Most of 57 rescued B.C. animals expected to recover

Some 35 dogs with rotting teeth and 16 emaciated horses in severe condition have been seized in Surrey, B.C., from a breeder “known” for neglecting and hoarding animals, welfare officials tell Yahoo Canada News.

The 57 animals now are in the hands of veterinarians and shelters around Vancouver. They were rescued on Tuesday thanks to a person who reported the illegal breeding operation to authorities.

“The woman is known to us and falls under the category of unscrupulous breeders,” said Lorie Chortyk, B.C. SPCA general manager of community relations. “There was a member of the public that went onto the property because of the breeding business and was quite horrified at what they saw and called our animal cruelty hotline.”

The veterinary bill to treat the animals will be at least $40,000 — double early estimates, Chortyk told Yahoo Canada News in an interview Thursday.

While most of the animals are expected to recover, one of the “extremely emaciated” horses is in grave condition and may not survive, said Chortyk, adding it was not the first time the SPCA dealt with the woman, whose identity has not been disclosed.

“In her case, this is a crossover between unscrupulous breeding and a hoarding situation. She does have a history of accumulating animals,” said Chortyk.

The SPCA is asking for members of the public to donate money to help care for the animals, which include Dalmations, Pomeranians and other small and large breeds. Some of the dogs were found chained in a horse stall. Six cats were also removed from the property.

“Most of the dogs have quite serious dental work that needs to be done, but our concerns there were really about the conditions they were being housed in — substandard being chained in stalls and others crowded into a kennel without access to water or food.”

Chortyk said unfortunately these cases are all too common.

“It really ranges from animal hoarding situations where there are mental health factors involved to cases where people really need education to understand how to care for their animals. And then there are cases where people deliberately inflict torture on animals.”