Post by brigitte on Dec 10, 2013 21:25:13 GMT -5
Pig came home today, 12 days after he slithered free from the cage he was being transported in with his three siblings to his new home from the one where he was born, all eight week old heirloom breed mixes. All wonderful little ones with bright eyes and upright ears, raised on a big wonderful sow in a pasture with a nice barn. A hardy, healthy group.
He got away and no manner of catching him worked. But he made so many people smile. Two days after he left the gun hunting season opened...soooo many hunters heard that grunt and the rustling of leaves, took the safety lever off and rubbed their eyes.
And so many people surprised to see him on the wood road in this remote place boasted about trapping him and taking him home to eat. but nobody did.
no chance of going feral, he has been snipped.
Pretty much pig became the talk of this little town,...a little black pig with a white stripe around him.
A town highway worker (no plowing in the state forest) came upon him rooting for acorns Sunday and he was fine..almost captured him. hunters gave him bread. Incredibly he survived nights in the single digits and snow and ice.
I had given up on him for dead, and beat myself up for allowing it to happen.
But the highwayman called and said he was sure he would still be under the oak tree about a mile and a half from the farm where he left him. He was there all day, Dave said, and I know Dave was watching him.
So at the crack of dawn I went down there this morning and found where he had been rooting around..but no pig then I figured out based on the weather which set of little hooves in the light coating of ice and snow were recent- there were little droplets of blood I chalked up to the same thing that happens to the cows- small cuts on the ice.
I followed that trail aaaaallll the way back....to the farm he had hardly known. Did he know his pals were inside the barn he had never reached in the first place? My only neighbor called and said he had him trapped in the dog yard, and I went over and got him.
Poor guy...Im sure it was a coyote that must have wrapped his head around him. but pig wrestled free with puncture wounds and a torn ear and walked that mile and a half home. How the bejeebers did he know where to go.
If you have gotten this far I do have a true emergency with this little fellow.
He was shaking and bleeding and the wounds seemed fairly deep, though he was walking. I elected to keep him with his pals in the cold(ish) barn out of the weather- very tight barn with lots of hay and food and water. I didn't take him inside. He is not much interested in the food or the milk, but is walking and curling up with his pals and prefers to lie down. His squeal seems like its been worn out on whatever got him.
I didn't expect to find him alive tonight, didn't think I would need to ask for advise. But here I am and there he is.
So I gave him a couple of ml of penicillin IM in his rump and a topical antiseptic spray that works well on the cows. I do believe in good old penicillin but wondered about the dosage and welcome any other suggestions. Its a cold night, but hes staying with his pals. I am not sure what I have down in the drug box, but maybe some other antibiotics and I am looking for some banamine. not sure I have it. he weighs about 30 pounds- his pals now weigh twice that 12 days later.
looking for a response before I shut the lights off in the barn and give him a dosage tonight.
Thanks