Caring for elders is a huge part of our work. These massive “production” pigs have to cross through an exceptionally difficult gauntlet of circumstances to become Sanctuary Babes, and their lifespans are usually cut short by genetic issues, massive amounts of painful arthritis, and the inability to manage the weight they’ve been burdened with. All of that was true with Twinkie.
Little is known about Twinkie’s life before OMI. From old volunteers and social media posts, we were able to piece together that she was found wandering, possibly after falling off a truck, and that a local animal rescue took her in but didn’t have much experience with pigs.
Twinkie was one of the 159 pigs surrendered to us in 2021, and we’ve worked for more than four years to improve her sanctuary experience for what remained of her life. Though we knew our time would be limited with Twinkie, we did our very best to help her enjoy the things she loved most. Family. Food. Comfort. It’s no different in any species. We want our final days to be as pleasant as possible. We took her to the University of Tennessee for an evaluation of declining mobility and worsening quality of life. We were pretty sure we’d given her every possible thing, and we were right. Our very compassionate vet team helped ease her pain swiftly and gently.
Twinkie came to us without any records, but we know based on her breed that she was destined to be killed and eaten. Giant pink pigs are really only used for one thing, and it’s an honor to have instead known her as an individual, cared for her in her final years, and helped her get the final bit of healthcare she needed at the very end. Twinkie was a loved and respected member of the Cabin House Neighborhood, and our caregivers put in extraordinary effort to help her enjoy every last moment of Sanctuary Babe life.
See you on the other side, Twinks. We miss you.