Green Pup Shelter recently rescued a litter of five 4-month-old German shepherd-boxer mix puppies, and three are in the hospital fighting for their lives. The no-kill Lake Zurich-based shelter is asking for donations to help pay for the puppies’ costly care.

Misty Lindstrand, vice president of Green Pup Shelter, said the shelter received a call that there were 15 dogs running loose in Barrington Hills. Rescue workers went to the home to save the dogs.

“We thought the house was abandoned. The guy who lives there came home. He has cancer and he said he realizes he should have gotten the dogs fixed. They kept having litters,” she said.

“We contacted a few different rescues, but nobody stepped up. There are so many homeless dogs, with foreclosures and owner surrenders,” Lindstrand said.

At the home, there was a litter of five 4-month old puppies, a litter of six 1-year-old puppies and four adults.

The rescue workers were able to take only the 4-month old puppies immediately. As they were leaving the house, they noticed two of the puppies were drooling. They took them to the vet and discovered three of the puppies had the parvovirus, a highly contagious and deadly canine disease.

The puppies are receiving intravenous fluids and antibiotics at a veterinary hospital. One more puppy was going to be checked by the vet because it was looking lethargic. A 1-year-old puppy also was diagnosed with parvovirus.

“They are all hooked up to the IVs, stuck in crates with cones on their heads and they can’t do anything until they are better,” Lindstrand said.

The cost for veterinary care is a minimum of $300 per day, which is depleting the animal shelter’s funds. Green Pup Shelter is accepting donations online.

Lindstrand noted that once the dogs are through with their treatments, they will be perfectly healthy and could be ready for adoption in just a couple of weeks.

Green Pup Shelter is a foster-based rescue; there is no facility. The organization is in need of foster homes. The rescue was formed three years ago by a group of five rescue workers.

“We decided to start our own rescue to give dogs the medical treatment we would give our own dogs. It can get really costly, but we want to make sure the dogs are healthy.”

UPDATE: Since this article was written, one more puppy is being treated for parvovirus. Two of the puppies have been released from the hospital and are doing fine.

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