Persimmon was one of the original 159 pigs surrendered to OMI when we moved to Tennessee and took over the herd in 2021. The vast majority of the females on the property had been left unspayed, which has cataclysmic repercussions for their capacity to live long, healthy lives. Female pig reproductive tracts are designed to reproduce at a very rapid pace, as is the case with all prey animals. They’re genetically designed for survival of the entire species. In cases where those reproductive tracts are also selectively bred, as is the case in animal agriculture, the females have extremely high cases of reproductive tract abnormalities that worsen as they age, causing painful masses that invade surrounding structures. Those females struggle with pain, bleeding, and eventual death caused by secondary complications.
Persimmon underwent a spay procedure as one of the first group of females we took in for spays at the University of Tennessee. We chose that first group of girls because they were the biggest and healthiest, which also meant they were uncomfortable from having their cycles so frequently. Their behavioral issues were dangerous when they cycled into “heat”, so we prioritized their care. Unfortunately, Persimmon had a bad reaction to the surgery, and she did not recover well. She passed shortly after her surgery at the University of Tennessee. Persimmon’s passing was a very sad loss for all of us, but the lessons we learned from her care helped us improve the safety of our pre-op and anesthesia protocols moving forward for the remaining females we spayed. Her death forced us to slow down our process and collaborate more closely with the anesthesia team to ensure we have additional checks in place to catch any problems as quickly as possible.
Persimmon was a beloved member of the Cabin House Neighborhood, where she lived with a huge group of females who were all spayed successfully. Her best friends were Kiwi, Scarlett, Ruby, Blynken, Wynken, and Easter. We continue the hard work of serving our mission to provide lifelong sanctuary care for vulnerable species to honor Persimmon’s memory and in honor of all the animals still trapped in the world of animal agriculture today.