Just look at that face! Can you resist it? Of course not! We can't, either. And that's why we do what we do with puppies.
My rescue has been saving dogs from the mean streets of Southwest Virginia since 2013. We're a 501c3 nonprofit organization, and we report yearly to the Commonwealth of Virginia. In other words, we're legit. Yet we struggle to keep the doors open, because in this part of the U.S., "charity" is a thing you receive, not a thing you offer. TARC's introductory post goes into more detail so I won't hash through it again here. Instead, I'll show you what Steemit generosity has provided for a litter of homeless puppies and some of their friends, since one hundred percent of the cost for vaccines and dewormer was covered through the blockchain.
Last summer, a pup was abandoned in my neighborhood and through Providence alone, found his way to my front door. He was malnourished and suffering from sarcoptic mange. Thanks to @lexiconical and @nikez452, all of Bailey's veterinary care was funded and today he is a healthy, happy boy waiting for transport to our rescue partners in Vermont.
Andy came to us after the people who'd given him a home for ten months decided he wasn't a good fit for their family. Andy is an absolute doll. He will make some lucky person a wonderful companion. He's compact and cute, and a real snuggle bug. He grunts when you hold him. Now he's had his first round of core vaccines, and is waiting for us to raise enough money to fund his neuter and microchip before catching a ride to New England.
These cute little guys and gals have all received their first round of puppy shots, as well as a 7-day regimen of fenbendazole dewormer. They definitely needed the purge! Fortunately, I have the training to administer vaccines myself, except for rabies. In Virginia, that can only be done by a licensed veterinarian. But the core disease vaccines can be purchased from reputable veterinary supply outlets and shipped with refrigeration. Under these conditions, vaccine failure is extremely rare.
More of a concern for me, however, is vaccine reaction. While this is relatively uncommon, it does happen. Dogs and puppies can be allergic to compounds in the vaccine and succumb quickly to anaphylactic shock. This is particularly worrisome with young puppies. My rescue follows certain protocols to maximize the animal's chance of survival should such a reaction occur. First, we only vaccinate during the regular business hours of our regular veterinarian. That way, help can be found quickly. Second, we administer a tiny amount of the vaccine initially and monitor the animal closely for the next few minutes, assessing things like capillary refill in the gums and overall behavior. If possible, we keep the animal still enough that we can ease the medication in by degrees without having to perform multiple sticks. We've never encountered an issue doing it this way, and have never lost an animal to vaccine reaction, although we have had some scary moments. None of the puppies in this litter experienced adverse reaction at all. Yay!
There are no shortcuts when it comes to providing care for rescued animals. We quarantine on intake unless veterinary documentation is provided about adequate vaccine history. Our quarantine period is fourteen days. This litter went through quarantine as wee tiny pups, so by the time we vaccinated, no gloves or special handling was necessary. We have a "clean" facility, which means we've never had an outbreak on the premises, therefore the risk of us infecting these babies was extremely small.
But we don't skip the basics! Weight and temperature are assessed on every animal, before every vaccine. Body temp above 101 means no vaccine will be given, unless the ambient temperature is warm and the animal has been noticeably active immediately prior. In those cases, "active" is noted clearly on the in-house medical record of the animal, beside the temperature reading. We record date of vaccine, the initials of the person administering it (usually me,) and include the stickers of each vial with the manufacturer's lot number and expiration.
It is my belief that Tazewell Animal Rescue Coalition has a very solid foundation in not only the husbandry aspect of what we do, but in a very stringent process of placement that DOES NOT SUBSCRIBE to the "open adoption" fad preached by many No Kill organizations. Our return rate for adopted or transferred animals is less than one percent. How many shelters can say that? And yes, we do stay in touch with more of our alumni than you might expect. We love nothing more than sharing updates with our supporters about the dogs they helped save. What better way to confirm that not one penny, not one moment of time, was wasted from any donation or volunteer hour given on behalf of these animals?
Sweet looking babies!
Thank you for the incredible hard work you put in to protecting these dear animals. All those pups are cute, but perhaps Muxxypup is the cutest. Not biased, of course.
Hmmmm, I don't know, @gmuxx. Tiny is holding her own quite well there...
Thanks for sharing and thanks for helping out these precious animals!
wow thank you for sharing such beautiful puppies , and you are doing a amazing job looking after them kind regards Amanda
puppy cuteness over load!