Is there a doctor in the house?

At daylight this morning Allen went to check on our new additions. Sadly, we lost four piglets overnight. They appear to have gotten squished by their 600+ pound mommy. It happens frequently with pigs and there is unfortunately nothing we can do to prevent it.  On a brighter note,  it turns out Wiggles had 15 babies, not 13! I guess two didn't answer at roll call yesterday.



An injured piglet

 Later in the morning, Allen and I both returned to the barnyard for the daunting task of getting Wiggles back into a pen.  She growled and snorted at us, letting us know we were not welcomed. A sow's growl is deep and menacing. The kind of sound you not only hear, but feel in the pit of your stomach. My bright idea was to place a trail of tomato wedges from where she had set up housekeeping to the open gate we wanted her to go through. Tomatoes are her favorite and despite Allen's snickering at my silly idea she followed the trail of tomatoes eagerly. Gobbling them up one by one, closer and closer to the gate. I had already started my, "Ha ha, my idea worked!" celebration dance when she promptly turned and headed back the other way. So, my dancing ended and Allen's "Ha ha, I told you so's!" began.

 

We peered over the sheet of ply board we had put up the night before, surveying our situation. Just when you think things can't get worse...they usually do. We spotted a gaping tear in the hide of one of the babies.  Wiggles had stepped on the baby, tearing the little ones delicate skin with her sharp hoof. Bright red flesh was shining through a right angle shaped, 1"x1" wound on it's right side. That's a pretty big sized wound on a two pound animal. The piglet was actively nursing and didn't appear to be in any distress. I knew it had to be repaired, the sooner, the better.



Our little girl reassuring the piglet



Before I became a stay at home mom and farmer, I was a paramedic. There isn't a day that goes by that I am not thankful for my medical training and many years of experience. As well kept as our pigs are, they are still pigs, which are not known for their good hygiene. I knew that wound had to be cleaned and closed if this little one was to have any chance of living. We have learned on more than one unfortunate occasion that animal emergencies usually occur after vet office hours. Case in point, this beautiful Sunday morning. Our rural location has only one vet that will treat pigs and I could not get in touch with him. The only other option was a school of veterinary medicine over 100 miles away. The last time I called them for a similar emergency, they were empathetic, but advised me to euthanize the animal. So that meant it was up to us to patch her up. Even the tiniest little pig deserves a chance.

Ours gears shifted from getting Wiggles back behind bars to how to get the injured piglet away from her without one of us ending up needing a doctor as well. From the second they are born, piglets can drown out a jet engine with their ear piercing squeals. These cries for help are what turn Wiggles into hogzilla. Our dilemma was two fold. One, how to get ahold of the piglet without Wiggles getting one of us. And two, how to keep her from injuring another piglet when she bolts up to give chase.

After several minutes of deliberation our plan came together. I backed a truck as close as I could to the shed Wiggles was hold up in. Her back was to us, a good thing. We waited until no other piglets would be in her enraged path of pursuit. I kept the motor running as Allen sprang from the passenger seat and quickly snatched up the injured piglet. True to form, the piglet let loose a blood curdling squeal and hogzilla was unleashed. I floored the gas before Allen even got the door shut. Which was a good thing, because he would  have bumped the tip of Wiggles snout with it! It was a close one...very, VERY close! We tore outta there like Bonnie and Clyde, the little piggy was our loot!


Suturing her wound



Back at our house, after my adrenaline/fear induced hand trembling had subsided, we went to work on our patient. I cleaned the wound as best I could, coated it with an antibacterial wound spray and began to sew her up. Suturing was never in my scope of practice, so I did the best I could. Thankfully, I keep a well stocked medical kit just for my critters. That's just one of the many things I learned as a medic, always be prepared for the worst, and pray for the best. 



Now, to get our good little patient safely back to her mommy. We simply reversed our previous 'snatch and run' plan. This time we hung around for awhile, in the safety of the truck, until Wiggles had resettled herself. We then cautiously peered back over the sheet of ply board. To our excitement we saw the recently repaired little piggy happily nursing her little piggy heart out. If she makes it, she will definitely be a keeper. I think we will name her "Bonnie", in honor of our fast getaway.



On her way to recovery.