Shaky Breaky Heart

Recently Mary received an email from a woman who had a sick pig. She had gone to a breeder and saw one of the pigs "flopping" around on the ground. At 7 days old he still had not gotten milk from his mom. The woman felt the pig was not getting the care he needed and took him home. He could hardly stand or walk straight and would continuously fall over. She did the proper thing by going to a vet and starting treatment for the pig including vitamin E. She named him Kokoro, meaning heart.

Kokoro was showing slight improvement. However, the woman has become ill with lupus and feels that she can no longer adequately care for Kokoro. Wanting the best for him she called Ironwood. Mary told the woman that we would take Kokoro and it just so happened that the day he arrived we had a vet on hand.

After observation we were informed that Kokoro has "shaky pig syndrome". This is a virus that some pigs are born with. It causes the pig to have poor coordination and to fall down often. Kokoro has received some antibiotics and we continue to give him the proper nutrition. He still has difficulty with standing up and walking straight but he is a trooper! Kokoro loves attention and is very curious.

I have spent some extra time with this boy and as a result he has made his way into my heart. He has slept in my lap and on my shoulder and enjoys chewing on my hair when he sneaks his way to it. You can't help but smile when you're with him.

I will keep updating on his progress with "shaky pig".