JOLENE THE SUPER MOM

As we get ready to celebrate all the awesome mothers all over the world, Animal Care Sanctuary recently discovered its own super mom that embodied the power of motherly love. Jolene was found near Waverly, N.Y. – about 15 miles from the sanctuary – by the Stray Haven Animal Shelter. She was discovered on an abandoned farm eating the remains of a cow to stay alive. What’s more – she was pregnant and suffering from cancerous tumors.

Animal Care Sanctuary accepted Jolene for treatment at our clinic, and she had her puppies one week later. Out of the seven puppies to which she gave birth, six survived – an amazing feat considering her prior living and current health conditions. “She was definitely not a first-time mother,” Veterinary Technician Jill Elston said. “She’s been a great mom. We were concerned that, due to her age and her mammary tumors, she may have a difficult delivery or trouble producing milk, and so both her foster and our staff were prepared to bottle feed the puppies, if necessary. Luckily, Jolene was a champ and nursed the puppies with no problem.”

Jolene, who is about nine years old, was then fostered by a licensed vet tech Kaitlyn Howard – a great friend of Animal Care Sanctuary – for eight weeks while she raised her puppies – all of which have already been adopted. The pups did fall ill after one week, but Howard’s experience and expertise saw
that they received quick care.

Once her latest term as a mother was complete, Jolene was ready for some self-care, and returned to the clinic for spay surgery and tumor removal.
“She’s ready to retire from motherhood,” Elston said. “We’re going to get her taken care of and, hopefully, she’ll soon be ready for adoption. She’s sweet, laid-back and ready to relax. She doesn’t seem to mind cats, but would probably prefer to not hang out with younger, rowdy dogs.”