Heartless owners dumped 'comatose' dying puppy by the side of the road as Storm Ciara battered North East

A puppy with the parvo virus has been put to sleep by a vet after she could not be saved in the wake of her discovery by the side of a country lane.
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The RSPCA has launched an appeal for help to find out who dumped the lurcher by the side of Cornforth Lane near Cornforth, close to the A1(M) in County Durham at the weekend and handed in at the nearby Stray Aid animal charity at 3pm on Sunday.

She was found by two teenage boys, with the dog collapsed and non-responsive.

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The pup tested positive for parvo, a highly-infectious potentially fatal virus which attacks the intestines and can cause severe diarrhoea and vomiting, so was put to sleep on veterinary advice.

The pup was put down on the advice of a vet after it was dumped by the side of the road in Cornforth Lane during Storm Ciara. Photos by Google and the RSPCA.The pup was put down on the advice of a vet after it was dumped by the side of the road in Cornforth Lane during Storm Ciara. Photos by Google and the RSPCA.
The pup was put down on the advice of a vet after it was dumped by the side of the road in Cornforth Lane during Storm Ciara. Photos by Google and the RSPCA.

RSPCA Deputy Chief Inspector Emma Stainthorpe said: “The weather was absolutely horrendous on Sunday when this poor puppy was found, collapsed and dying, just down the road from Stray Aid.

“She had adult incisors but the rest of her teeth were puppy teeth so she was estimated to be 16 to 18 weeks old.

“As she wasn’t microchipped we have no way of tracing her owner at the moment so we are appealing for anyone with any information about who she belonged to, to contact us.

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“Please call the RSPCA Inspector appeal line on 0300 123 8018 and ask to leave a message for me.”

Stray Aid’s veterinary director Sue Bielby said: “We at Stray Aid are absolutely heartbroken, she was so ill that she was comatose and I had no alternative but to put her to sleep.

“Parvo is a terrible virus and any dogs who have come into contact with this puppy are at risk. It is extremely important that dog owners keep their dog’s vaccinations up to date to protect them. I just hope there aren’t any other dogs affected.

“If anyone knows anything about where this puppy came from please contact the RSPCA.”

To support the work of Stray Aid visit http://www.strayaid.org.uk/

To help the RSPCA continue investigating incidents like this please visit our website or call our donation line on 0300 123 8181.