Success Stories

Lucille, October, 1999

In October of 1999 a volunteer for Lake Erie Labrador Retriever Rescue was driving down a country road. Walking along the side of the road was a dazed, very pregnant Labrador cross. The volunteer immediately took the dog in and took her to the veterinarian for a check-up. Besides being very pregnant, Lucille was extremely malnourished and loaded with parasites. She was also heartworm positive.

Although the volunteer had never helped whelp a litter of puppies, she took Lucille in, nursed her back to health, and helped her whelp a litter of seven puppies. Four of them looked a lot like their mother, obviously mostly Labrador. The other three were spotted, looking a lot like a pointer. They were affectionately dubbed the "Pointer Sisters".

Probably due to the extreme malnutrition of Lucille during her pregnancy, the puppies were not as healthy as a usual litter. All seven came down with puppy septicemia and five of them developed puppy vaginitis. The rescuer picked a no-kill shelter for the puppies, but before they could go, at 3 months of age, one of the Pointer Sisters - named Butterscotch - needed emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction.

LABMED was happy to be able to provide the funding for Lucille's heartworm treatment and all the funding needed to ensure the puppies were healthy. Then Lucille's puppies were all spayed (yes, they ALL were female!) and have found loving homes. Lucille proved to be a loving Lab that is great with children. The rescuer's brother and family adopted Lucille and she is a loved member of their family. Lucille has also been spayed.