February 2, 2012 update

Stewy, the abused young husky who was featured in the local news after being rescued by the SPCA, has had to be humanely euthanized.

"We are very sad about Stewy and want to thank everyone for their kind wishes and moral support for this wonderful dog," says Williams Lake SPCA manager, Liz Dighton. While Stewy was undergoing surgery to amputate his injured leg, the veterinarian discovered several grave problems, including the fact that Stewy's spine and hips were riddled with buckshot. Additionally, late-stage cancerous lesions were discovered in his chest.

"We did our very best for Stewy but in the end the veterinarian in charge of his care said it would be inhumane to force him to undergo chemotherapy and numerous other treatments he would need for what would have been a shortened and painful life,” says Dighton. “Thank you to everyone who followed Stewy’s story in the news and helped us to give him the best medical care possible and to ensure that his final days were filled with love and attention.”

 January 19, 2012   Williams Lake BC SPCA — saving the animals, one at a time

It is difficult to describe the sequence of events that brought a young dog in need of help to the BC SPCA Williams Lake Branch last week without feeling strong emotion.

Stewy, as SPCA staff have dubbed him, is a beautiful four-year-old all-white husky from the Nemaiah Valley. He was brought to the BC SPCA last Tuesday by a Good Samaritan who drove four hours in bad weather to reach the shelter. Stewy was shot in his rear left leg about a year ago, apparently for barking too long and too loudly one night. He has been hopping around as best he can on three legs ever since, says branch manager Liz Dighton.

"Upon arrival Stewy was immediately taken for a thorough veterinary exam. The findings are gruesome — the paw pads are almost completely gone, all the toes are coming off, and there is bone sticking out. The entire paw is infected. He also has many sores and lesions on his body. What is astounding about this dog is that even while we were scrubbing and cleaning his wounds he was giving us kisses and wagging his tail."

Up until a few days ago the prognosis for Stewy was not good and Dighton was not certain what the outcome for the young husky would be. In order to save his life, his injured leg would have to be amputated, a procedure that would cost more than Dighton's medical budget for the whole month.

Stewy has a winning personality, he is young and otherwise healthy and he's a handsome fellow to boot, but there are other animals who also need help. Stewy is just one of many, and unfortunately, the kind of treatment Stewy received at the hands of his caregivers is not unusual in some parts of the province. "It is heartbreaking, for sure, but this kind of thing happens a lot," Dighton says.

Just one working day before Dighton had to make a decision about Stewy's treatment, a friend of the BC SPCA dropped by the shelter, asking what the branch most needed, and when she heard about Stewy and some of the other animals in need of urgent care she returned with a cheque for a generous amount and loads of clean towels and blankets.

"We are so deeply grateful for the help we received and we were able to book Stewy's surgery right away. He'll get his operation next Tuesday and once he recovers we will be looking for a good home for this extraordinary dog," Dighton says.

The Williams Lake staff will continue their efforts to save animals like Stewy, one at a time, one day at a time. In the meantime, Stewy is on pain medications and antibiotics and is just happy to be in a place where he is well taken care of.

If you would like to help animals in the Williams Lake area, call 250-392-2179 or donate online.

Photo captions: (top) Stewy is a young husky who has been suffering from a serious injury for a year. He is currently in the care of the Williams Lake SPCA and will receive much-needed surgery soon thanks to the kindness of a donor. (bottom) Stewy's hind leg will need to be removed in order to save his life.

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.