WEBSTER arrived at the doorstep of the West Vancouver branch of the SPCA with matted fur, bad teeth and a broken leg.
The miniature poodle mix recently underwent surgery to repair its fractured radius and ulna bones. Webster is recovering nicely but the SPCA is hoping a few donations will help ease the financial burden of the $1,120 surgery.
"Every branch has a budget for veterinary care, but when there's something that's very expensive it can wipe out a month's worth of costs for all the animals," says Lorie Chortyk, general manager of community relations for the B.C. SPCA.
The approximately six-year-old dog was likely abandoned at a pet groomers in Burnaby, according to Dragana Hajdukovic, branch manager of the West Vancouver B.C. SPCA.
Without the resources to deal with an unneutered dog with bad teeth and weepy eyes, Webster was transferred from Burnaby to West Vancouver.
"After he was groomed and he settled in a bit it was noted that he had a bit of a limp," Hajdukovic says.
The two fractures in Webster's leg were healing incorrectly, leaving the poodle hobbled.
The March 22 surgery was a success and Webster is currently in the midst of an eight-week recuperation with limited activity and short-leash walks.
"He's a very happy-go lucky dog. The hardest part of taking care of him right now is keeping him calm and quiet because he just wants to run around," Hajdukovic says.
Webster seems to be part of a troubling trend for the B.C. SPCA of neglectful pet owners resulting in big veterinary bills.
The veterinary bills for Webster, which include neutering, add up to nearly $2,000. "We've sent out a plea for donations to help us with medical bills because lately we've just been seeing a lot more animals that have required medical care," Hajdukovic says.
"We're finding it really hard to take care of everybody with the resources we have."
The West Vancouver branch of the SPCA took in 1,176 animals last year, and many of their stories are similar to Webster, according to Chortyk.
"People will just drop off animals if they're injured and just leave them there. A lot of times it'll be something minor, but there's some cases where it's quite expensive," she says.
Pet owners looking to part ways with their animal should accompany their pet to the SPCA, according to Chortyk.
"If they just really can't or won't look after an animal we really urge them to come in and surrender the animal in person."
A quick discussion of medical history and personality traits can be critical in giving the pet veterinary treatment and ultimately finding a suitable home, Chortyk said.
"Just dumping an animal off is not always in their best interests because then we have to find out what's wrong," she says.
The SPCA takes in animals that have been abandoned as well as pets who have been neglected or abused.
"We don't get any funding from the provincial government, even for all of our cruelty investigations," Chortyk says. "We do everything we can for every animal who comes in, but sometimes we just need a little extra help with the medical bills."
Now walking with a splint, Webster is awaiting a new owner, according to Chortyk.
"That dog is going to bring so much joy to someone," she says.
