Rescue Dog Starla Delivers Nearly A Dozen Pups With Two Collapsed Lungs

After being on a stray hold at the Spotsylvania County Animal Shelter (SCAS), Starla, a red, mixed breed dog, was left unclaimed in October. She was taken to Old Dominion Humane Society (ODHS) and didn’t arrive alone—she was pregnant. Starla’s wouldn’t be an ordinary delivery, and the volunteers would soon learn how resilient she was.

Starla arrived at Old Dominion Humane Society (ODHS) in October, but she didn’t come alone. The pregnant dog soon went into labor and showed her foster family how resilient she was. She had two collapsed lungs, and the veterinarian had to perform a procedure to tap the lungs of free air. The heroic Starla is now enjoying life with a foster family and three dog companions while waiting to be adopted.

She went into labor at her foster family’s home, not able to lay down, panting and in distress. Her foster monitored her through the night until she gave birth the next morning. It was evident she wasn’t ready to deliver, standing all the while. Through the next 24 hours, she delivered pup after pup until there were 11.

The foster also noticed Starla wasn’t tending to the pups and had to cut most of the umbilical cords and remove the amniotic sacs. An exhausted Starla was taken to the veterinarian, examined and x-rayed to check if there were any other pups. While it turned out the delivery was complete, Starla’s uphill battle was just beginning. A picture of her lungs showed that both were collapsed. The veterinarian determined a possible explanation was she may have had too many babies for her size, which caused the lungs to collapse.

The next step was for Starla to have her lungs tapped of the free air in order for the them to reinflate. (The procedure, known as Thoracentesis, drains air from the pleural space between the lungs and the chest wall.) The dog, who had been struggling, began to get relief on the second draw of air the veterinarian removed. Starla fell asleep on the table for the rest of the procedure.

Within 36 hours, Starla’s lungs were back to normal, and she was on the road to recovery. She was able to nurse two pups, while two others were bottle-fed. (Unfortunately, Starla lost six of her precious pups due to being born prematurely and not fully developed, and one was stillborn.)

In spite of her traumatic diagnosis and battle to survive two collapsed lungs, Starla is described as sweet and friendly. She’s now thriving with another foster family, which includes three dogs—two are rescues from ODHS.

“Starla’s doing well and gets along with the other dogs,” said Janice Cook, her foster. “I don’t hear a peep out of her when she’s in the kennel at night.”

Starla walks great on a leash, loves going on walks to explore and rides wonderfully and calmly in the car.

Starla first won Cook’s heart when she took her on walks, brought her to Starbuck’s for “pup cups” and spent time with her at ODHS. Available for adoption, Starla’s detailed information and photos are available on the ODHS website.