An emaciated dog was found by a jogger in early April near McNair secondary and is now in the care of the BC SPCA.
In the early morning of April 2, the pit bull English bulldog mix was following the jogger who at first thought it belonged to someone.
However, when the jogger stopped, the dog stood and gazed at him, explained Eileen Drever, BC SPCA’s senior officer of protection and stakeholder relations.
The jogger then noticed the dog was “skin and bones,” Drever said. He coaxed it into his car, and, while waiting for the Richmond BC SPCA facility to open, bought it some rotisserie chicken and a collar.
The dog had no identification, Drever said.
It has now been placed in a BC SPCA foster home and has begun a veterinarian-supervised feeding plan.
However, the dog has been slow to gain weight.
“In addition to suffering from starvation the dog has arthritis in his front legs,” said Drever.
“His veterinary checkup went well, but he is not out of the woods yet. He is not gaining weight as quickly as we would like. He is under the watchful eye of the veterinarian and is getting lots of love from his foster.”
Drever explained emaciated dogs are a challenge to care for and when a dog has a low body condition score, it can have long-term implications for its health.
“They are often in our care for weeks before we see an increase in their weight,” she said.
“We will do everything in our power to make them healthy and happy.”
The foster reports the dog is loving and affectionate despite everything it has been through.
At this time, it is not known when the dog will be available for adoption, according to a BC SPCA press release.
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