She Stayed Even When She Was Starving: The Rescue of Mama Dog Babi and Her Puppies

The video was short. It looked unfinished, like someone had hit record without knowing what to say.

A young girl spoke directly to the camera and asked strangers online to help a small mother dog and her newborn puppies. Nothing in the clip felt staged. The ground beneath them was bare. There was no bowl nearby. No shade. No movement except the puppies crying while ants moved across their tiny bodies.

The video spread quickly, not because it was polished, but because what it showed was real. A mother dog with no eat or water. Puppies only days old. No one else around.

People who saw it understood right away. This was not something to scroll past.

What followed was later confirmed by rescuers from Protetores de Animais, who responded after the video began circulating publicly. The rescue that unfolded was shaped by delay, urgency, and a mother who never walked away from her babies.

When Help Arrived Five Days Later

Rescuers tracked down the location shown in the video. By the time they arrived, five days had passed since the footage was first posted.

What they found was quiet.

One puppy had already died by the time help arrived. One rescuer described the moment without hesitation:

“One puppy did not survive; it was too weak.”

Two puppies were still alive, pressed close to their mother.

One of them was in severe condition. There was an open wound, already infected. Maggots were visible inside the injury. The puppy cried continuously as the team lifted him and rushed toward veterinary care.

Scenes like this shock people who have never seen them up close. Veterinarians use a clinical term for this condition.
MSD Manual Professional Edition explains that “cutaneous myiasis is skin infestation by the larvae of certain fly species.”

In simple terms, flies are drawn to untreated wounds. In newborn animals, damage escalates fast.

The veterinarian acted immediately. The wound was cleaned and disinfected. There was no delay. The puppy held on.

A Mother Dog Already Past Her Limits

While the puppies were stabilized, attention turned to their mother.

She was terrified. Her body showed signs of prolonged hunger and exhaustion. She flinched at movement, then watched closely, as if trying to understand where her babies were going.

Tests revealed something else. She was suffering from a uterine infection following birth. The veterinarian explained that she had endometritis and needed to remain under observation at the clinic.

Veterinary literature defines the condition clearly.

MSD Veterinary Manual notes that “metritis is defined as a uterine infection.”

Left untreated, it can become life-threatening. In her case, it developed while she was already malnourished.

Her behavior told the rescuers something else. She was not aggressive. She did not resist care. She watched people closely, then relaxed.

They believed she had lived with humans before. The team suspected she was abandoned while pregnant.

Puppies Too Young to Know What Was Happening

The surviving puppies were only a few days old. Their eyes were still closed. They crawled blindly, searching for warmth.

Despite what they had endured, they pressed against each other and made soft sounds. They did not understand hunger. They did not understand loss.

Even in stable homes, newborn puppies face serious risks.
The World Small Animal Veterinary Association explains that “this occurs because there is little or no thermoregulatory control of body temperature during the first week or more after birth.”

Without steady warmth, nutrition, and maternal care, survival windows close quickly.

The First Signs of Change

Days passed. Then more days.

The infected puppy’s wound closed fully. Both puppies opened their eyes for the first time. Their movements became steadier. They gained strength under veterinary supervision and their mother’s constant presence.

The rescue team named the mother dog Babi.

By day twenty, something shifted. Babi was eating regularly. Her posture changed. When caregivers approached, her tail began to wag.

One rescuer described that moment quietly:

“Every time I visited, she wagged her tail to greet me.”

It was a small detail. It meant everything.

A Mother Who Never Walked Away

No one knows where Babi came from. The person who left her behind has never been identified.

What the team does know is this. She stayed.

She did not leave to search for food. She did not abandon her puppies when her body was failing. One rescuer summarized her behavior in a single sentence:

“She did not abandon her puppies in that situation.”

That choice defined the rescue.

Where They Are Now

Today, Babi is settled and calm. She trusts the people caring for her. She treats the clinic as her permanent home.

Her puppies are now over a month old. The male puppy, Bisnaguinha, is energetic and affectionate. His sister, Blenha, is quieter and more reserved, especially around new people. Both have been vaccinated and continue to grow under close care.

The high school student who first shared the video still visits. She smiles when she sees them.

The rescue story was later shared publicly through a video on the Paws Paws YouTube channel, using the rescuers’ own words to document what happened.

Why Stories Like This Matter

This rescue did not begin with an organization. It began with a phone held steady by a teenager who chose to speak.

Sometimes help comes late. Sometimes it still arrives in time.

Babi’s story shows what can happen when people stop scrolling and start paying attention to what is right in front of them.

If this story stayed with you, consider sharing it so more people see what compassion can change.

Related rescue stories:

Abandoned While Pregnant, This Dog’s Rescue Came Just in Time

She Couldn’t Move, But She Refused to Let Go: The Mother Dog Who Fought Death for Her Six Puppies