Lazurus the Lamb is Home!
LAZURUS IS HOME AT SASHA FARM
Our buddy, Laz, is settling in nicely at SASHA Farm. He’s getting the best care from the sanctuary staff, thanks to the continued support of the veterinary crew at MSU, and is showing signs of improvement every single day. Laz has even made a dog friend! He’s comfy, warm, and loved, which wouldn’t have been the case if Brece and Chase hadn’t rescued him from the sale barn on that awful, dismal day. Another life saved. Another story told. So many hearts stolen. We love you, Lil Laz!
UPDATE ON LAZURUS:
Our little buddy has made even more improvements over the last 24 hours. The MSU vet staff are taking such great care of our buddy, Laz, and we are so thankful for them. He will be continuing his stay at MSU to ensure he receives exceptional care throughout his journey to recovery. Your continued support and donations are needed and appreciated!
THE STORY OF LAZURUS THE LAMB:
We are all born into very different worlds. Our first few months will be determined, in most part, by those around us. If fortunate, we receive comfort and warmth from our mother, the soothing sounds of our fathers voice, safety from the elements, and food to nourish our body. Lazarus, the lamb, received none.Lazarus was born into a cruel world, that of the meat industry.
Lazurus’ Story: As an infant lamb, Lazarus was viewed as a commodity. He received no more care than a gardener would give to a row of corn. He was only viewed as the potential profit that could be made off his soon-to-be dead body. Labeled a “fancy” meal on a restaurant menu. Lazarus was born small. He struggled to compete for food with the others whom he shared a cramped living space and often got pushed out. Amongst the cesspool of bacteria from feces and urine, harmful pathogens easily attack weaker lambs. Lazarus soon became ill. Weeks of disease and hunger only worsened his condition.
The farmer, as most farmers do, provided little, if any, medical attention. They can’t see the logic in it. The cost of veterinary care for Lazarus would outweigh the profit that his flesh would bring at the slaughterhouse. Most aren’t aware that farmed sheep are first sent to a sale barn to be auctioned off before meeting the sharpened blade in a slaughterhouse. They are crammed nose to tail, body to body, in a cold, metal, excrement filled livestock trailer and hauled across the state. No matter the weather, they make the stressful journey, uncertain of what is happening, only aware of the unshakable fear they feel inside. On arrival, they are harassed into pens, among hundreds of others, where meat buyers bid on them based on the number pierced into their ear and the weight of their flesh.
Lazarus weighed a mere 40 pounds when he was cast away. Standard sheep of his age should weigh 150 pounds. Weak, frail, and visibly ill, Lazarus stood in the holding pen eerily still and somber. His small head was sunken down and ears depressed. Every bone in his body protruded. He held his back in an arched position, much like a cat would do when scared. (Animals take this position to preserve body heat when they’re so cold from emaciation.) It was like watching death… alive. One can only imagine the apathy required to witness this pathetic, suffering young animal and still have the audacity to auction off his body as a means to an end. Nevertheless, that is exactly what happened. They saved him for last. The auctioneer started the price on his head at $50. No buyers. Then $40. None. $30. $20. $10. $5. No one would pay a dime. They joked about it. “Sure you don’t have five bucks, Doug!” Doug looks at his wallet, “Nope!” They roar in laughter.
As fate would have it, two animal rights activists, Brece and Chase, were there to bear witness to the horrors of the meat industry that day. When Lazarus was passed over by the meat buyers, the two asked what would happen to him. A man said that he would go to the slaughterhouse anyway and the workers would see how much meat could be extracted from his bones. What!? They would carry on as business per usual? They couldn’t believe their ears, or their eyes, for that matter. They quickly asked the man in charge if they could have the sick lamb since he had been unclaimed. Indifferently, with practically just a hand wave, the man agreed. He couldn’t care less.
Before anyone could change their mind, Brece and Chase scooped up the discarded lamb and wrapped him in a clean towel. He nearly collapsed in their arms. He smelled of decay and disease. It was unforgettably potent. Life was barely in his eyes, but it WAS there. They took him to SASHA Farm Animal Sanctuary, a few miles away. For the first time in his life, Lazarus was treated as the innocent baby lamb for which he was.
They set up a quarantine area, called the vet, and began treatment. His temperature was 95 degrees on arrival. Normal temperature should be between 100-103 degrees. He shook violently. Thankfully, though, within a few hours of warm blankets and lots of love he stabilized. Lazarus, named for the Biblical figure who rose from the dead, still has a long road of treatment and recovery ahead of him. We wait in anticipation for the day that he joins the other rescued sheep of SASHA Farm Animal Sanctuary and frolics freely in the lush pasture. With heavy, but hopeful hearts, we pray he stays with us and we hope you will, too.
Please stay tuned for more updates. He is currently in intensive care at Michigan State University Large Animal Clinic. If you are willing and able to help us cover any of his expensive veterinary bills we would be so grateful. We can’t do this work without the good will of our incredible supporters. Please donate via the website by using the Donate button, or the PayPal Giving link on the website (no fee). Or donate via the Facebook fundraiser for Lazurus HERE (also no fee). Thank you to our wonderful friends and supporters. We LOVE you!!
