Abby’s Angels Animal Haven took in a litter of nine puppies that were treated for parvovirus at CPVETS in State College. The bill grew to more than $40,000 for extensive life-saving treatment. Courtesy photo

BEDFORD – While Abby’s Angels Animal Haven in downtown Bedford has rescued dozens of animals with health issues over their nearly six-year existence, a family of 10 rescued dogs provided an unexpected challenge when they arrived in early January, according to board member Tina Davis.

The $41,000 bill for their care has forced the small team of volunteers to halt animal intakes until the 501(c)(3) nonprofit can raise enough money to cover this expense and resume normal operation, she said.

After quickly placing Martha and her litter of nine puppies – all named after different food items: Bagel, Sushi, Clementine, Tuna, Bacon, Pancake, Cherry, Waffle and Pickle – in a foster home, Davis thought they were in stable condition to await adoption.

Their condition took a turn for the worse 18 days later as the foster discovered one of the pups, Clementine, had died unexpectedly while the foster was at work, prompting a trip to the vet for the remaining dogs.

After a round of testing, staff at Central Pennsylvania Veterinary Emergency Treatment Services diagnosed the puppies with canine parvovirus, Davis said, a contagious condition requiring specialized care that can be fatal if untreated.

According to veterinarian and CPVETS medical director Andrea Loar, parvovirus is a highly contagious virus that affects unvaccinated dogs.

Parvo is a very resilient virus that typically attacks the gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow, Loar said, often leading to dehydration and eventual low blood sugar, which can be fatal.

While parvo is covered by the standard vaccinations recommended by veterinarians, Loar said, dogs can still get infected before the series is complete.

“This is a completely treatable virus … and the vaccine makes all the difference,” Loar said.

Supportive care and antibiotics are the normal care treatment for parvo, Loar said, but a new antibody medicine has proven effective – with all eight puppies receiving the treatment.

Abby’s Angels has worked with CPVETS for almost three years and has provided “extraordinary care” to the numerous dogs brought in for treatment, she said.

According to Davis, parvovirus treatment can cost between $3,000 and 5,000 per dog due to the 24/7 inpatient care required, an amount that is beyond the current means of the nonprofit.

Abby’s Angels is entirely funded through donations, Davis said, so they cannot rely on government or grant funding in difficult financial situations.

To address their predicament, founder Nicole Wertz has launched a number of new fundraising campaigns in addition to the smaller monthly drives already in place.

The main GoFundMe campaign has raised $8,465 as of Wednesday afternoon out of a $20,000 goal, according to the website, while the Facebook fundraiser has generated $10,000, according to Wertz.

In total, they have raised a little under $28,000 in under a month, Wertz said, leaving about $12,000 left to cover.

This show of support has been “incredible,” Davis said.

Although the eight puppies and their mom, who was later diagnosed with parvo, have largely recovered and are back in foster care, there is still a long road ahead for Abby’s Angels, she said.

The rescue is currently responsible for 49 dogs in foster care, not including Martha and her pups, Davis said, so ensuring that they continue to receive a high standard of care throughout the financial recovery process is critical.

Since Abby’s Angels regularly takes in animals with health issues, they do not want to jeopardize their current charges by opening intake too early and facing another unexpected medical bill, Davis said.

Neither Davis nor Wertz offered a specific timeline on when they would reopen animal intake, since that is entirely dependent on the success of the current fundraising drive.

According to Davis, the goal of Abby’s Angels is to take in discarded or unwanted dogs, give them the care they need so they can set them up to succeed in their adopted home.

Achieving this positive “transformation” is an involved process, she said, but the effort and expense is undeniably worthwhile.

“We want to help them all,” Davis said.

While fostering or adopting an animal is a great way to support their mission, Davis said, there are other ways to contribute, such as donating money or spreading the word about the value of the animal foster system.

More information can be found about Abby’s Angels on their Facebook page.