Knox was one of the 159 pigs surrendered to OMI when we moved to Tennessee and took over the herd in 2021. She was a very beautiful Red Wattle with dark red hair and a quiet, friendly demeanor. Knox lived with a group of mature females in the Cabin House Neighborhood who all needed to be spayed when we arrived. She was one of our 54 Spay Sisters!
Knox was an elderly gal who we had been babying for quite a long time. Even though her quality of life improved after her spay, her arthritis was pretty terrible, and a recent exam showed a fused fetlock as a result. She suddenly started refusing to rise out of bed in spite of all our tricks. That’s when we knew she was ready. When we know our residents that well, we can tell. We transported her to the University of Tennessee, and they helped us ease her pain with humane euthanasia. Knox is survived by her friends Scarlett, Sally Mae, Ruby, Kiwi and Easter.
End of life care is an essential part of our work as an animal sanctuary. We do our best not to shy away from the heartache, but rather we embrace their passing as a very normal part of their lives. The only thing we CAN do is commit to a life where we do not intentionally harm animals out of willful ignorance and arrogance. The choice to leave animals off our plates is truly the most powerful act of compassion any of us can perform.
See you on the other side, Knoxie. We love you.