Emergency Medical Care: Amir Needs A Hero

If you've visited Catskill Animal Sanctuary recently, you've likely met our flock of boy sheep, and you know what we mean when we say that "sheep are love on four legs." Rescued just over a year ago from prolonged, life-threatening neglect, these boys have made the brave choice to open their hearts and learn to trust again. One of the sheep who led the way was Amir, who steals the hearts of everyone he meets.

Since his arrival, Amir has had several choking situations, and while our vets were monitoring the situation, Amir's condition in the last 24 hours escalated to the point he could not keep food down. An emergency visit suggested that there was something more worrisome than choking occurring, and we were advised to take him to Cornell immediately for further imaging and diagnostics.

Amir was diagnosed with a severe case of pneumonia due to aspiration on the fluid coming back up, and the vets were baffled when they offered him a little food and saw his swallowing issues: they'd never seen anything like this before. The results of an upcoming swallow test will suggest the next steps, but each day, costs are mounting. In this tough fundraising year, we want to provide Amir with all the help he needs to return home to CAS, happy and healthy, ready to continue changing lives. Everyone at Cornell Animal Hospital has fallen head over heels in love--no surprise there!--with our sweet boy, and are working hard to find answers.

This has been an incredibly tough fundraising year, and when expensive and unexpected costs like Amir's stay at Cornell Animal Hospital come up, we need to be prepared to give him the care needed. The work that has gone into getting Amir the care he needs will easily total $4,500. With winter, our costliest time of year, quickly approaching, we need the help of our CAS family to cover the costs of Amir's urgent medical care.

Amir has been through more in his short life than any being should endure: we want to have him back home, healthy, and continuing to change the hearts of guests from around the world.

We greatly appreciate your support,

Kathy Stevens