After Sick Hicksville Puppies Seized, New Owners Told To Seek Vet

HICKSVILLE, NY — The nine puppies seized from a delivery truck near a Hicksville pet store all tested positive for contagious diseases and animal welfare authorities are warning all new puppy owners — and prospective puppy owners — to have a veterinarian evaluate their pets.

Officers with the Nassau County chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or SPCA, seized the puppies Wednesday near Shake A Paw pet store as part of an investigation into the transporting and sale of sickened out-of-state animals on Long Island.

"What you have here is you have brokers that travel across the country, they travel from different spots, they come to the stores and say, 'Do you want to buy puppies?'" Gary Rogers of the SPCA told News 12.

No charges were filed, according to the report.

On Thursday, the SPCA urged everyone who recently got a puppy to get the animals immediately checked out by a vet.

"IT COULD SAVE THEIR LIFE," the organization said in a dire warning.

Some of the puppies seized in Wednesday's raid showed signs of upper and lower airway infections. Others showed evidence of pneumonia. The puppies remain in intensive care and require substantial medical attention. Their medical bills have topped $13,000.

"Given the way that these puppies were housed and transported in open kennels in close contact with each other, the exposure of ALL puppies in the van to these infectious diseases should be assumed to have occurred," the SPCA said.

The organization stressed that new pet owners should immediately follow-up with a thorough veterinary exam to ensure their pet is healthy.

Those interested in donating to the puppies' care can do so here.