In a heartbreaking emergency, the California rescue, Coastal German Shepherd Rescue of Southern California, have bravely taken on a litter of seven very sick German shepherd puppies surrendered by their owner to the open admission San Bernardino City Shelter on Saturday afternoon. As is preferred practice for city shelter, unless an approved rescue organization can be found immediately, puppies with contagious diseases have to be immediately euthanized to avoid the spread of illnesses to the other shelter dogs.

Within an hour, the word had spread amid the rescue community for the seven puppies who tested positive for parvovirus. The majority of cases are seen in puppies between six weeks and six months old, however the incidence of the parvovirus infection has been reduced by early vaccination in young puppies.

“Just when we were starting to catch our breath from the many medical cases we have had over the past week, we got a text from our friends at the San Bernardino City Shelter that 7 (SEVEN) pups had just been surrendered and they tested positive for PARVO. Seriously, SEVEN PARVO PUPPIES. . . Unbelievable. We had no time to even think. The pups had one hour to leave the shelter or be euthanized,” the group posted on their Facebook while coordinating the emergency rescue details.

More than likely these puppies came from a backyard breeder. Advertisements from these unscrupulous breeders are all over the Internet and especially on Craigslist. Although they  may seem to be the neighbor who happens to live next door, these are the people who treat their  family pets as breeding machines for profit. Too often, these pet owners do not utilize the expertise of veterinarians – and a tragic situation just like this with seven critically ill puppies are the result.

“SEVEN PARVO PUPPIES are going to cost us a small fortune but there is no way we could say no. Can you help us figure out how we are going to cover the medical bills for this litter? Every dollar will add up and make a big difference.”

The pups have all been transferred to the organization’s partner veterinarian and are being kept in isolation and treated accordingly. No updates have been made available as of this time. To donate to their care, please click here.

(Photos of German shepherd puppies via Facebook Coastal German Shepherd Rescue OC)

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