Rusty's Arrival
8-year-old Rusty arrived in our care two and a half weeks ago, heavily pregnant.
At this stage in her life, Rusty should have been relaxing in the comfort of a loving home. Instead, she was preparing to give birth to a litter of puppies.
On Sunday afternoon, Rusty went into labour and gave birth to a tiny puppy.
Sadly, her labour soon stopped progressing, leaving us increasingly concerned for her and the puppies still to come.
By the evening, we rushed Rusty and her newborn to the vets. During the journey, she gave birth to another puppy.
At the vets, oxytocin helped progress her labour and another, much larger puppy was delivered - but the difficult, legs-first birth left us deeply concerned for Rusty and her remaining puppies.
The decision was made to perform an emergency C-section, and thankfully, a further six puppies were delivered safely.
Some were blue and very weak, so our team immediately worked to help them breathe, while the vet and assisting nurse, Ellie & Jo, made sure that Rusty was stable under anaesthetic.
After several anxious hours, Rusty stabilised and was finally well enough to return to our care with all her precious babies.
Thanks to the dedication of our team and the veterinary practice, we’re delighted to say Rusty and her nine puppies are now doing well.
We couldn’t be prouder of this beautiful, incredibly brave girl. With such a large litter, we’re supplementing the puppies’ feeds to give Rusty the support she needs after everything she’s been through.
Emergency cases like this put a strain on our resources and can lead to initial costs of over £3,000.
We can only continue to be there for animals like Rusty and her puppies because of the compassion and generosity of people like you.
If you’re able to, please consider making a donation today to help us give more animals the hope and second chance they deserve.
We will use your kind donations to provide care for Rusty, her puppies and other animals in need.
Thank you for helping us be there when they need us most.
