More pigeeeeeez!

Meet Luther the lap-pig...

Pigs smile. Like, ALL THE TIME!!

Except when the vet comes to give an injection of antibiotics for an eye infection. Which is what happened yesterday.

This is Cordelia, whose right eye (her right, not your right. You can't see it in this pic!) has an infection more commonly found in barn kittens. Hardly surprising given all the things these guys get into!  Her eye was swollen shut, so I called our new friends, the vets at Vankleek Hill Veterinary Services. We have now seen four of their vets, all on pig matters.

A charming young vet who hails from  Prince Edward Island came to have a look at Cordelia's eye (the practice has two charming young vets from the Island.) We took turns holding her while he examined her and then gave her the shot.

Cordelia screamed the ENTIRE time we were holding her. I do mean scream. If you haven't heard a pig scream before, well, listen to this.

At least Cordelia is still small, which dampened the volume a bit. Still, the vet and I were having to shout over her screeching. Next time I have to restrain a pig, I'm wearing ear protection!! The vet took it all in stride. Not his first screaming pig, apparently. He explained how he used to have to collect blood samples from farm pigs using a large-bore needle that he poked in right near the eye. I can only imagine the shrieks accompanying THAT procedure.

Anyhow, Cordelia should be fine but if the eye isn't improved in three days, the vet is going to drop off some Clavamox drops. I can't tell you how much it thrills me to think about holding a piglet while trying to give her eyedrops. Ruptured eardrums, anyone?

On the bright side, he is going to come back with some helpers and trim Ophelia's hooves!

Speaking of Ophelia..

Bet you didn't know I had a brown pig!

This is what happens when you let water run into a hole your pig has dug in the ground for herself.

I wonder if they were getting chocolate milk?

She went back for more the next day! Yes, pigs really do love mud. But we're buying her a kiddy pool, because they are happy with just plain water, too.

As you can see, the piglets are getting quite plump. I've had to up Ophelia's rations, because the kids are suddenly sucking the weight right off her (and stealing her food!) and she's now too skinny. I'm just trying to shovel it into her, but now that she has discovered the joys of the "youth" mini pig chow, she's turning her nose up at the adult version. Augh!

Dahlia is still adorable.

She just loves a belly rub! Gordon had been doing some work in the barn when this was taken, which is why he had crap all over the back of his shirt. The pink brush is for the pigs. They love it!

Dahlia, with Mr. Carol looking on. He was just "Carol" until he crowed one day.

And here's lap-Luther....

He's not quite as enormous as he looks here. The iPhone was giving some whacky distortion! But still, he's growing like a weed. He's probably weight nine or ten pounds now.

They all like little piggy kisses!

And what have we here?

No, it's not planked pork. It's Gertie in a state of tummy-tickling bliss! 

They really do love their belly rubs.

All the piglets now have names: Gertrude Swine (Gertie), Luther, Dahlia, Oliva, Cordelia, and Smudge, who has a home and will be renamed after she moves there post-weaning. Uh, no one else is leaving. We are sort of attached to them all now!