We Lost One of These Babies to Parvo

I don’t know how else to share this other than to tell you that my heart is hurting so much today.

We lost one of these babies to parvo. He passed away in my lap this morning. His two siblings were rushed to the vet and are both on IV fluids, both puppies also tested positive. They came home with me after being boarded at a vet on the other side of the island. Before that they had been in foster with one of our amazing fosters – she told me how active, and happy they were, how much they loved food and affection.

I am going between feelings of shock, pain and anger. These babies did not deserve this. I woke up this morning to find the sweet boy, curled up in a hole in the yard. I lifted his cold body in a panic, not understanding what had happened. He was still alive. We got him a heating pad and I was about to give him subcutaneous fluids when he died.

I feel like he needed to have a person with him to finally let go. And that is maybe what hurts most. These animals have experienced nothing but pain, because of humans. And yet they love and trust us so much, that his little body was only able to let go, when a human held him. He did not deserve this. None of them do. I only knew him for 24 hours and I failed him. I mistook his symptoms for shyness, being nervous of being in a new place.

Rescue is heartbreak day after day. The only thing that keeps one going is seeing these animals that come from such neglect and abuse – in their new homes, getting the love they’ve never had, but so freely give, despite everything that’s been done to them. The most painful ones are the ones we lose before they have a chance to experience that. I am so sorry little guy. I hope you felt love. I’m sorry humans failed you again. We are doing everything to save the other two.