Yesterday Molly took offense to me cleaning her floor. I have done this every day for all her confinement’s but it is never good to be complacent around a newly farrowed sow. I ended up with stitches from a pretty bad bite to the left hand.
So my record since a doctors visit – thirty one years – has been ruined. I went to the doctors to get a tetanus shot after Molly drew blood. ( I refused to go to the ER – luckily the local tiny doctors office was happy to rummage about in their seldom used supplies and look after me). They cleaned the wound which was incredibly painful and began to stitch it up then I ended up passed out and shifted in a fog to a gurney with BP and heart rate dropping fast.
It was a most peculiar feeling.
I was so embarrassed – here’s me thinking I was such a tough guy.
Molly and her eight piglets are going to be getting a little less attention in the meantime. The piglets are small and not as vigorous as normal and this may have made her more protective. After farrowing is a very dangerous time with any mother animal. I know this well. Just lucky human animals don’t bare their teeth and bite their nurses!
It was totally my fault. I have been working around sows and piglets for years and was over confident because I have never had an incident. I gave her a fright. Now I know better. 
It could have been a lot worse. I am bandaged up, my hand is smarting and not as mobile and I am a bit bruised from the fall. But there you are. I have learnt my lesson. And no real harm done. I will have a good scar for my troubles though. And there is blood in a trail from the barn to the house. I would take a photo but it is kind of ghoulish!!
And the show must go on.
Celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
94 responses to “AN ALTERCATION”
Ouch!! I bet you gave the Dr’s personnel a good scare also! Hope Molly’s babies get stronger. Heal well Miss C. !
Thank you – yes – it is just so cold and windy today!
Oh dear! So sorry to hear it, but I know how quickly animals can react and it isn’t always something you can foresee. Take care of that hand! I do hope the little piggies get stronger, quickly!
Like you I am hoping for a warmup- this non-spring has gone on way too long
I was bit on the head while delivering baby goats once although it hurt it wasn’t serious.
Being bitten by a pig sounds much more dangerous though. That reminds me of the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy falls into the pig’s area. I never understood why it was such a big deal at the time.
It was a close thing. Lucky for me it was just my bony hand and not a meatier part of my body
Ouch! Look after yourself
I try to
Gosh, amazing you have gone 31 years without a Dr. visit! Well done! Here’s to another 31 after this Molly incident! 🙂
Ruined my record
There pride goeth, my mother would have said, quoting her mother. But then neither was a farmer. I’ve read about so many bad accidents on farms, so I’d say you were blessed with those years , and are blessed now with Molly, who ungently but quite motherly (the old fashioned kind) reminded you of that.. Im glad you are safe and well.
Yes. I became too comfortable around her. Bad timing on my part
I am sorry you got Bite Miss C but I am glad that with the way you have explained it that it will not be permeant damage to your hand, scars, well those are fine in the long run, reminders really of this or that.. but damage.. that is a different matter.
I know you will understand this(I hope) poor Molly girl.. she has had a real time of it.. she felt off, something was not quite right in some balance and check and then her babies were born and she lost some, and then she lost enough control to bite her favorite person. She must be really off and there is a part of her that knows it.
Don’t you worry about passing out, I did that once when I broke a number of bones and fell down a flight of stairs.. its never fun.. please take it a bit slower today.. I know things must go on..
In keeping with your trail, I must tell a little story.. I don’t know if you have ever noticed by if you look at my picture on the blog, you will see that I have a nice scar between my eyebrows, angling down towards my left eye.. I was 14 and was trimming my dog in the back shed with a big pair of clippers and she jumped, hit my hand and threw the point up and into my head..
That blood trail coming out and down and into the house was what greeted my mother when she came home to find a note that said.. gone to hospital.. said it gave her such a fright.. certainly not my worst scar just my most visable..
Yikes – that does sound nasty. And I do agree about scars. I have a few and wear them with pride. Another won’t hurt.
I hope you are not stretching yourself too thin. Please take care of yourself. I’m sorry Molly turned on you. She’s had a rough time of it. Wee piglets and all. Hopefully, John can help out a bit while your hand heals.
Yes! John is doing heaps more- and I am certainly not cooking tonight
So sorry. Wishing you a speedy recovery. And that the bandage is not too awkward. I was sorry to read that 3 of the piglets didn’t last the first night. I hope the rest continue to thrive and Molly is OK.
The rest seem ok – though there is one who bothers me – he is never facing in the right direction. Something definitely happened when she was unwell last week
I’m sorry. It seems so sad. I’m hoping for that little one. Please keep us updated. And I’m hoping your hand is better too.
The little one who worries me is still chugging along!
How many stitches, how many stitches? You have bragging rights you know 😁 you must have got an awful fright too,. Shock can make you wonky. I think the universe is telling you to pace yourself, summer has only just begun. Hope you all are feeling better soon. Laura
No summer here yet.
Nor is it acting much like Spring yet either here or there:/ Nope, Mother Nature does what she wants and in her own good time, hey?
Bites are so painful.
My son passed out once while having an ingrown toenail worked on. In fact it was after he made it through all the gruesome stuff, so he was doubly embarrassed. The doctor told him that fainting is something we have no control over, like our heart beating, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about.
Hope you heal quickly. And that Molly and her bunch stay on the up and up while you recuperate.
My third son is a passer outer too. He can’t even think about a dentist!
So sorry this happened! Good grief!
Good grief indeed!
So glad to hear that you, Mollie, and the piglets are all doing OK. And that the damage (both to you physically and to your relationship with Molly) is not permanent. I do have one thing that concerns me, though, and please take this in the gentle, loving, friendly spirit in which it is intended…
It bothers me that this is your first visit to a doctor’s office in 31 years. In my opinion, that is not a good thing at all. I am 65 years old and in my lifetime have seen so many “healthy” friends and acquaintances brought down by issues that could have been resolved with better results had they been recognized earlier. I am tired of funerals, tired of grieving… Mammograms, pap smears, annual physicals, and the like are lifesavers. So many truly bad things are invisible until it is too late. I know that money is tight and that the cost of healthcare can seem overwhelming, but please, dear Celi, please… Take care of yourself.
Gentle and loving is perfect thank you so much for your care.
Sending you good healing thoughts. And as far as I’m concerned, you’re still a tough guy!
AND I hate fuss!
Ooh! What an ordeal. Praying for your speedy recovery and for Molly & her piglets too. So sorry this happened. Blessings on you and yours!
Poor Molly – she feeling better today
Oh dear that’s horrid, my dog bit me once when she was fighting, entirely my fault, I grabbed her and she didn’t know it was me. Mine was no where near as bad as your bite, as she only drew a small amount of blood and I didn’t need stitches. To be bitten by a huge pig is something else! Like you say even with the tamest animal you still have to be careful.
So easy to make a simple mistake.