Biggie the mother dog underwent an emergency c-section saving her and her 6 puppies lives after owner and Norwich Dog Warden made a call for help on Facebook. Around a dozen strangers donated to her treatment at Pet Street Station Animal hospital, covering the entire bill. Once old enough, the puppies will be up for adoption through the Delaware Valley Humane Society. (Submitted photo)

NORWICH – Facebook groups, whether you love them or hate them, have a way of connecting people with each other. On Oct. 20, in a last-ditch effort to save her dog Biggie, Melissa Buchanan turned to one of those groups, Chenango County Scanner Nerds for help. 

Biggie had unexpectedly gone into labor, but after hours passed with no progress, Buchanan knew something was seriously wrong.

“I'm like, okay, this is not normal. Where's the puppies? There's nothing coming out. What is going on?” Buchanan said, noting that this was around 10 p.m. She made a post to a local Facebook group to ask if anyone knew what she could do to help her dog.

She posted, " I don't know what to do right now...I have a dog who went into labor last night and is struggling, she cannot pass the babies for whatever reason and is becoming weak..I have called all the vets I can...I have 2 issues #1 I am without transportation right now and #2 I am without funds..."

She also contacted the town of Norwich dog warden, Kelly Small, who quickly recognized the seriousness of the situation.

Small told her that the dog needed veterinary care to evacuate the stuck puppies immediately or they would all suffer. Small found a local veterinary clinic willing to take Biggie on short notice and helped arrange transportation there for Biggie and Buchanan.

“I just can't let bad things happen to good animals,” Small said. “She wouldn't have made it.”

Buchanan got in contact with Pet Street Station Animal Hospital, which was willing to tackle the emergency. All she needed to do was get Biggie there and pay a $500 deposit toward the estimated cost of a couple of thousand dollars for an emergency C-section.

She updated the Facebook post to let everyone following the situation know what was happening in real time, and the online community took it from there, offering aid and public scrutiny. People began offering prayers and advice, and some rallied to help her afford the vet care.

“They [Pet Street] were like, if you can come up with 500, we'll get her in the door. And then I had a couple people say, just bring her. I'll pay the 500. Like, get her there,” Buchanan explained. “So I got her there, and by the time I got there, there was already, like, $1,400 donations towards her bill.”

Once at the vet's office, Biggie underwent an emergency C-section performed by Dr. Cavaliere. The cause of the stalled labor was found to be a puppy in the breech position, according to Buchanan. It was a costly procedure as both the mother and puppies were in distress after laboring so long. Buchanan didn't know it yet, but kind strangers from Facebook would eventually donate enough to cover the entire cost of the emergency care.

Pet Street later confirmed that around a dozen people donated directly to Biggie's care, leaving Buchanan with no bill for the treatment. She accepted no money personally. Every contribution went straight to the vet.

While touched by the kindness of strangers for saving her dog, Buchanan said she also received some negative comments on her post.

“I got a lot of, you know, negative feedback. Why do you have a dog if you can't afford it and all that,” she said. “If I sadly would have had to give her up, I would have. I wouldn't have let her succumb to what was going,” she added.

During the C-section, Biggie was also spayed, eliminating the chance of another accidental pregnancy. Buchanan is also working with the Delaware Valley Humane Society to find homes for the six surviving puppies, all of which she says are doing well.

Small said she frequently sees residents struggle with emergency veterinary costs. “Vets are expensive,” she said. “A lot of people don’t have, like, a thousand dollars they can just push out immediately.”

She stressed the importance of pet owners getting established with a vet so they are not left scrambling if an emergency ever arrives.

“Even if it's just a checkup every once in a while, so you have an in, instead of something happening in an emergency situation, and then you have nowhere to go. That's what I would suggest,” she said. “When you don't have a place to go, and you're calling around to all these different vets, they always are going to want a bunch of money down,” she added.

Now established with Pet Street Station and with a healthy dog and puppies, Buchanan would like to thank everyone who helped make that possible.

“Just everybody, honestly. Everybody who donated. And Pet Street because they were really great with getting her in and saving the puppies,” she said, also adding that receptionist Katie was especially comforting during the ordeal.

Small echoed that sentiment. “I just feel that it's a good thing that we live in such a good community that everybody can help a person in need like this. Because it's hard these days,” she said.

Buchanan, originally from Long Island, expressed that she is grateful to have moved to such a kind community. She plans to work with the Delaware Valley Humane Society to place the puppies in adoptive homes once they are old enough. Applications will be required.