There was no food and water. They are extremely, extremely thin, emaciated, dehydrated,” said Gosselin.
“They got rushed as soon as we got our hands on them they got rushed to the vet and unfortunately one mother dog and one pup come to starvation.”
It’s been a long road for the volunteers behind the Shuswap Paws Pet Society rehabilitating the three siblings appropriately named Spartacus, Maximus and Xena.
“Spartacus was 4.4 kg. He’s super delicate they were so dehydrated that their skin was ripping. So you’ve just got to be super careful when you’re holding them,” said Carli Belcher, volunteer.
To bring these pups back to life it is going to cost thousands of dollars that the Shuswap Paws Rescue Society doesn’t have, so they are asking the public for help.
“Usually, when you have an emergency call right off the bat there’s an emergency fee, on top of that,” said Gosselin. “It’s going to be in the thousands and our local community and volunteers have been very generous but we know that we are going to need way more support from these three that are in the roughest shape.”
This is a long-term rescue. Meaning, the puppies will not be up for adoption anytime soon. However, there are a lot of other puppies available. For more information about how you can help visit the Shuswap Paws Rescue Society Facebook Page
A fundraiser has been started for the Shuswap Paws Rescue Society www.gofundme.com