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    • 24 Nov, 2016

    Sick Puppy Sold Outside Tube Station is on the Right Track to Happiness

    A sick puppy who was sold outside a London tube station is finally on the right track to happiness after receiving treatment and care from The Mayhew Animal Home.

    Seven-week old Border Collie puppy, Mocha, was up for sale outside Ruislip Tube Station in West London, despite being poorly and malnourished.

    A passing couple decided to buy little Mocha for the high price of £200, initially because they were concerned for her welfare. The couple named their new puppy Mocha, after they saw the seller feeding her coffee outside the tube station when they went to buy her. We would never advise anyone to feed their pets coffee, as our furry friends can be more sensitive to the effects of caffeine and moderate quantities of it can even be potentially fatal for dogs and cats.

    Unfortunately though, within just hours of bringing her home, Mocha became really sick, suffering from bloody diarrhoea overnight.

    The owners contacted their local vets for help but were unable to afford the fees to get her looked at. Though they might have had good intentions at first, Mocha’s owners had clearly overlooked the costs and responsibilities which ultimately come with owning a pet.

    As Mocha’s owners were unable to pay for her veterinary treatment themselves, they brought her into our Home for help.

    After speaking with our Animal Welfare Officers, they decided to sign poorly Mocha over so our vets, vet nurses and kennels staff could give her the proper medical care she needed.

    Sadly Mocha was in a bad state; she was extremely emaciated, malnourished and had bloody diarrhoea. Our vet team got straight to work with Mocha’s treatment, giving her round-the-clock care and feeding her small meals often to help her get back to a healthy weight.

    With the medical treatment from our vets and care and socialisation from our kennels staff, Mocha began to get back on her paws. She slowly gained her appetite back and started to put on a healthy, normal weight.

    Our staff put Mocha on foster with one of our experienced carers, so she could enjoy a loving home environment whilst she recovered. In no time, Mocha was playing and running around like a typical puppy with her foster carer’s dogs, showing off her cheeky and fun-loving personality.

    Our Animal Welfare Manager, Zoe Edwards, said: “We are so glad that Mocha is on the right tracks to a full recovery. It is completely irresponsible to sell a puppy outside of a tube station, and unfortunately we see this kind of situation all too often.”

    “Sadly there are lots of unwanted animals in rescue centres like ours that have come in from people who have bought pets on a whim without taking into consideration the responsibilities and needs of the pet. Many pets also end up in rescues after breeders have sold sick animals just to make quick money, to owners who are unable to cope or afford the medical treatment.”

    “Irresponsible breeders, like Mocha’s seller, can often have little or no concern for the welfare of dogs and puppies and no regard for who buys them. They usually won’t be thinking or asking whether the buyer is able to care and provide for the animal for the rest of its life, both financially and physically.”

    “We urge people to think responsibly about where they get their pets from and consider adopting a rescue dog from a reputable shelter, as they are full of gorgeous canines desperate for loving homes.”

    When getting a new pet you should always consider whether you will be able to look after them correctly, and will be able to provide them with the Five Welfare Needs; need for a suitable environment, need for a suitable diet, need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns, need to be house with, or apart from, other animals and the need to be protected from pain, injury, disease and suffering.

    If you do decide to get a puppy from a breeder, try to get recommendations from owners and breed clubs about reputable breeders. You should always make sure you see the puppy with its mum and litter, checking that they really are the puppies’ family, and responsible breeders should be happy to give you a full medical history of the animal. We would advise avoiding anyone who offers to meet you somewhere public like a tube station to give you the puppy.

    Once Mocha has been neutered and is a bit older, she will be ready to find her forever home, where we’re sure she’ll have a “latte” to look forward to.

    When she’s ready for a home, our adoption team will put Mocha on our website. You can sign up to our Dogs by Email service on the bottom of the page here to receive an alert whenever we add a new dog to our website, including Mocha.

    Every year our Animal Welfare Officers and Community Vet Clinic respond to hundreds of animals in need. Please consider a donation to help them help even more animals – you can make an instant donation of £1, £3, £5 or £10 by texting “Woof13 £5” to 70070.

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