A dog receives an intake examination during the seizure of 27 animals from a Kootenay property on Oct. 7. (BC SPCA)
On Oct. 7, the BC SPCA brought 27 dogs and one cat into care from a rural property in the West Kootenay, following an animal protection investigation of irresponsible breeding and neglect.
The SPCA reported this information in a news release dated Oct. 16.
The 27 seized dogs were French bulldogs, Boston terriers, Kangal shepherds, and heelers, as well as several mixed-breed dogs, and included 12 puppies ranging in age from eight weeks to seven months old.
The news release states that the condition of the animals was so serious that the SPCA required a staff of 10 plus a number of RCMP officers to carry out the rescue.
The news release did not mention the specific West Kootenay location of this investigation and the SPCA declined to disclose this when asked, stating that they withhold such information when an investigation may result in criminal charges.
"The animals were kept mainly outdoors without appropriate shelter and there was inadequate fencing on the property, so the dogs were wandering off and running loose," said Matt Affleck, SPCA regional manager of cruelty investigations for the B.C. Interior.
"A number of the animals are underweight and have been put on a veterinarian supervised refeeding plan and many of the puppies were found with scarring and bite wounds, most likely due to fighting. We think it's possible the animals were regularly drinking from a nearby, algae-covered pond since most of them have tested positive for parasites such as coccidia and giardia."
The puppies, due to their underdeveloped immune systems, were especially susceptible, he said.
"Some of the puppies had severely distended stomachs because of a very serious worm infection. The infection is so significant it will require a specialized deworming protocol as the sheer number of worms could cause a bowel obstruction if they all passed at once. It is really heartbreaking to see puppies in this condition."
Affleck said that process is sometimes required in horses, but he has never before heard of it being required in dogs.
Once in BC SPCA care, the animals were transferred to animal centres across the province. Many of the dogs were initially very fearful from under-socialization, but the SPCA reports that they are already warming up to centre staff.
As this is an ongoing investigation, the animals are not currently available for adoption and it is unknown when they might be.