Mei Le's Piggy

This is "Piggy", Mei Le's prized comfort toy. She was a gift from our social worker when we got home from China with Mei Le - but until we got Pinky, she was just one of Mei Le's many toys. For the past year or so, however, Piggy has become Mei Le's bedtime friend, and often accompanies us on variouls errands and activities. I have crocheted her a purple scarf to keep her warm in the winter, and am plotting a tutu (because Mei Le does ballet, plus it'd be so cute!).

Varia around the Farm

Here's Arthur - my Brown Swiss Ox. He's almost 8 years old, about 6 feet tall, over 2 tonnes in mass, and (luckily) a big sweetie! He hasn't pulled anything in years - as I butchered his former partner (who decided it was a fun game to try and intimate/play with me), and I have had trouble getting a single yoke made for him. In recent years he's had some foot trouble (tender tootsies!), so now he's a big pet!

And, here's our house - we moved in last November after renovating all last spring/summer. Still much outside work to do - but I love it!

Update - July 31, 2007

Got the posts pounded in for the side of Daisy's yard - now just have to find some daylight time to wire the hog panels on and we're in business!

Daisy is def getting around better. Didn't get her feet re-done this w/e, due to a family matter, but hopefully in the next week ...

And - I spotted her anus over the weekend! YAY! (I know - get a life!). But it is exciting to see the pounds melt away - and to see Daisy apparently feeling better, too!

I can ALMOST see her eyes, too! I can def see the lashes move when she blinks ...

Some of our Other Critters

I have a small flock of Random Poultry (7 hens, 2 ducks, 5 Guinea fowl); about 15 Angora goats, 2 llamas, 3 donkeys, an ox (Brown Swiss), rabbits, guinea pigs ... and I think that's it! (For outside animals; 5 cats, 2 dogs, and 2 finches indoors).

The Piglets' New Digs

Deliberately small to help in socializing them (they can't avoid me altogether!), and it's working - they will now come up and take food from my hand ...

Hopefully only for another couple of weeks ... they are growing quickly and should soon be too big to squirm through the hog panel. Then, they get to meet Pinky (prob in neutral territory - Daisy's yard) and hopefully "move in" with her and be able to enjoy the big pig yard!

The Toadlet:

Truffle:

The Yard in Progress

Here are some pics of the front barnyard. On the right, you can see Daisy's big door ...On the left is the Small Animal Unit (for lack of a better term) - houses Pinky, the Terrible Two, rabbits, guinea pigs, and poultry. Pinky's yard extends from the back of the SMU, and the poultry yard comes off the front of it - just to the left of the picture.

Between the two buildings is a gate into one of the goat yards, currently housing four Angora wethers and one llama. It runs into the end of the barn.

Daisy's new yard will extend from just right of her big door to a gate post about where I'm standing, and then to the front corner of the poultry yard.

The purple thing is Daisy's wading pool in waiting.



Daisy's pen door, and my Gordon Setter, Darby. You can see the side panels laid out - just waiting for the t-posts to be pounded. Am not looking fwd to these - so rocky around the barn! Have re-seeded grass - this area was excavated last summer when we ran electricity to the barn.


Here's the poultry yard, with the front of Daisy's pen-to-be. the poultry have their own purple pool (2 ducks).

Hopefully it will get finished this weekend (if the heat would break! I am *terrible* in the heat). Am looking fwd to Daisy being able to get out, bask in the sun, try the pool, and burn some more calories!

Pinky Basking in the Morning Sun

Here's the Pinkus, enjoying the sun at about 9:30 this hot morning! Pigs are such hedonists ... and we're so jealous!

Daisy has a Vulva!

OK - so I need a life!

I always knew it was in there (because urine came out!), but was never able to see it because of the chubby cheeks .... but this morning I noticed the little tip of it protruding. And, No - I will not be posting a picture - a girl has to have her dignity (both Daisy and me!).

Hopefully the anus will reveal itself, soon, too! Will help keep the back end cleaner!

DawnWatch - Animal Issues Alert Site

The DawnWatch website is a base for the news alerts -- a place you can look to for pointers on various topics. News alerts are emailed to you, at a rate that averages about one per day, depending on what is happening in the major media. Each news alert will cite a story or article that concerns animals (sometimes a story on health or nutrition) and provide an email link to the media source. You only have to click a button to dash off a quick note and make your voice heard - or amplified 50-500 times!

DawnWatch will generally alert you to front page stories in major papers, or national animal media stories. But the point of DawnWatch is to encourage activists to stay in friendly contact with the media. That includes, particularly, your local media, which DawnWatch may not cover. So please don't rely exclusively on DawnWatch alerts. Your local station wants to know what you think of its programming. And some local papers, which are widely read, print close to 100% of letters they receive. DawnWatch is pleased to help you find the correct address for feedback to your local media, or to help edit your letters.

www.dawnwatch.com

Valentine's Performing Pigs on ND News

Cool video story on Priscilla's pigs at state fair in ND. A bit massive for dial-up - but I managed (with pauses for buffering!)

http://www.kmot.com/News_video.asp?news=8889

Visit their home website:

http://www.valentinesperformingpigs.com/

The site includes footage of their appearances on Leno, Letterman, etc!

Weekend Update

Spent as much of the w/e as I could (with a 4-yr old!) working on Daisy's pen. It will extend in front of the barn, with her access through the big south-facing door on her pen. Trees around the edges, but I will add a few umbrellas once I know where she likes to lie.

Got the front fenceline done ... hard pounding - rocky around the barn! (Pound, clunk, dig out a rock ... pound some more!). Using hog panels and t-posts.

The Terrible Twosome is doing well post-neuter. No real swelling or evidence of anything! They are becoming a bit more socialized, too. And growing - am thinking they may soon outgrow the mesh size of the hog panels and be able to comingle with Pinky in the next few weeks! YAY!

Post-Neuter Update

The boys seem fine after the Trauma of Neuter Day (yeah, right!). When they got home, they were still a bit groggy, so they ploughed under their hay and slept it off (after eating and drinking - fasting is no fun!).

By yesterday morning, they seemed back to normal ...

Last night, I went and sat in their pen for a while, having realized I hadn't really taken the time yet to socialize them. They were understandably spooky, but I fed them, and periodically added a grape to the feed tub - and they quickly caught on that this hand delivered yummy grapes. By the end of the half-hour or so, they were touching my hand ... Will continue with this approach for a while until they get used to me.

Pinky seems quite interested in them ... though they don't quite share a common pen wall, they are only about 4 feet away ... and much talking back and forth goes on. I hope they all get along when the time comes.

My Small Animal Building (rabbits, chickens, GPs and pigs (Pinky & boys) got a bit fuller this week - our local OSPCA had a fire and had to evacuate. Thankfully no animals hurt (or people!). I now have 5 extra rabbits and 2 extra GPs on semi-permanent foster. So, am busy rearranging rabbit pens (I refuse to keep rabbits in cages, and try to give them each at least 4x4 feet (more for pairs) in floor pens with shavings, hay, shelter, etc.)

Daisy is doing great ... her skin is really starting to sag as the weight comes off! I watched her arrange her nest for a while this am ... she seems quite particular about it all. So funny!

Will take more pics this w/e.

Nature's Joy of Pigs - incl wallpaper!

Pigs may be in vogue today among filmmakers and Beverly Hills society matrons, who stroll around with potbellied porkers while shopping on Rodeo Drive.

But this ubiquitous animal has been around since before the Ice Age -- and in some parts of the world, pigs have been treated like stars for centuries.

The surprising allure of this creature in all its astonishing varieties is the subject of THE JOY OF PIGS.

The program guides viewers around the globe for a look at exotic wild pigs and an exploration of the different roles that domesticated pigs play in human societies.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/pigs/

AT NOTE: - There is a link to buy the video. Scroll down to upload a pig pic for your computer wallpaper!

Neuter Day!

Yesterday the boys were neutered - YAY! They are such terrible little piglets! They went in in the am, out in the aft, and into a new pen, next to Pinky. I just hope it holds the Toadlet! It will be easier to socialize them there, and they can get to know Pinky before joining her herd (OK - it's just her - but I imagine her as the matriarch!).

I think Daisy is enjoying them being gone - I was able to open the big door on her pen so she can bask in the sun again. She seems more active, too - not sure whether she is happy to be rid of them or is looking for them!

Producing Oil from Pig Manure

Interesting concept ... Recycling!

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/33951/producing_oil_from_pig_manure.html

Useful Article on PB Pigs

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/153316/how_to_raise_a_healthy_potbellied_pig.html

A Pig "Picasso" Beats Cancer, Continues to Paint Masterpieces

Have you ever met a pig with art talent?

by Kristie Leong, MD
July 2, 2007



If you live in Richmond, Va., and happened to be at Pocahontas State Park on June 2, you could have met the pet pig turned artist who's gained a reputation for his artistic endeavors. Smithfield, the painting pig, creates his artistic masterpieces even after being diagnosed with nasal cancer four years ago, according to an article from the Associated Press on examiner.com.



This lovable painting pig, lives and paints out of his home in Richmond, Virginia where he serves double duty as prolific artist and household pet. to Fran Martin, a Richmond resident. Even after being diagnosed with nasal cancer 4 years ago and undergoing 19 rounds of radiation, Smithfield was still able to return to the activity he loves best, painting his own inner artistic vision on a canvas.



Fortunately, the prognosis for Smithfield's nasal cancer is excellent. Although he had an aggressive form of nasal cancer, he recovered quickly after being treated for his disease at North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh, North Carolina. His owner, Fran Martin, said "The trip to North Carolina wasn't bad. Smithfield likes to travel, usually standing up in the back seat" according to an interview with Ms. Martin conducted with dailypress.com.



Martin says Smithfield is now working on dropping a few of the 20 pounds he was ordered to lose after he ballooned up to 153 pounds. Ms. Martin said in her interview that Smithfield was quite svelte when he weighed in a 130 pounds a year ago.



Smithfield will turn ten years of age on July 26 of this year. He is scheduled to begin another 19 rounds of chemotherapy for his nasal cancer in two weeks. Although Smithfield's cancer prognosis is optimistic, Ms. Martin was concerned that exposure to the paints Smithfield uses in his paintings could have promoted development of his cancer, but was reassured by Smithfield's oncologist the paints the pig used in his artistic pursuits were nontoxic and are the type used in paintings children's faces at parties and festivals.



Unfortunately, the nasal cancer treatments have racked up a bill of over $8,000 that Martin is trying to pay off. Her solution? She's considering offering a 2008 calendar of Smithfield, the painting pig's, artwork! Will Smithfield, the painting pig, make it into the big time with his calendar? At the very least this is something art and animal lovers can look forward to in the future!


http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/299397/a_pig_picasso_beats_cancer_continues.html

Kind Words on Daisy's Blog ...

Some feedback on the Blog (Thanks, Pris!)
-------------------------------------------------

Allison, I love your , entertaining, educating, enriching and inspirational site... Certainly one that a person should visit often, again and again.

And the weight "thermometer" guage for Daisy is great!

The fattest pig I ever saw was in our own state. At first, I had no idea what kind of animal it was because you could not see the snout, eyes, or ears. It was a mass of wrinkles with a straight tail. No seeable anus or vulva (like Daisy) but a pig where you could not recognize a snout or mouth? The ears were almost pushed closed, and were totally forward with a ridge of fat burying them. It was all encased in rolls of black fat rolls.

It was a young pig, but died shortly later of what they suspect was a heart attack. A pet shop had tried to rescue her (I could not tell WHAT sex it was). I would say "she" was only 6-9 mos! All it could do was lie , with a pathetic squeak....nothing more. We were told it was free fed with farm hogs!

I wish (I guess) I had taken a picture. Probably an older pig would have died before its features were totally enveloped like that. But it is great to hear about Daisy, and see her progress..

Bless you,

Pris

Field & Stream Quiz - Wild vs Domestic Hogs

Know Your Pork: The F&S Wild Hog ID Quiz

F&S Editor-at-Large Kirk Deeter learned a thing or two about big pigs when he researched and wrote our exclusive online report on 'the new hogzilla,' a monster boar killed in Georgia in January by fireman Bill Coursey (Hogzilla or Wilbur? Solving The Mystery Behind The Latest Giant Boar). Since then, an even bigger pig was killed by 11-year-old Jamison Stone in Alabama. Thing is, it turns out both animals were pen raised. So we asked Kirk, is it possible for the average hunter to tell a feral hog from a barnyard pig? Take this quiz to learn the answer.Photos by Russell Graves.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/quizes/pig/pig.html

Cute Pig-ture

Pig Prints - by Ian Nathan

Mother Knows Best - top.

3 Little Pigs - bottom.

Both available at:

http://stores.ebay.ca/TOP-PICS-UK

Pick of the Litter - by Christine Marlow

Available from:

http://stores.ebay.ca/The-Illustration-Station

Piglova by David McEnery

Happy as a Pig in Mud!

Recent Daisy pics

Pinky's Pig Paddock

Here are a few shots of the Pig Paddock which Pinky has access to every day (weather permitting!). In the middle photo, you can see the pop-hole from her barn (just to right of tree trunk) - and you can actually see Pinky herself coming towards us on the left side of the tree (but partially behind some greenery).

It's a pretty spot - evergreens above, needles below (good rooting, but not too much to eat!). Finally found the smaller size od wading pool I like, so will be setting it up for her in the next day or so. Am eager to see how she responds to the water!

If only it were true!

The Terrible Two - Neuters Booked!

July 18, 2007 - YAY!

Maybe after that, they will give Daisy and each other some peace. Precocious little things!

Daisy has New Feet!

FINALLY got the manpower together to hoist Daisy up in the hammock on Canada Day. Took 4+ of us: my husband and step-son did the heavy lifting, a tall friend of the latter hooked the rings onto a chain suspended from the litter-carrier track in the barn, my sister wiped and covered the face and gave the shots (vaccinations - 2), and my husband and I whittled away at the feet.

We ended up hoisting her crosswise on the hammock, and putting both rings on a single hook overhead - seemed to work best for what we had. Overall it went very smoothly. Daisy wasn't pleased, and let us know it (not full-out screams - but ever-diminishing complaints) - all in all she was up probably less than 10 minutes. It all happened too fast to get pics - sorry!

Her feet are much better, tho still not perfect - will have to re-trim in a few months, I suspect ... Actually - may re-check sooner, as she will need a booster on her shots in 4 wk.

Also gave the Terrible Two their first shots. And am about to book them in for their neuter in 2-3 wk. Much needed ;-)

Daisy is allowing Toad to sleep with her - pretty cute, hunh? I even caught her standing back and letting him eat out of her bowl this am (before I could catch him and put him back in with his brother for their (bigger) breakfast. Am considering rigging a creep area for them and just letting them all co-habitate.

This picture was taken later that day - I think they were all sleeping off the excitement and their vaccines.