Growing Pains

Our new little boy made it through his surgery today! He was neutered this morning and is currently grunting and looking for love. He is a little uncomfortable right now but is well. We are still facing the issue of him throwing up whenever he eats. Hopefully this is resolved soon.









This man holds a lot of energy!! Here he is a couple of days ago playing with his toys.

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".

Capital One

Do you use a Capital One credit card? If so you could help the pigs here at Ironwood! If not, why not get one!?

Ironwood has partnered with Capital One so that 2% of gas and grocery purchases and 1% of all other purchases made with your credit card will be donated to Ironwood. As an added bonus, Ironwood receives a $50 donation when you make your first purchase! Plus your Ironwood Pig Sanctuary Capital One credit card displays a lovely picture of a group of some of the pigs here.

This is an easy way to contribute to Ironwood. Remember, Ironwood is a non-profit organization. The donations we receive make a HUGE impact!

www.CardLabConnect.com/ironwoodpigsanctuary

Land of the Flies

Flies are in full effect this year. As a step to keep the pigs comfy and to keep the flies from annoying them so much we apply SWAT to the pigs faces. This is a fly repellent ointment for wounds and sores. It comes in a clear formula and a pink formula. We've already had to start using it on a lot of the pigs. This summer will be a doozy!

Here is Frances sporting the pink SWAT. I think she wears it well.

Animal Hoarding

In 2001 more than 300 animals were rescued from a mobile home in South Tucson. Some of the animals that were in the home were already dead by the time the rescue occurred. According to the Animal Cruelty Task Force "An awful lot of animals were living on top of dead animals."

Animals that were found include rabbits, dogs, hedgehogs, chickens, pigs, pigmy goats, peacocks, and more! Among those saved were Dolly and Mama.

These two lovely girls reside in part of our Northwest field. Dolly enjoys lounging in her dogloo while Mama prefers to get some sun.




We also have Sean, Glen, Blanch and a few others from this rescue that are in our Northwest field. They're very happy and have been hanging out in wallows lately as it has been heating up here.

Miss Saigon

Miss Saigon is a resident of our Main field. She gets along well with her field mates and enjoys resting under low shelters such as the one in the picture. She's quite friendly and is such a pretty girl! The story of how Miss Saigon became an Ironwood resident is a rough one.

Ironwood received a call from the humane society many years ago stating that they had rescued a potbellied pig. The humane society had received a call from some good citizens who saw a pig being chased and beaten with a hammer. Miss Saigon's owners were trying to kill her for food.

She had blood coming out of her ears and mouth but luckily did not have any brain damage. She of course was traumatized though and weary of humans.

Through much love and time Miss Saigon warmed up to the staff at Ironwood. She now enjoys attention and her time roaming the field. A big thank you for those that reported this crime. Please report any animal abuse to your local authorities.

Foreclosures

Many people have faced and continue to face housing foreclosures. Often times this means having to find a temporary or permanent home for pets. It can be especially hard to find homes for larger pets, such as pigs.

Mary was contacted by a woman in Albuquerque who had to leave her house and now needed to find placement for her two pigs. She had until the 30th of March to do so. Through many emails and phone calls Mary was able to arrange for Tim, one of my coworkers, to go pick up the pigs.


The two pigs are Zoey and Squeaky, both girls. They are both very sweet. Squeaky loves to get attention while Zoey is still warming up. Yesterday I learned that Squeaky likes to give kisses, yay!

These girls are still living in our pen area while they get acclimated and we learn more about them. Hopefully we will be able to work them into one of our fields.