I was looking for a property to expand our rescue base. On the way back with the realtor, I saw this little puppy all alone, digging through empty trash. It was about 95 degrees. Leaving her simply wasn't an option.

One of the great things about these young pups is how quickly they recover with love and care.
 
​Just 7 days later, this was Little Grace.  
We have a particularly full house  this holiday season.  These little muffins were also abandoned at birth.  They are now 17 days old and doing well.  They will be ready for adoption in 6 weeks.  Since cats are wild animals by nature and are not wired to please their owners as our dogs, it is especially important that they learn to control biting from each other. Therefore, we do not separate them until they are 8 weeks old.
About 2 months ago, we received a call from a good samaritan.  He and his girlfriend had found 6 newborns pups in the trash. They had tried to follow all the advice he could find from the internet, but this advice is simply not the same as real life experience and after several days, 3 died.  Finally they asked for help on facebook and we were able to save the others. Now two months old, they all went to their new homes yesterday and we are enjoying a restful day!
It is critical that newborns have access to warmth but you never want to leave them with hot water in a glass bottle.  The best is a hot water bottle wrapped in something soft. And you should have at least one hot water bottle for every two puppies. Make sure that they have room to move away from the hot water bottle if they become to warm.
There is no greater joy than being able to treat a discarded animal with the love and respect they deserve.  Felix and Oscar not only recovered from their debilitating mange, but found the best home possible.
We received these puppies in the worst condition.  A woman found them right after they were born and thought she could take care of them with no experience or knowledge. It is freezing in Uruguay and she only fed them a few times a day. When they arrived, they were still only a few ounces, even as they were 2 weeks old. They had terrible eye and skin infections and had lost half of their noses to infections.  Only with 24/7 care were we able to save them.   Emma, the only girl, is still struggling with vision and maintaining body temperature, but we hope she will catch up.  Meanwhile, they enjoyed the warm weather today and it was off to the races for them!
Usually people here just thrown the newborn puppies in the trash. If we find them in time, we hand raise them which means feeding them every 2 hours round the clock.  It has been so long that we have had the luxury of a mother dog to care for the puppies that we keep thinking we should pay her! 
Naturally, the mother has been living in horrible conditions. We have already begun treatment for mange and an infection in her teats.
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This young dog has lived her entire life on a 3 ft. chain, surviving on the little garbage the owners threw at her.  When she became ill with the deadly distemper, her owners abandoned her.  Just two weeks later, she survived the distemper and with quality food, is now strong and healthy.  Miranda is looking for a forever family. Meanwhile, she will still with us and receive lots of love and care.
Preston, Parker, Phoebe and Paris were born April 10th and have all gone to loving homes.  Preston is the apple of his Daddy's eye and and we are delighted with all of their homes.
There is not a day in Uruguay when hundreds of puppies are not abandoned. Many are thrown in dumpsters, others left in fields. In some ways, the worst case is when animals are left at the government run shelter, as the woman who runs this place has absolutely no regard for these animals and makes no effort whatsoever to keep them healthy.

Next weekend, we will be going to try to create a "safe zone" and we will disinfect this area regularly.  My vet here is really kind and willing to allow me to buy the vaccines from her at cost, then I can go and administer them immediately, but we are so out of funds.  Each vaccine costs about $11 U.S.D. In a perfect world, puppies should have a series of 3, but the one vaccine will give them a huge advantage.  Please consider a donation and allow us to add your name to the page of supporters.
The virus that this puppy had is so deadly that he had to be kept as far as possible from the other young puppies we have here.  This mean complete showers and change of clothes each time we cared for him.
My daughter and I quickly built an outdoor structure and using the heat lamp we use for newborns, we were able to bring in light for at night. His fluids were being hung by a dog leash from the makeshift roof, but the treatment he received was the best possible. Unfortunately, between the virus, malnutrition, mange and flea infestation, he just was too weak to survive and our hearts were broken when we knew we would never see his beautiful green eyes again. 
Our vet is so kind. She has taught me how to do so much to help save these animals. This is so important as it means I can care for him during the night when clinics are closed, and he will not be alone.  Here, he is receiving fluids. All the fleas on him are dead but we cannot scrape them off as his skin is too thin from mange and it will come off.  This was a particularly devastating loss - so young, so much suffering for nothing.  We have only lost 7 puppies out of more than 600, but each time hurts as much as the first time because puppies are just so loving and trusting.
The "L" pups are gorgeous now after a rough start. Liza ( the little girl on the left) is already adopted and living the life! Leo is the red head and Logan is a smokey colored little guy, waiting for their new Mommies and Daddies to find them. Meanwhile, they got lots of love here every day.
Puppies left in the trash usually do a lot better than those we get from the government run shelter. These guys usually just have a few skin problems, a little diarrhea - nothing a week won't clear up. Here, Delia and her brothers, Dean and Dax have a little mange but they will be gorgeous before you know it!