Animal Shelter & Rescue Appreciation Week 2020

November 1-7 is National Animal Shelter and Rescue Appreciation Week, and we at the Animal Medical Center salute all those who are committed to caring for and finding homes for animals in need.

The Emma and Georgina Bloomberg AMC to the Rescue Fund, which provides subsidized specialty care to animals whose health has become an obstacle to their adoption, was created out of concern for these groups who often have limited funds available for veterinary treatment beyond general care. We are proud to be partners in their efforts to find these pets forever homes.

In recognition of National Animal Shelter and Rescue Appreciation week, we now ask YOU to partner with US by contributing to our AMC to the Rescue Fund. Our goal is to raise $25,000 by Saturday, November 7th. Your support today will help pets like Gibson — who underwent cardiovascular surgery at AMC to repair a congenital heart defect — find a loving home tomorrow!


Read about some recent AMC to the Rescue success stories below!

Gibson

Gibson, an eight-pound French bulldog with a congenital heart defect that was obstructing blood flow from his heart to his lungs, was surrendered to the Noah’s Ark Rescue Project. Without surgery, the long-term prognosis for this condition is poor, but the rescue group did not have the resources available to pay for an operation.  Fortunately, Gibson was referred to AMC for a consultation with our Cardiology service and a grant from AMC to the Rescue was approved. The surgery, a minimally invasive procedure called balloon valvuloplasty, which involved threading a catheter, with a balloon at its tip, into Gibson’s heart, and then inflating the balloon to relive the obstructed blood flow, was a SUCCESS! Gibson spent just one night in AMC’s Intensive Care Unit. The next morning, he was ready to eat, and later that day, thanks to the contributions of generous donors who support our AMC to the Rescue fund, Gibson went home to his foster family.


Didi

Didi, a stray, white and grey Pitbull mix, was brought to Animal Care Centers NYC at about two years old, emaciated and limping.  Not long after, she was rescued by Shelter Chic, which placed her in foster care and applied to AMC for a medical evaluation to address her limp.  Dr. Rob Hart, Head of Orthopedic and Joint Replacement Surgery, examined Didi and recommended a total hip replacement to repair a dislocated hip and pelvic injuries, that were most likely the result of trauma suffered when Didi was a puppy.  He also recommended that Didi be approved for an AMC to the Rescue grant. With funding available thanks to the generosity of AMC donors, Dr. Hart and his team were able to replace Didi’s left hip with prosthetic implants, and she was released from the hospital the very next day!  Following a full recovery, Didi was adopted and not only has a new home, but a new name ─ Penny. According to her forever mom, “She’s doing amazingly well ─ you would never know that she had surgery.  And from her pictures, you can see how happy and loved she is!”


Astor

Magnificat Cat Rescue and Rehoming rescued five-year-old Astor, a male orange tabby, from Animal Care Centers NYC. He was placed in a foster home and soon became a social media star. Unfortunately, Astor had some extreme dental issues that had to be addressed before he could be adopted—his gums were so inflamed that they engulfed his teeth, preventing him from closing his mouth. Magnificat turned to AMC and Staff Dentist Dr. Stephen Riback for help. Dr. Riback determined that the best way to eliminate the problem–and Astor’s pain– was to pull all his teeth. Fortunately, a grant from AMC to the Rescue, funded by our generous donors, allowed Dr. Riback to move forward with the procedure, which eventually enabled his foster family to move forward with adoption! They now report, “Astor has become a whole new cat ─ playful and curious.”

At his two-week post-op re-check, it was noted that Astor seemed “much happier than prior to surgery.” Ultimately, Astor was adopted by his foster family in New Jersey. In November, Astor sent Thanksgiving wishes to everybody at AMC, and particularly to Dr. Riback, who “changed his life,” because after surgery “Astor has become a whole new cat ─ playful, curious, and a non-stop nosher.”


Back to top