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Marley Needs Love; Not Hate

MARLEY NEEDS LOVE; NOT HATE

Marley is a 3 month old Mastiff mix. She was surrendered to the SPCA West on Christmas day because her owners were not able to afford her treatment. The SPCA West has since been trying to raise money for Marley to help pay for her care but has recently reached a roadblock caused by negativity and slander. The SPCA West needs public support to continue to save Marley’s life and the lives of thousands of animals every year.

On Christmas day, Marley was rushed to the DMV in Lachine which is an animal hospital that provides 24/7 emergency care 365 days a year. She was an extremely sick puppy and was quickly diagnosed with parvo.

The canine parvovirus (CPV) infection is a highly contagious viral illness that affects dogs. The virus attacks a dog’s intestines and causes vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and lack of appetite (anorexia). Dehydration because of these symptoms can lead to shock and death if not treated.

Marley’s owners were unable to pay for the treatment the doctors at the DMV were proposing and that Marley needed to survive. When faced with similar situations, owners are required to arrange payment for their pet’s treatment, have their pet euthanized or surrender their pet in the hopes that the DMV can contact one of the rescue organizations they collaborate with to cover the animal’s medical expenses.

Marley’s owners felt that the most humane solution for their beloved pet was to surrender her and hope that a rescue organization would come to her aide. The SPCA West got the call on Christmas day and with moments to decide, quickly agreed to take on Marley’s case and accept her surrender so they could treat her as one of their own and provide the care that she needed to survive.

Since Marley’s admissions into the hospital, there have been many ups and down. The treatment for parvo is not a clearcut, black and white solution. Marley has been put on IVs, has had blood transfusions,blood pressure medications, anti-vomiting and anti-diarrhea meds, she is on antibiotics, potassium, protein injections. She is under 24/7 intensive care and the SPCA West has not refused any proposed treatment that may help this dog make it through.

The initial $2900.00 quote for her treatment has more than doubled in the past 4 days. As of December 29th, Marley’s medical bills exceeded $5000.00 and are expected to rise over $10,000.00 by the time she is well enough to be transferred out of the DMV.

Marley’s story, like many stories of animals in emergency situations, received a lot of public support. In the first day, the SPCA West almost reached their initial $2900.00 goal for donations using Facebook and CanadaHelps to spread the word.

Shortly after Marley’s story went public, the negativity and the slanderous comments accusing the SPCA West of stealing Marley from her owner, of using her sad story to collect money, of being greedy and dishonest began to surface. Because of this negativity, the donations stopped coming in and there is only one living being who is suffering because of this: Marley.

The SPCA West would like to clarify our position. We are not in the business of taking pets away from their families. We had nothing to do with the initial choice that was made by Marley’s owner to sign her surrender papers in the hope of getting her the treatment that she desperately needs. We got a call to save a life and that is exactly what we are trying to do.

If Marley makes it through and survives the parvo, we will follow the Preventive Care Protocol as we do with the thousands of animals that we save every year. We will continue her treatment as long as it is needed, we will oversee her rehabilitation, we will have her followed up by a veterinarian, will ensure she is sterilised, vaccinated and microchipped like all of the animals in our care and then, once she is cleared, Marley will be available for adoption.

Her original owners, if qualified, will be eligible to apply for her adoption. Considering the number of animals we save every year and the number of requests we receive, we can not stray from a protocol that has been time-tested and proven effective in the rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming of over 2000 animals every year.

The reality that Marley will even survive is still a question and until her life is no longer in such a precarious situation, the SPCA West’s sole focus will be to save Marley from dying. The SPCA West needs the continued support of the public.

Marley needs the public, she needs positive energy and love, not slander and hate.

Please donate to her cause.