Sasha was one of the 159 pigs surrendered to OMI when we took over the property and moved to Tennessee in 2021. She was a big Red Wattle who’d been left unspayed, along with most of the other females on the property. We went through the very difficult task of getting her caught up to date on that essential healthcare, and she almost immediately settled down into her Sanctuary Babe life. We gave her the few years we could to live in peace and comfort until her giant body started giving her trouble.
Large pigs like Sasha have a very premature breakdown of their body structures because of the crushing weight they carry. Red Wattles are bred specifically for animal agriculture, so their genetics have been selected over generations to grow very fast and very large. These big pigs don’t get to live a full lifespan because of the arthritis and soft tissue breakdown that causes them so much pain. In Sasha’s case, she had a bad back that gave way on her, and she injured her stifle joints trying to move. Those injuries are too much for the current state of veterinary medical technology to fix for her. She had to be humanely euthanized.
Sasha was a big matriarch alpha in the Cabin House Neighborhood. She was survived by her friends Daisy Long Legs, Scarlett, Kiwi, and Easter. She lived the end of her life very peacefully amongst her family members, and when the time came to say goodbye, she was lovingly tended by our very respectful caregiving team.