For a baby, the love and care of a mother are very important when it comes to its survival. And this is the same case when it comes to dogs. The Cleveland Animal Protective League (CAPL) had an unexpected and shocking case when their team rescued a one-day-old Pitbull.
Source: NY Daily News
Someone had called in and said that they found a very young puppy in a garage and there was no mother in sight. When the CAPL team came over to investigate, they indeed found a one-day-old pitbull covered in flies.
Slim chance of survival
A puppy that tiny being abandoned in a garage was a matter of great concern. It would be impossible for the little thing to survive on its own. His eyes were not open yet and without nutrient-rich maternal milk, chances of survival were definitely slim to none.
Source: Pixabay
The pup was very lucky that someone called it in. The tiny pitbull was named Noland by the CAPL team. Being just one-day old, Noland needed the care of a mother fast. Unfortunately, the dogs under their care at that time were not nursing. It was quite a dilemma.
A crazy thought
Seeing that the puppy was in dire need of maternal care, the veterinary and animal care team decided to consider it a crazy idea. There was one animal nursing under their care who also happened to have a one-day-old litter. The thing is, it was a stray cat.
Source: Apost
The stray cat was named Lurlene. She had given birth to four kittens: Espa, Tallysdab, Zixi, and Rivette. The plan sounded crazy at first but Noland’s life was on the line so they decided to take the risk. But can a cat serve as a stand-in mom for a pitbull?
A unique and adorable family
Lurlene seemed to have no trouble with the new addition to her litter. The other kittens seemed to be fine with it too. It was such an amazing thing how this feline family opened up to the young pitbull that the CAPL team decided to share the story of Lurlene and Noland in their social media accounts.
Source: PawBuzz
The video and pictures of Lurlene taking care of Noland along with her other kittens immediately went viral. It was one of those things that were too cute to ignore and not to share or comment on. Soon enough, the unique family had their fans from all over the world. The whole story was picked up by local and national news.
Desperate situations call for desperate measures
During an interview with Fox 8 News in Cleaveland, CAPL Director of Operations Ayse Dunlap said that Noland needed immediate intervention to survive. An animal of his age needed around-the-clock care and their team was not able to provide that. It had to come from a mother animal.
Source: Cleveland Animal Protective League via Facebook
When CAPL CEO Sharon Harvey thought of Lurlene, who had just given birth the other day. The team was getting desperate and decided that their CEO’s idea could be crazy enough to work. Well, it was a good thing that the CAPL team thought the idea was worth a shot. Now we are all blessed by this cute and lovely story.
The introduction
The CAPL team worked on introducing the puppy to Lurlene to see if the idea would work. They held the puppy up to her and Lurlene started to sniff Noland. After a while, she started nuzzling the puppy. Seeing that Lurlene would not do any harm to the puppy, they set Noland among her litter.
Source: Cleveland Animal Protective League via Facebook
She immediately started licking Noland as if she was accepting it as one of her own. The team was surprised and amazed to witness how Lurlene immediately welcomed Noland to her litter. It was remarkable to witness how the two species were unable to detect that they were different from each other.
It was not enough
Although Noland seemed to fit in well with his feline family, he was not out of the woods yet. He may have Lurlene’s maternal care to help him keep going, he still needed professional intervention. Noland was a pitbull and he needed more milk than what Lurlene could provide.
Source:PawBuzz
So, when Noland was not feeding on Lurlene, he would be handfed from a bottle. Since Noland is a pitbull, he will grow to be bigger than his feline family and that means he had bigger needs for his nourishment. But what happened to Noland’s mother?
Finding his mother
The CAPL team returned to the garage where Noland was found in the hopes to look for his family. They discovered Molly, Noland’s mom, chained up in one of the homes nearby. The group was sad to see that she was so malnourished too.
Source: Cleveland Animal Protective League via Facebook
The team also rescued Molly and had the owner convicted for animal neglect. But when they tried to reunite her with Noland, Molly was too terrified and weak to care for her newborn. She was also shy and the team had a hard time gaining her trust. It was clear she had been traumatized.
Lurlene takes over
Seeing this, the CAPL team decided to let Noland stay with his new feline family for the next few weeks. Noland would spend the day under the care of Lurlene with the kittens and at night, Noland was taken in by a foster family who bottle-fed him.
Source: Cleveland Metro
In the few weeks that Noland was with the CAPL, he was able to grow and thrive along with the kittens. As the weeks passed, there was some concern that Noland would get too big and become too rough for his feline family.
Fitting in
But it seemed that Lurlene was able to have everything under her control, Even though Noland grew bigger, Lurlene had a way to keep Noland in check in case he acts “too much.” Noland’s feline siblings also seem to know how to handle their bigger “brother.”
Source: NY Daily News
It was so amazing how much the pitbull blended in with the feline family. In fact, Noland seemed to adapt some feline habits too. The CAPL noticed him using the litter box every now and then when he needed to do his business.
Preparing for adoption
Now that it was clear that Noland was going to be okay, he was assigned to another foster family. This foster family will take care of him until he becomes old enough to get his shots and spay and neuter surgeries.
Source: Cleveland Metro
This foster family was chosen because they had a litter of puppies about Noland’s age. The CAPL team hoped that being with the puppies would help Noland learn to act more like a dog. After this, Noland would be ready for adoption.
A touching reunion
When Noland came back to the CAPL, he was reunited with Molly, his mother, for a play date. Like Noland, Molly went through some rehabilitation and was able to regain her health back. Molly was more playful and trusting this time.
Source: Cleveland Metro
Their reunion was very touching and it was a wonderful sight for the CAPL team who knew the tough situation both mother and son had been in. The play sessions became a regular thing until one of them became adopted.
Finding their forever homes
Noland happened to be adopted first but it did not take long before Molly was also taken in. Fans of Noland’s story were enthusiastic that the mother and son were able to find their forever homes. Even Lurlene and her litter were adopted successfully.
Source: WinkGo
CAPL took advantage of all the media attention to let people know about their cause and their needs. They pointed out that the situation of Lurlene and Noland, although a touching and adorable moment, should also be a wake-up call to take better care of pets and to stop abandoning dogs.
Call for volunteers
The Cleveland Animal Protective League is an independent and non-profit organization that aims to foster compassion towards animals and end animal suffering. This organization provides shelters to homeless animals and animals that have been rescued from neglect and abuse.
Source: Cleveland Animal Protective League via Facebook
They are open to volunteers and foster families who will help them with their cause. CAPL CEO Sharon also took the chance to call for more foster family volunteers who are willing to help nurse back animals in need by providing them care and a temporary home.
The importance of newborn puppy care
The first two to three weeks in a puppy’s life are very important. A newborn litter of puppies is fighting for survival during this period and the care of their mother plays a huge role in making sure they survive and grow up well.
Source: Pixabay
Without their mother’s care, puppies are bound to suffer from dehydration, hunger, hypothermia, hypoglycemia, and more medical problems. If you find an abandoned or orphaned newborn puppy, it is important that you rescue it as fast as you can and assume the role of a mother dog.
Handle with care
A lot of people would be hesitant to pick up a newborn puppy because of its tiny and fragile state. Do not be afraid to do so. Picking them up and giving them a light massage will help them relax and feel at ease.
Source: Pixabay
Picking them up is also important especially if you find them outdoors in cold temperatures. Puppies are too young to regulate their own body temperature. If you notice that a puppy is shivering or that they feel cold to touch, you should pick them up and warm them with your body heat.
Creating a safe environment for newborn puppies
If you are wondering where to keep newborn puppies, you should create a nesting box. The nesting box should be large enough for the puppy or puppies to be turning around. The sides of the box should be high enough that they will not be able to fall out or climb out.
Source: TopDogTips
Line the box with newspaper or a blanket that you can easily wash. If you do choose a blanket or old rags, make sure there are no holes in it that could trap the puppy. Keep the nesting box in a dry and secluded area. It is important that they be kept away from other animals.
Take them to the vet
Of course, it is very important that you take these newborn puppies to the vet. This is very important if you have no experience handling them before. Puppies should be checked by a vet within 48 hours of their birth to spot out any birth defects or health issues.
Source: Pixabay
The vet will recommend what to feed the puppies and a few teaching techniques so that you can feed them properly. They will also give you a deworming schedule and other vaccination schedules to help ensure that the puppies will grow up fine and healthy.
When to feed newborn puppies
Without their mother around to feed them, you need to create a feeding schedule to make sure they get enough nourishment. If you notice that the puppies are weak and have low weight, you have to feed them every two hours. Puppies often cry when they are hungry.
Source: TopDogTips
You should be feeding puppies a dog milk substitute, which is available in most pet stores or vet offices. You can feed them the milk substitute for three to four weeks before you start to gradually blend in puppy food along with the milk.
What to do if you can’t take newborn puppies in
But what if you can’t take the newborn puppies in or care for them yourself? Do not just ignore them and leave them! Remember, they are struggling to survive at that very moment.
Source: Shareably
You should look for local animal rescue groups and call in the situation. Then, stay with the animal until their team arrives to take over the situation. They will give you instructions on what you can do while waiting so make sure you do that.