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Pregnant older dog at Iowa shelter improving, but all 21 puppies died

BOONE, Iowa — An older dog that nearly died after giving birth to 21 puppies is improving, but none of her litter survived, humane officials in Iowa said.

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The dog was in septic shock and in labor when it was taken to the Boone Area Humane Society on Saturday, KCCI reported.

“She couldn’t even stand,” Vanessa Heenan, executive director of the humane society, told the television station. “She was laying in the back of a vehicle and could barely lift her head.”

Volunteers rushed the animal to Iowa State University’s animal hospital, where it gave birth via an emergency cesarean section, KCCI reported. Twenty of the puppies died Saturday, and the last survivor died Sunday, shelter officials said.

The cost of the procedure was estimated between $15,000 to $20,000. The shelter asked for donations on its Facebook page on Saturday, and by Sunday, the goal had been met.

“We are humble and grateful for the outpouring of support, love and financial donations that gave mom a fighting chance,” the shelter wrote on Facebook.

The Boone Animal Humane Society says it will do what it can to file charges against whoever they believe is responsible for allowing the older dog to get pregnant, KCCI reported.