The four surviving puppies rescued from a stormwater drain along Hendrik Potgieter Street in Centurion are finally on the road to recovery after almost a week of medical treatment and care.

Pretoria Dog Rescue (PDR) CEO Celia van Zyl said the two brown puppies, Simba and Wietchke, who had been the most ill, are now much better after receiving intensive veterinary care.

“Both Simba and Wietchke, the two brown puppies that were very sick, have now received the medical care they needed and are doing much better,” she said.

“Wietchke still has a runny tummy and isn’t completely well yet, but she’s improving every day.”

According to Van Zyl, both puppies were taken to the vet on October 6 and remained under treatment until October 11, when they were adopted into loving homes.

The other two black puppies are now being cared for in a foster home.

She explained that the puppies became severely ill after being born inside the stormwater pipes, where they were exposed to filth and a lack of proper nutrition.

“We believe they must’ve eaten something very rotten in the stormwater pipes where they were born. They also didn’t get enough food, except for their mom’s milk at night,” said Van Zyl.

She added that harmful micro-organisms from the rotten items they consumed gradually destroyed the healthy bacteria in their stomachs.

“The micro-organisms from the rotten items slowly overgrew the good interflora in their guts, eventually causing parvo-like symptoms.”

“The lining in their guts was gradually damaged, allowing harmful microbes to enter the bloodstream. Consequently, the two brown pups had to be rushed to the vet on the verge of septicaemia.”

Despite receiving nutritious food and care from PDR, their condition deteriorated rapidly, and they required intensive care for almost a week.

Simba, one of the brown puppies, also had to be treated for biliary shortly after being rescued.

Van Zyl said the improvement in the puppies’ health has been a huge relief for the team after the difficult circumstances of their rescue and early care.

This positive update follows the rescue mission last month, when six puppies were discovered living in a stormwater drain.

On September 18, a woman who had already rescued four of the puppies contacted PDR for help to save the remaining two, which were trapped deep inside the pipe near a busy road.

Van Zyl, despite her age, crawled into the narrow drain multiple times with a rope tied to her feet to retrieve them.

After several attempts, she managed to rescue one, but the last puppy remained trapped for another week before being saved on September 25.

Sadly, by that time, two of the six puppies had died after falling ill with severe infection-like symptoms.

At the time, Van Zyl said the remaining puppies were being monitored closely and receiving treatment, but their condition was critical.

The cause of the illness was initially thought to be parvovirus, though later tests came back negative.

Now, weeks later, Van Zyl said she is grateful that the surviving puppies are healthy, safe, and receiving love and care.

“It’s been a long journey, but seeing them recover makes every effort worth it,” she said.

“They went through so much, and now they finally have a chance at a happy life.”

Pretoria Dog Rescue continues to appeal for support to cover the mounting veterinary bills for rescues like this one.

Anyone who would like to assist or make a donation can contact Celia van Zyl at 082 569 266 or visit www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/help-save-3-parvo-puppies-born-in-a-drain.

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