5 Parvo Puppies and 1 Foster Mom
Sep 13, 2021
When a full litter of parvo-exposed puppies and their mom came to PAWS, foster parent Elizabeth Endara stepped up and gave them a safe, comfortable place during the first crucial days of their healing process.
“Elizabeth took in Mocha and her puppies and never failed to provide essential medical care for them during their parvo diagnosis. There was one week where I saw her at least three times, bringing in puppies one by one who were exhibiting symptoms. All of her puppies are now recovered, happy, and healthy!” said Bevin Tovar, Senior Foster Coordinator at PAWS.
When and how did you start fostering with PAWS Chicago?
It’s been almost exactly a year. We’re new-ish to Chicago—we moved here in June of 2020. I was looking for ways to get plugged into the community, but that was hard during COVID. I thought about working with animals because it’s a way to get involved without being around lots of people. I heard about PAWS Chicago because someone in rescue group I follow posted about it. So, I checked it out, applied to become a foster, and started parading animals through our house!
How did you hear about this particular group of puppies?
I’m in the PAWS Chicago Fosters Facebook group and one of the foster coordinators posted about them. At first, I was like, “No way. That’s a lot of puppies.” But I know, especially in a city, it’s really hard to find someone with space for that many dogs. We have a backyard and several spare rooms, so I knew had space. I let PAWS know if no one else was interested, we could do it. Of course, we ended up with them.
How long did you have the puppies?
We started with seven of them, but two had symptoms of parvo within 24 hours so we took them back to the Medical Center. I ended up having the mom, Mocha, and five puppies for 10 days total.
What was taking care of that many puppies like?
It was a lot of troubleshooting. I think the biggest challenge was figuring out how to keep them in the space. They kept escaping. Every morning, I’d walk out and get stampeded by puppies that had gained 2 pounds overnight and now could push past the baby gate we had set up.
The first few days were really hard but once we figured out their routine of feeding time, playtime, and passing out time, it wasn’t so bad. At night, my fiancé and I would each grab a puppy and cuddle while watching TV—that was our little routine. It was so fun to be like, “Oh! I think I want a puppy now,” and just go grab one. It was crazy, but it was a blast.
How did PAWS support you during fostering?
PAWS has been amazing and so helpful through the process. I was at the Medical Center quite often because the puppies were being monitored for parvo, and anytime there was a little thing, I’d have to bring them in. I got to know everybody really well. That's, honestly, one of the things I’ve loved most about fostering—how great the team is. In fact, I recently started volunteering in the Medical Center because the people are so fun.
You adopted Mocha! How is it going?
We are obsessed with her. She’s the best. The first day we had her, I was giving her a little break from the puppies in our backyard. She found some random tennis ball somewhere and dropped it in my lap, and I threw it. She brought it back and dropped it in my lap again. I learned very quickly this is the only thing she wants in life. Now, she has a basket full of tennis balls. We put them away at night, and in the morning, she pulls out all the tennis balls, one by one. She surrounds herself with them and lays down. That’s her whole thing. She’s like, “Just give me a tennis ball and I'm happy.” She’s just the sweetest dog.
You can change the lives of homeless pets by becoming a foster parent, like Elizabeth.