Injured mom and 9 puppies in the care of BC SPCA in Fort St. John

The staff and volunteers at the BC SCPA in Fort St. John are very busy lately taking care of an injured dog and her nine little puppies.

They don’t know exactly what happened to the mother dog, now named Nova, but she was brought to a local vet after a Good Samaritan found her and her litter.

“She was underweight and had suffered severe physical trauma to her back and neck that left her with swelling around her spine and two dislocated shoulders,” Lorie Chortyk, general manager of communications for the BC SPCA, said in a release.

“In addition to these injuries, Nova was enduring the constant discomfort of ear mites and a skin rash. She is now on multiple medications, strict cage rest and is undergoing physiotherapy to decrease the swelling in her joints.”

Nova can no longer feed her nine puppies, due to the medication she requires, which could be harmful to her puppies, so staff and volunteers have been providing supplemented feedings for the nine puppies multiple times a day.

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“Despite the agonizing pain she has been in, she has been such a devoted mom, but now it’s time to let her rest and recover while we look after her babies,” Chortyk said.

Nova will be in the SPCA’s care for about four months before she will be ready for adoption and it will be at least five weeks before the puppies will be able to go to new homes, according to Chortyk.

Gallery of the puppies – provided by the BC SPCA:

However, they are just 10 of thousands of animals who are being cared for by the BC SPCA.

Tuesday was #GivingTuesdayNow and anyone who makes a donation on May 5 will have their donation matched through the generosity of seven people.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the BC SPCA has been operating as an essential service, providing sheltering, emergency veterinary care and adoption for animals, investigations into complaints of suspected animal abuse and neglect, online learning programs for youth and expanded pet food banks and other outreach services for pet guardians impacted by the crisis.