Matilda was sent to a slaughter auction when she was just a baby. She was very sick with coccidia and infested with lice. She had a nasty infection from the slaughter tag that was punched through her ear. Luckily, Matilda was saved and will live the remainder of her life free from pain, suffering and fear, here at Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary. Many, many other farmed animals are not as fortunate.
Have you ever seen anything so adorable as these two?
They have such a heartwarming story.
We were contacted by the owner of Lemonade, the chick. She was just one week old. Lemonade was hatched and right away they knew something was wrong. She had a couple of problems. She has cross-beak, which is when the bottom and top beak do not line up. They can have difficulty eating and drink with this condition. But besides that, she also seemed to be blind in her left eye. It would not open. The concerned owner was heartbroken and felt that the chick needed more care than she was able to give. She took wonderful care of Lemonade and became extremely attached. But she made the painful decision to giver her to us.
The same day, were were contacted by the owner of Willie, the duckling who was also just one week old. Willie was born without his left eye and seemed to be blind in his right eye. He was located in Rhode Island. The owner again, wanted the best care possible for Willie and was very attached to him. They asked if we would be able to help. We immediately said yes and thought that it was fate.
Willie and Lemonade would make perfect companions for each other!
A few days after getting Willie, his left side where his eye should be started getting crusty. I brought Willie and Lemonade to the veterinarian to make sure they were not in pain and to find out their prognosis.
They were both treated with antibiotics for possible infection. Their conditions did not improve. I found an eye specialists in NY that treated cats and dogs. Once I told her their story, she was more than happy to see them. We made the drive to NY.
After examining Willie, the doctor found that where Willie’s eye is missing, there is actually a very small hole and his tear ducts are draining from that hole and that is causing the crusting. This is really not a concern as long as we wipe it clean daily.
The right eye is a little bit more concerning. Willie was born with some tissue missing in that eye and also some of his iris is missing (the colored part of the eye) and he has several small cataracts on the eye as well. We need to monitor this eye. He reacts to light in the eye but we are not sure how much vision is there. He acts totally blind.
We have better news for Lemonade. She has total vision in her right eye. It seems the muscle that controls her eyelids in the left eye are not working so her vision is very limited.
Her cross beak is worsening as she grows so we may have to start trimming her beak so she can eat and drink properly.
Rocky is a four month old lamb. He was rescued from slaughter with his twin brother, Andy, when they were just one week old. During his visit with our veterinarian, we found out that he had Entropion, which occurs when the edge of an eyelid, with the eyelashes, turns in towards the eyeball.
Without treatment, the animal will most likely lose its sight.
Rocky went under a procedure which consisted of stapling his eyelid open to train it to grow properly. He is doing great.
Rocky’s brother, Andy:
Burke is a young blue slate turkey, raised for meat. He was shy when he first arrived at FFAS, but now he loves showing off his tail feathers while strutting around the farm.
Stella is a broad breasted white turkey, raised for meat and just few months old. She was rescued from a turkey farm. She has been debeaked, which is an extremely painful process of cutting the beak to prevent cannibalism, due to the fact they are kept in such close quarters. Her feathers are in rough shape from being constantly pecked at. She was shaking from fear when she arrived at the Sanctuary.
Each turkey has less than one square foot to live until they are slaughtered at four and a half months old.
Burke and Stella formed an instant bond, and they can be found walking side by side all day long. They are so happy to be free. They follow us around like little puppies!
Burke and Stella formed an instant bond, and they can be found walking side by side all day long.
When I first met Rico the donkey, he was afraid to be touched. After enduring months of abuse and neglect, he would flinch and cower in fear when you approached him.
His hooves were overgrown and his entire body was covered with lice. He was suffering from such severe dehydration that he was urinating blood.
While others may have deemed Rico a “lost cause”, here at Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary I knew we had to help him.
Thanks to generous supporters like you, we were able to rescue Rico from a kill pen in Oklahoma and help him find a safe place to live out his life. He endured a 1000+ mile freedom ride to NY, where he was taken in by one of our board members.
We quickly worked around the clock to get him proper veterinary care, and address the scars and trauma of his abuse. Today, Rico is a completely different donkey. Just hear what our board member, Kathleen, who looks after him has to say.
“We’ve spent countless hours just hanging out with Rico, walking the paddock, talking to him, gardening, feeding him, cleaning up after him and giving him water. He has become quite the character and puts his head on top of the door of the barn when he wants a treat. He even approaches people who come to visit and loves to have his ears rubbed!”
Funding from supporters like you changed Rico’s life and gave him a second chance. But, I know there will be other Ricos soon, which is why I am asking you for your support today. When you make a donation to Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, you can help to save and rescue other farm animals like Rico.
Together, we can give animals like Rico a second chance.
The before.
