So Many Updates!

It really has been far too long since I last updated this blog. Since I don't want to overwhelm anyone with deathly boring details, I will just post some picture updates over the next few days, especially after I figure out how to use Gimp for Linux (I usually use Photoshop but its not compatible with Kubuntu >:(

Anyway, at the end of February the piggies were spending a delightful wheekend at their Dad's house. They have their own room and are essentially free range while there. Unfortunately, while sweeping up some poos, I noticed something wrong with Clementine's left eye. It looked like there was a bit of hay sticking out of her now-ulcerated eye, so we gently tried to pull it out, but when that didn't work, we made an emergency appointment with the vet at AZEAH.

Clemmy as her usual self.

As it turns out, Clemmy managed to get a foxtail seed stuck deep in her eye and needed emergency surgery to get it out. The procedure didn't take very long, but she did need a couple weeks of medication.

Clemmy the day after surgery.

She had a bluish-white glaze over her eye and it was quite ulcerated. However, after about three days of applying medication every 6 hours...

Much better!

We are back to a much more normal-looking eye! It was still swollen for a few days, but nothing nearly as bad as it was before. She is now fully recovered.

This, of course was the culprit:

Evil foxtail.

These are found quite often in hay, no matter the brand and location. I've found it in Kleenmama's, Oxbow, and in our local sources. Because of that, we've been stuck with the arduous task of combing through all the hay to make sure we don't get stuck with another $700 vet bill.

Meet Trudy!

Hello again, world! Meet our new pig, Trudy.



Trudy came to us from AZ Piggie Poo Rescue as a special-needs pig. After taking her to a wellness exam last night, we found she has some form of neurological disorder that leaves her unbalanced when performing normal tasks, random head tilting, and no real control of her hind legs. The vet performed a few short tests to see whether she was in pain and whether the disorder affected her nerves. He deemed her to be in pretty good health aside from that!

Trudy is already adjusting well to her new home. The other pigs pick on her, which does cause me to worry about it since she is disabled, but this doesn't stop her from pushing back. She is active and walks around rumbling with her fur all puffed up, a sign of trying to show her dominance. I think it would help more if she didn't trip over herself while trying to do this! My one concern about living with the other pigs is they are so much more active than her and often push her out of their way (how mean!), making her fall over on her back. But I am impressed by her propensity to get up and go back to whatever she was doing.

There are so many parts of her that remind me of Ginny, may she rest in peace. They share some color similarities and personality, but its also the little things. She's a much calmer pig and has already developed an affection for me. While in the waiting room at the vet's yesterday, Dave tried to hold and pet her but she didn't like it very much and crawled to my own lap. She's also much more receptive to being pet in the cage; I can walk over and gently pet or scratch her head and she won't run away. Most of the time she'll begin purring.

Obviously she won't--can't--take the place of Ginny, but it's nice to have a pig similar to her.