Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Ignorance is not bliss..


Every day there has been a little pig on my mind, the one left behind in Langley. Would i find him a home and where will he go here if i don't have a home for him by the time he is ready to be moved after his neuter. Plan B is always my kitchen and who hasn't had a litter box in there house for one reason or another.

And when a pig enters my world whether it is by email or a telephone call, they are now a part of my life. And when i was contacted and suggested the vets i use, i do recommend them for a reason. Does it take more then the average intelligence of a person to process information from someone who has gained there expertise from working with a particular species??? And are you too arrogant to listen , too arrogant too call when a life depends on it??? How can you make educated decisions when you know nothing about the species??????????

No doubt your all wondering what i am talking about. My day started with heading into town to find out who owned an empty piece of property up the street with materials we could use down here. I would also ask how i could defer paying my property taxes and left with a little more knowledge and was pleased with my work so far. And i jumped in the truck and pulled out in a quick fashion so the next guy waiting wasn't held up and I plowed into a car right next to me.

I wanted to cry then at my stupidity but went to every office i could looking for the owner of the parked car i just hit. A note was left , a stop at the police station and groceries would have to wait cause i wanted to go home.

As a finished making my claim on the phone i received the call from the gals car i hit and she was so very Nice to me!! Okay i am covered its no big deal and accidents happen. No sooner did i hang up the phone and a free load of chips arrived from Paul Bunyan Tree Services. When they left i called the owner of this 5 million dollar property and he was also welcoming to me and asked me to call him in a few days and he would meet me up there to see what i wanted.

Not a totally bad day except for the email i got this afternoon, and i have been crying ever since.

A pig was killed today. If i had of taken control of that pig he would of been taken to our vets and the surgery would of been done at a clinic . That pig would be here in my kitchen now, or on his way to his foster home or in a new pen. I stress that I cannot take in neutered pigs here plus it is a huge expense but I don't kill them when there not.

This is the email i got today ..

Hi Janice,

I am sorry to report that Freddy was euthanized yesterday. Dr. BXXXXX attended our facility to perform the neuter and after he tranquilized Freddy, he determined that only one of the testicles had descended. He recommended that, based on Freddy's temperament and the fact that he would always act like a bull because of the retained testicle, it was the best option.

Thanks again for your time and effort.

Regards,

THE BEST OPTION????????????????? They killed the fricking pig !!!!!!!!!!!!! How is that an option????????? His temperament?????????????? Based on what experience??? And a BULL????????????? That pig would of been kissing my face in a month. And a retained testicle is not a surgery one does in the back yard , you do require skills and it will take more time. But it is not a life threatening decease for heavens sake and this pig had lived with someone all his life not neutered so WTF??? An unneutered animal is not a dangerous animal for PETES SAKEEEEEEEEE !!!!!!!!! Cripes al mighty is this how they work with the cats and dogs there??? Oh right.. this is not a cat or a dog ..this is a pig. THATSSSSSSSSSSs different.



I have been crying ever since... ignorance is not bliss it is deadly. I am so sorry Freddy, i am so so sorry.


And here is one of my pigs here who also is a cryptorchid , i guess to the someone who didn't know him they would be scared too??

8 comments:

Jean said...

That is absolutely outrageous and that vet should be reported to the BCVMA!!! Scotch is cryptochid, and one testes was adhered to the bladder and could not be removed when he was neutered - yet he is an absolute marshmallow. If I remember correctly, 7 of the 9 male piglets that were born at my place were cryptochid, with either one or both testes undescended. They were safely neutered and they are as social as any pet pig.

I will be more than happy to send a letter to the BCVMA, the vet, and the person responsible for choosing the vet if you wish to send me the necessary information. I am outraged!

Hugs to you - and to all my little cryptochid piggies!

Janice Gillett said...

I can't stop crying , if i had more help here ... i do blame myself for him loosing his life. Clearly if i don't take control they die..

Jean, Freddy and I welcome your help as i know you could put together a real professional letter without all my grammer and spelling mistakes.

His story must be told and he will be forever our little warrior pig who we will dedicate our educating too.

I for one will never forget him

Prairie Chicken... said...

poor freddy! I've never understood the lack of compassion or respect tht we humans show towards other living creatures. Its really quite horrible that he was destroyed over a fecking testicle.

Don't beat yourself up Janice. The rest of your piggie friends need you to power on.

Tara said...

Oh Janice, I am so very, very sorry. My heart goes out to you.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry to hear about your distress Janice. I hope you're o.k. soon. I myself harbor a great distrust for vets, esp. vets who have contact with pigs. They don't seem to see them beyond their physiology. I met a vet a while ago who told me that sow stalls were good for the pigs. I shook with anger.
Do not blame yourself. What you're crying about is the fact that a vet can't be relied on, and you have to be able to rely on others. You can't do this alone. Now you know. Be very cautious with vets. Maybe send this guy some literature about pigs, their social natures, the people out there who help. You'll save the lives of future pigs that way. Don't cry.

Colleen said...

Awww Janice.

This is all so horrific.

I hope Jean's letter to the BCVMA,causes even ripples that this NEVER happens again. I pray that it does.

Hugs to you.

Anonymous said...

Janice, in this picture of the piggy, are those tusks sticking up from the bottom jaw? I can't quite tell! Do they get tusks like that?

Janice Gillett said...

Yes, those are tusks and Gods reason for that little smile you see on all pigs. The girls do not protrude or grow out like the boys do.

On the males as a care giver we must watch the growth as many times they will grow into the cheek or cross over the upper ones and locking them up. I have a pig here who came in with both tusks pearcing into his mouth over an inch threw his cheeks. He couldn't open his mouth all the way and a torture that continued over three years. They must be and were wire sawed off with a jiggley wire.

Roscoe my male yorkshire at 2 years old is now sporting some good looking ones.. not sure how i will saw his when needed. LOL Im teaching him now that they are there so he watches me when he loves on me by rubbing his head on my legs.

It does not hurt them when you wire saw them off , breaking them off risks cracking there jaws as they are skeletal. but it does isntill a fear reaction as does any form of restraint. pigs will not stand for any

But pigs with tusks for some reason suggests to the ingnorant that they must be dangerous.