Tuesday, June 03, 2014

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!


27 comments:

  1. I ... I can't take all the cuteness ... too much cuteness ...

    :: explodes from cuteness ::

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    1. Oh noooo!! I hope we can put you back together again!! ;)

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  2. I LOVE these photos! Especially the belly rub ones! Does Ophelia still fall asleep under a blanket? You two are excellent parents to those swine - what a life they have!

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    1. No blanket right now, Brian, but it will be back this fall! :) it's amazing how belly rubs put them straight into a kind of piggy trance.

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  3. I love them all. They're so cute. But I'm very puzzled. What do you do with pigs on a farm if you don't eat them. And that's NOT feasible. Apart from being a beloved pet, are they useful for anything? How much food do they eat? Maybe they could be part of a show for schoolchildren. Or charging people a tooney for the fun of giving a pig a tummy rub. I wish you could bring them to Toronto. I would take them for a walk on Yonge Street.

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    1. Claude, I suppose I could use them to till the soil in my vegetable garden! But apart from that, they won't be doing much to earn their keep. :) Just think of them as extra-smart dogs who snort instead of bark.

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  4. Ha, ha! I knew you'd keep the rest of them--they are so cute! I'm glad to hear Ophelia will get a kiddie pool :-)

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    1. We sure got attached to them fast!!

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  5. We love your piggies, too.

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  6. I can understand how you have become attached to them. I'm amazed you were able to part with even one. If I lived nearby, I'd probably visit every day.

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    1. They'd love to have Uncle Mitchell visiting every day! :)

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    2. They'd love to see their Uncle Mitchell every day!!

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  7. It's funny how these little guys like belly rubs and cuddles but they can sense the vet right away and give full volume to their displeasure.

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    1. They are SO SMART! You can't put anything past them. It's amazing, really.

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  8. Your pictures are great! Will you really keep them all as pets? I can understand it, but don't know if I could afford to do it. Of course I have a house and yard full of cats that we support... so what can I say. And my daughter has 3 horses (2 that they ride in events and 1 huge lawn ornament)...

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    1. OH yeah, they'll all be pets! They bring us endless amusement. :) We never had any human kids, so we saved all that money we'd have spent on university tuition! ;)

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  9. You guys are amazing at what you do to help the animals ! They are all soo cute and hope Cordelia's eye gets better love their names lol ! Wonderful post and photos ! Thanks for sharing , Have a good week !

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    1. Her eye is looking pretty good today, thanks! Glad you enjoyed the pics!

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  10. Anonymous2:53 pm

    What fun! It looks like you and Gordon are in the Piggie Spa business. :)

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    1. Hmm, now there's a business model I could embrace wholly!

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  11. Wow, they ARE growing. I just LOVE the pic of the tummy tickle!

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    1. They are little chunks!! But still so cute.

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  12. What joy you bring me with the smiling pictures of your darling pigs. Thank you for all you do to protect and help animals of all sorts!

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoy the piggies! They make me smile every time I go down there. I have always loved animals and I'm glad we are in a position to be able to help some needy ones. :)

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  13. Ophelia covered in mud is hilarious! Dogs and cats and horses usually have some dignity -not pigs apparently.
    What a happy bunch of piggies! And I'm sure all their personalities will blossom on your farm:)

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  14. Adorable. Maybe you should rub their bellies when the charming vet shows up …?

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Thank you for all your comments, which I love to read!