Since Sunset is very near an actual rain forest, we’re used to seeing a great deal of rain, especially in the winter. But this year the rain went on for much longer and harder than expected until we finally got a respite starting Thursday afternoon. We’d been feeding the animals in the barn since the rain started, so I took advantage of the break to feed them in the normal outdoor spots. But Orville didn’t show when I called him, so the next morning I went to the barn to check on him and found the poor beast actually stuck in a hollow in the dirt floor he’d made into a nest. He was squealing pitifully, clearly unable to get up, so I had to get behind him and push; that allowed him to get unstuck, but his left hind leg appeared to be “asleep” because he was very unsteady on his feet and kept almost toppling over. But Chekhov and I kept watch on him for a while, and within an hour he was moving around much more normally. He’s obviously a bit constipated, though, probably from being unable to move overnight, and I couldn’t get him to eat anything until Sunday morning, when he eagerly devoured half of a bagged salad Grace suggested I try on him. He ambled about pretty well for a while, and sunned himself (lying on the opposite side) for most of the afternoon, as you can see. So I had Chekhov pick up several of the bagged salads (on sale!), and he devoured them; I suspect he was instinctively seeking vegetables to clear up his issue, and it seems to have worked because he was making his usual rounds yesterday, even coming to the porch to beg for peanuts. But if dealing with a constipated pig isn’t the perfect example of what #TheSexyNeverStops hashtag is for, I’ll be damned if I know what is.
Diary #551
January 19, 2021 by Maggie McNeill
Posted in Diary | Tagged animals, Sunset | 3 Comments
3 Responses
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Glad to hear Orville is alright, he is a loved frumpkin I would say. Always like the way he smiles as he suns himself. Glad he was the only adventure in the animal brood. 🙂 Everyone their is at such a good balance it’s great to read about human and animal life the way it works at Sunset.
At least you didn’t have to resort to giving him an enema. I am glad he is feeling better.
Nah, that would be impossible for a pig. The next step would’ve been getting him to swallow mineral oil.