Toot, along with her friends Butch, Sundance and Puddles, were four of the 159 pigs surrendered to us when we moved to Tennessee in 2021. She was in her teens when we met her, which is fairly old for pigs.
Helping pigs manage their elder years means easy access to food, water and shelter, but it also includes providing them with some extra support to be able to stay in their herd. Pain meds for arthritis and occasional assistance with getting up for meals is a normal part of providing elder care for animals. We also closely monitor the quality of life for each of these elderly pigs, with assistance from our veterinarians, to make sure we’re not asking too much from them. We frequently modify routines to help them maintain as normal of a life as possible as they age.
Toot had been struggling with severe arthritis for some time. We tried all our tricks and meds to help her pain, but arthritis wins every time.
We were sad to lose Toot, but we honor her by choosing to celebrate the fact that she lived her life here in peace and safety, with all of her needs met. She will be missed by all of her friends in the Cabin House Neighborhood.