Phred was a massive Berkshire who lived in the Old Guys Neighborhood.
When we noticed he was limping, we transported him to the University of Tennessee for a professional exam and an x-ray of his hugely swollen knee. They found bone on bone degeneration…and with that came a significant amount of chronic pain. The doctor said it’s a “grave” prognosis to try and fix that surgically, especially at 800 pounds. So, we chose to ease his suffering.
Yellow in triage means “needs a look-see”. Red means “urgent intervention needed”. Black means “we can’t fix this one”. Black doesn’t mean fail…it means we simply can’t fix them in a way that still allows them the quality of life they deserve. It means we choose a more compassionate alternative than gobs of risky and painful interventions. It means we choose a more compassionate alternative than letting them tough it out in pain…which pigs will often do. Phred was in enough pain that it affected his quality of life… and that’s not ok.
Phred was treated with kindness and respect. He was relieved of terrible pain. He was cared for by compassionate professionals who have dedicated their lives to veterinary care…and we’re grateful for all those things. See you on the other side, sir.
