If you need a hug, Pumbaa is your man! Our second sanctuary pig resident came with Flower, the goat, from Kitsap Humane Society. He was likely attacked by dogs, and his injuries and deformities were healed but still causing pain and suffering. We don’t know his history, but his hindquarters were scarred and hairless, his tail was missing, and his right hind foot was mangled. When he was picked up, he was unable to walk without pain, something was wrong with his eyes, he had some recent injuries, and he had numerous skin infections.
Pumbaa has needed ongoing veterinary care since arriving at OHW to help him be comfortable and healthy. About six months after his arrival, we came to feed dinner and found him completely paralyzed in the hind end! It was scary for all of us, especially sweet Pumbaa. We are blessed to work with so many compassionate vets and we learned together how to provide longevity best practice care to farm animals who typically don’t get that. The option of euthanasia was on the table, but Pumbaa was not giving up. Our vet suggested trying K-laser treatments and we did that a couple times a week and that provided him with a remarkable recovery. It turns out he had a pinched nerve in his back, likely stemming from his previous injuries. In another remarkable story of survival, Pumbaa broke a toe and once again, not knowing how a pig would do without a toe or with a prosthetic, euthanasia was discussed. But Pumbaa said, “Not yet friends.” The only path forward was amputation and see how he came through that for the next steps. It was believed that Pumbaa would be unable to walk without this toe and our doctors set out to make him a replacement. Booties, bandages, 3D-printed and plaster toes were tried and failed. Pumbaa surprised us all by learning to walk with one toe! He is the ultimate survivor and the epitome of resilience in the face of adversity.
Now Pumbaa receives daily scratches and cuddles from sanctuary visitors, enjoys enrichment activities - rooting around the paddock for peanuts and veggies, and loves his naps burrowed deeply under hay in the Piggy Palace. Your sponsorship will assist in paying for his daily arthritis medication and ongoing veterinary care as he enters his super-senior years.
Pumbaa has needed ongoing veterinary care since arriving at OHW to help him be comfortable and healthy. About six months after his arrival, we came to feed dinner and found him completely paralyzed in the hind end! It was scary for all of us, especially sweet Pumbaa. We are blessed to work with so many compassionate vets and we learned together how to provide longevity best practice care to farm animals who typically don’t get that. The option of euthanasia was on the table, but Pumbaa was not giving up. Our vet suggested trying K-laser treatments and we did that a couple times a week and that provided him with a remarkable recovery. It turns out he had a pinched nerve in his back, likely stemming from his previous injuries. In another remarkable story of survival, Pumbaa broke a toe and once again, not knowing how a pig would do without a toe or with a prosthetic, euthanasia was discussed. But Pumbaa said, “Not yet friends.” The only path forward was amputation and see how he came through that for the next steps. It was believed that Pumbaa would be unable to walk without this toe and our doctors set out to make him a replacement. Booties, bandages, 3D-printed and plaster toes were tried and failed. Pumbaa surprised us all by learning to walk with one toe! He is the ultimate survivor and the epitome of resilience in the face of adversity.
Now Pumbaa receives daily scratches and cuddles from sanctuary visitors, enjoys enrichment activities - rooting around the paddock for peanuts and veggies, and loves his naps burrowed deeply under hay in the Piggy Palace. Your sponsorship will assist in paying for his daily arthritis medication and ongoing veterinary care as he enters his super-senior years.