A group of newborn American Pit Bull puppies are receiving critical care after they were found abandoned in a plastic bin in Arizona.
Arizona Humane Society (AHS) employees discovered seven puppies in a bin outside the organization’s Sunnyslope Campus in Phoenix on the morning of March 10, according to a news release.
The six-day-old animals had been left overnight for an unknown amount of time and were “extremely hypothermic” as they are too young to properly regulate their body temperature.
As the employees quickly jumped into action and used heating pads to warm up the puppies, they responded by becoming “more vocal and active.”
The animals were then rushed to AHS’ Lazin Animal Foundation Trauma Hospital for further medical attention.
Since the rescue, one of the puppies has died. The prognosis for the other six is “guarded,” according to the AHS release.
The newborns have been placed in the hospital’s specialized Bottle Baby ICU, “designed to give orphaned, underage puppies and kittens a second chance.” There, they are receiving around-the-clock, intensive care, including being bottle fed every few hours and repeatedly weighed to ensure they are getting enough milk.
Once they are healthy enough, the puppies will be cleared to go to a foster home while they await adoption.
The AHS said in its release that this case “serves as a stark reminder” of Maricopa County’s animal welfare crisis, which is “at an all-time high.”
Stories of pet abandonments in the county have made national headlines in recent months.
The organization said it cared for more than 22,000 sick, injured and abused pets in 2024, “the most in a decade.”
The AHS cited factors such as population growth, soaring home prices, evictions and a shortage of affordable pet care for the spike in pet abandonments within the county.
The AHS urged the Maricopa community to spay and neuter their animals to prevent unwanted or accidental litters adding to the homeless pet population, and they directed pet owners in need of resources to keep their animals to visit azhuman.org/resources.
For those looking to support AHS, all donations made to the organization in the month of March will be matched up to $20,000 by Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
