Followed by some very beautiful storm images.
The images of Wai are the disturbing ones. So skip straight down to the storm images if you like – I won’t mind
Wai the pot belly rescue pig has arrived and he is so much worse than I had understood.
This poor wee pig looks like he has been baked. His skin is hard as a nut, and slowly cracking and peeling off in thick canvas-like swathes.
His tiny feet holding up an enormous bulk. He smells like he is rotting. Although he walked about wagging his tail, and did make himself a Sheila-like bed of the straw, he has not eaten anything. He drinks a lot of water which is good but he shows no interest in food.
Tomorrow I will go and buy some Veterycin which is a spray that keeps an area moist while it heals – this will be perfect for this boys skin. It is expensive but I have used it with great results before. We have to keep him well lubricated so the new skin can heal and the old skin can soften and come off without causing more problems.
I cannot see his face, it is completely submerged in fat.
He smells very bad.
He has diarrhea, probably from all the medications.
This is going to be a long process. But something makes me think this pig is a tough one. Let’s see what we can do.
Once we have the veterycin, (that we spray on 4-5 times a day) Rosy (my new wwoofer) and I will trim the skin that is hanging off – this will help to make him more comfortable. And we need to find a balm, that we can afford, that we can rub all over the hard areas a couple of times a day.
Anyway – despite it all he seems quite happy and walked about more than anyone has seen him walk since he was rescued. Then he pushed all the townie blankets aside, pulled the straw into a bed with his little hoof and burrowed into it for a sleep. Good pig behaviour.
I think I have my work cut out for me here.
Now for the beautiful images.
We even had hail yesterday.
I still do not have a phone so my instagram feed is stalled. Soon I hope. It is a bit of a nuisance not having a phone.
But look at this!
I hope you have a lovely day.
celi
Tuesday 06/20 40% / 0.07 in
Partly cloudy in the morning. Increasing clouds with periods of showers later in the day. Thunder possible. High around 85F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Tuesday Night 06/20 20% / 0 in
A few clouds. Low 59F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
The Kitchen's Garden 
103 responses to “Disturbing Images”
Poor guy. But he doesn’t look like a goner to me. Good luck with him, he might just surprise you. And the storm pictures are stunning!
Such a long and difficult job ahead with Wai…
Poor old Wai! I’m glad you have an unexpected woofer to help out. He will certainly take time.
I’m glad he’s in his natural home finally. He certainly seems to recognize it.
Pics are glorious!
I make my own “mushers” balm that might work great for this poor little piggy. Bless you for taking him in! My balm is a mix of bees wax, coconut oil and jojoba oil. Melt the bee wax and add the other two to make the balm the consistency that you’d prefer – I make mine rather stiff. Then, while it is still a liquid, I add peppermint and tea tree essential oils. I put it on my dog’s feet as well as on my own hoof like feet. Zim’s Crack Creme is also very good.
My heart is breaking. I am so sad for the state he’s in. But so glad he is home now. He is lucky to have landed in your lap.
Ouchy, I can’t bear to think of how painful that must be. I would second the coconut oil inside (in food) and out. Maybe his system is re- adjusting to eat less because he isn’t alone and so depressed anymore. The Farmy deserves that beautiful rainbow arching over it 🙂 Laura
He needs to eat something though – I still have not found anything he will even sniff at.
My garden decided to make a pumpkin six months early. I could ship it to you if you think he’d like it.
I’m sure there will be lots of advice, even from me 🙂 I would think bag balm would work fine on the skin. If you look beyond the ugly bits and the fat he seems physically quite strong and I think young. His legs are straight and so is his back, both real good signs.
They think he is only about two years old – but he is not well poor boy – not eating worries me..
Such a lucky pig to have been rescued by you…..I had a chicken once that I didn’t think would ever walk again…..but she did, although I had to move her from spot to spot all day long, every day, to keep her out of her poo…after a month of worrying, she stood up and limped over to the food bowl. And it wasn’t long after, she was walking normally again. This pig is so very lucky to have you to nurture him back to health.
I make something similar to Lacey for use as a bag balm for the house cow…..beeswax, coconut oil, Shea butter and grape seed oil that I’ve infused with calendula flowers.
Pigs have a remarkable ability to heal themselves – I think the skin will heal up fine…..the struggle will be figuring out how to keep him eating while still dropping all that weight. I would also have some concern for your hot temperatures as pigs only sweat through their noses- it might not hurt to see if he’d like a big shallow tub of water to lay in.
Good thinking – he does have a big water dish but shows no sign of wanting to lie in it. Do Pot bellies need wallows? I must look this up.. c
I think they’re much like all other pigs- couldn’t hurt to have a try. It’s possible he’s never been given the opportunity.
Yes, I will try – since I brought him inside for the daytime (out of the sun) he has pretty much just lain on his bed. His food and water untouched – hopefully he will perk up in the evening when he can get onto the grass again.. c
Years ago I had a breed sow develop an infection after littering out. Stopped eating altogether, lost a lot of weight. I was so worried about dehydration I went and purchased a whack of watermelons and sliced them up. They’re mostly water, and the sweet appealed to her. Weeks later we were trying to make a decision as to whether we should do the ‘responsible’ thing and end her suffering, hubby went our for morning chores and found her happily filling her face with grain – like nothing had ever happened. I have faith your little pig will survive this. 😊
What about lanolin for softening his skin?
Oh my – poor baby. jojoba oil maybe? Mix of jojoba with cocoa butter? Vitamin E oil? The suggestion of bag balm also sounds like a good idea…..
Gosh, we certainly needed the beautiful pictures after seeing the condition Wai is in! Thank you for those! I, like you, think he is a strong pig and will slowly come back to be healthy. Will he stay on the farmy? xo
I would try Vermont’s Original Bag Balm. You can buy it in any feed supply store. It is used for cows teats, to repair chapping. It is wonderful stuff. Believe it or not, I use it on my hands during the Winter when my hands are cracked from dryness. It works wonders over night. We wish poor Wai a speedy recovery. The people who inflicted the pain this poor boy is experiencing, should have the same done to them! I HATE abuse to any living person or animal.
Yes I agree, I put that on last night – though he hates it and spends all his time trying to escape me.
He might come around after a good long while of learning you’re there to help, not harm.
Hi Lorraine, That looks painful! It seems like your friend is keeping the pig out of the sun to avoid any further damage, which is very important. A vet would be able to advice best but we would suggest using an emollient or barrier cream, such as petroleum jelly, on human skin (pig skin is similar). Once the area has healed and the skin has stopped peeling, then a good quality moisturiser like My Trusty sunflower cream will be beneficial. Try and avoid creams with perfumes while the skin is sensitive.
This is the reply I got from NHS Salisbury Laser clinic, hope its of use
Lorraine
Thank you Lorraine – we are using bag balm? Petroleum jelly would be cheaper again! He will only be outside in the evenings and night times but he is only happy when he is outside. Poor old boy c
There is much work to be done for Wai but he could not have a better person to do it. In the past you have worked miracles and you will do so again. Love and care go a long way to healing…
The sky pictures are beautiful but not as beautiful as Wai. xxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2017 at 1:23 PM