So many questions...it keeps me up at night.

When will people realize that "responsible pot bellied pig breeder" is a contradiction in terms?

Why won't these same people who feel that they are so "responsible" take the time to look closely into the situation and become aware of the suffering they are contributing to by bringing more into the world, when the world has proven time and time again that they only have room for baby pigs? What do they think happens to the adults? Even when you tell them...they don't want to hear or know about it.

Why do these breeders feel it is their right to subject these innocent animals to very sad lives?

Every breeder I have ever spoken to ALWAYS says the same thing. They say that they LOVE their animals. They are VERY VERY careful about what homes they send their animals to. They are ALWAYS there for future support to anyone they sell a pig to...and are ALWAYS willing to take said animal back if things don't work out. They say that they keep in regular contact with all adoptive parents and monitor the care given to the animal throughout it's lifetime.

This is bull. If it were true...why are there so many unwanted pigs out there? I am not saying that they don't start out with the best of intentions...but I have yet to see even ONE breeder who follows through on these ideals. I have called many, pretending to be interested in buying a pig and my home has not once been checked to see if it is suitable for a pig. I have been offered pigs as young as 2.5 weeks old. I have been told absolute lies about pot bellied pigs/their care requirements and their personalities. I know of many pigs in rescues who came from breeders with the same promises. Many times the owners surrending the pig are too embarrassed or just don't care enough to contact the original breeders. Other times they have been passed through many homes by the time they finally end up in a rescue and the original breeder is unknown and unaware of the situation. That's what happens with the promises breeders hand out. The breeder in Camrose of my Piper had no way of knowing the fate of this pig...yet to speak to her, she assured me that she is VERY involved in what happens to ALL OF HER PIGS. Same lies...every single time.

Currently there are ads on Kijiji for piglets. I bet they all hand out the same line of crap. I know that one does for sure. They are NOT responsible...as there is no such thing as a responsible pot bellied pig breeder. These people won't take the time to look into the fact that the market is absolutely saturated with the ever UNpopular adult pot bellied pig. All they see is that people like the babies and are willing to fork out money for them. They leave the responsibility of caring for the unwanted, neglected and abandoned adult pigs that they create to people involved in rescue. People who spend their own time and their own money to try to control the mess that THEY (the "responsible" breeders) have created. Then, they assure everyone of how responsible they are.

Please, do not buy a pig from anyone who breeds. They are NOT responsible. They do NOT care...or they wouldn't be doing this and chances are very very good that they will NOT follow through on their promises. PLEASE do NOT support this!!!

I just received an email today from a girl who got a living, breathing, feeling pot bellied pig baby as a Birthday gift from someone she barely knew. She didn't want it and is not willing to keep it. THIS is what is happening to these pigs over and over and over again. This boy is 3 months old, not neutered, living inside and no longer wanted. I'm sure he came from a breeder with all the same promises...but those promises didn't do him a whole lot of good. HIs future does not look bright...through no fault of his own.

This is NOT ok.

Hope for Tucker??? I sure hope so.

Tucker has gone downhill again the last few weeks. My poor guy. His skin condition has gotten worse. We took some skin samples in to the vet and found out that he is loaded with demodex mites. I think he's had them for some time and I am a little more than angry that this is the first (of many) vets who caught it (we've done this before...many times). This is something that is common in dogs, but very rare in pigs. It may be a blessing in disguise though, because from what I have been reading...these mites can cause the acne problems that he has experienced all his life, because the feces from the mites and the dead mites get absorbed into the skin...causing what he seems to have. If that is the case...maybe we are on to something here! I sure hope so. Ivermec is what you use to treat them...and he is starting to feel better already after one dose, but that is the same stuff we use regularly to deworm all of our pigs...so I don't know why he has this problem to begin with. None of the other pigs do. We are still waiting on results from other samples that our vet sent away to the lab...so we will see what they say, but I am feeling very hopeful that after all these years, we might actually be on the right track. I even read somewhere that this can be a bird mite as well...and for the first 5 weeks of his life, he lived in an unventilated, filthy shed with many birds. Maybe that's why the other pigs are fine and he's not?

I just hope that this vet will see this through and not throw his hands in the air and give up on Tucker like all the others have done. I am very serious when I tell people that finding a good vet in this area who knows how or is willing to deal with a pot bellied pig beyond just the very basic medical care is VERY DIFFICULT, very expensive and more than a little frustrating.

Now, to diligently bleach and re-bleach every surface and every piece of bedding that he has ever touched. Anything to get my best guy healthy again! Today is the first day in 2 weeks that he hasn't gone out into the trees and spent the day there in a little nest that he made. It's been so cold and it's been breaking my heart to see him out there all alone and miserable.