About five years ago, an 8-year-old Labrador was dropped off at the Boone Area Humane Society in the United States. She had already been in labour for 24 hours.
She was immediately taken to the ISU veterinary clinic by the Boone Area Humane Society.
A swollen belly
Looking at her belly, the volunteers had no doubt: the dog was pregnant and already in labour. An ultrasound was performed at the veterinary clinic where the worst was discovered: she was expecting 21 puppies. The heartbeats were still strong enough to hope for good news, but there wasn't a second to lose.
The dog first gave birth to two puppies on her own. Then a caesarean section was performed to help her as she was exhausted.
Sadly, all the puppies died shortly after birth as they were too small.
It was a devastating blow for all the shelter staff, who were left speechless by this tragedy. It could have been avoided if the dog had been surrendered earlier in her pregnancy.
Even worse, by examining her teats, the vet immediately realised she had recently nursed puppies...
The dog is doing better
"I think she's had many litters and her uterus has been stretched," said Vanessa Heenan, director of the Boone Area Humane Society. "It's also possible she was inseminated by several male dogs, so this could be two separate litters."
Ruthie later found a loving family to take her in.
As for her former owner, legal action has been taken against them.
