7 Puppies in Critical Condition

The Brutal Reality of Rescue

After the four puppies poisoned with antifreeze and dumped in the woods, we worked around the clock to save another litter of puppies in critical condition with parvo.

We haven't had a moment to catch our breath. It’s been a week that has left us physically and emotionally exhausted.

Last weekend we took in a litter of Parvo puppies, but the "rescue" part of this story was a race against a clock we didn't even know was ticking. The people who surrendered them gave us a revolving door of stories.

First, they said it was an accidental litter. Later, we learned they had another litter with Parvo in the house just a few months ago. They told us they were bringing five puppies and they were keeping a sixth, "Daisy," because she had already been treated.

Daisy hadn’t been treated. They declined treatment because they didn't want to spend the money, opting for minimal at-home care instead. Not surprising for people who skipped basic care like vaccinations, dewormer and flea/heartworm prevention.

If they had asked for help when Daisy first got sick, we could have treated the others before they were symptomatic. By waiting until the other puppies were gravely ill, they made a bad situation into a disaster.

Despite every available treatment, we lost the littlest puppy, Tiny. Dr Mizesko called to tell us that he was crashing and he was suffering, asking if we could let him go peacefully. It was a heartbreaking yes.

36 hours after surrendering the first group, they showed up at the ER with a seventh puppy, Thumper, we didn’t even know existed. We suspect they were planning to keep Thumper and Daisy to breed them.

Thumper was already crashing when they brought him to a different ER. That vet sent them back to Focused Pet Care where we were already treating the others.

We fought desperately to stabilize him, but it was too late. Thumper was gone before he ever knew what a safe home felt like. The rest of the litter continued to spiral.

We pulled out all the stops. We did monoclonal antibody treatments immediately, hoping it would help. We did IV antibiotics and plasma transfusions. We repeatedly ran bloodwork, and they had round-the-clock intensive care. We watched the bills climb into the thousands, determined to save these babies if we could.

But Parvo is Deadly.

When Thumper died, the owners finally brought Daisy in—the puppy they intended to keep. She was malnourished, severely dehydrated, covered in fleas and so riddled with parasites she could barely move. She was almost in as bad shape as the others they had already given up on.

Despite every medical intervention, we lost two more puppies. King and Prince fought hard, but their bodies simply couldn't take any more. They continued moving in the wrong direction despite the extensive treatment. After three days in the ER, we were hoping they would rebound, but they were getting worse. We had to make the soul-crushing decision to let them go.

This is the devastating part of rescue most people don’t see. Sleepless nights.

Constant worry. Impossible decisions.

Where we stand now:

We are focusing every ounce of our remaining energy on the last three puppies: Hazel, Oreo, and Daisy.

After four days of hospitalization, we had skyrocketing vet bills with no end in sight. We don’t have unlimited resources, and we were faced with the inevitable, impossible rescue math.

We just completed our big fundraiser, but that money needs to carry us through the next few months. If we exhaust all of our resources saving these puppies, then we won’t have funds to save other animals later. At the same time, we couldn’t give up on them.

A New Plan

Having already done monoclonal antibodies, IV antibiotics and extensive treatment in the ER, we worked with Dr LaVasser on a modified plan- at home hospitalization with experienced medical Fosters.

Our FUR team met at the ER to go over an at home hospitalization plan. The puppies weren’t eating, and the vet staff placed nasogastric feeding tubes the day before.

Valerie, Erin, Lisa, Sarah, Susan and Mike met with Dr. LaVasser and went through the care plan in detail, including tube feeding, subcutaneous fluids, glucose testing and monitoring. We went through all the medication, having switched the IV medicine to oral.

Our dedicated fosters, Valerie and Lisa, are essentially running mini-ICUs at home, with support from Erin and Sarah. The pups have nasogastric tubes (NG tubes) snaked through their noses so they can be fed special formula and supplements, along with sub-Q fluids, around the clock.

They are on a mountain of medications. They have been back at Palm Valley Veterinary Center every day for bloodwork to monitor their progress.

We hope they are finally turning the corner. We want to believe they’ll make it. But in rescue, you learn not to celebrate too early.

We are tired. We are heartbroken. We are stunned by the vet bills. But as long as Hazel, Oreo, and Daisy are fighting, we will keep fighting.

Please keep these three puppies in your prayers. They have a long road ahead of them, and we are doing everything humanly possible to give them a fighting chance. 5/24/26: Hazel, Oreo, and Daisy all survived, thanks to sleepless nights and round the clock care from their fosters, with a lot of help from our amazing veterinarians! 𝗙𝗨𝗥 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺

Sick and injured animals need help fast. Every donation helps, but Monthly donors give us flexibility to respond immediately when there is an emergency. When there is a hoarding case or a hurricane, a dog with a gunshot wound or a cruelty case, we have to act quickly. We don't have time to run a fundraiser, and wait for those funds to get to us. Your monthly donation can help us save lives again and again. Learn more at: https://www.floridaurgentrescue.org/donatemonthly

To Donate: 

— Credit Card: www.floridaurgentrescue.org/donate

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— Mail: Florida Urgent Rescue

    7643 Gate Parkway #104-27

    Jacksonville, FL 32256

About FUR

Florida Urgent Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and FUR earned a Four-Star Rating on Charity Navigator with a score of 100%, the highest possible rating. FUR also received a 2025 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency by Guidestar. Less than 1/10th of 1% of all nonprofits receive these ratings.