PENNY BLOSSOM PIG IS 10

Penny Blossom Pig is 10 years old today!

When I say this, take note at how remarkable this truly is!

Yorkshire Pig Penny Blossom is 10 today. Long ago, more than 9 years ago, her litter mates died since they were bred to be consumed. Penny Blossom was a very sick newborn, and she had the luck that a vet and vet tech were given permission to take her to the clinic. And Penny lived, Penny grew, Penny thrived. Penny Blossom is someone, not something.

She came to us around 4-5 months of age, and was clearly intelligent, and full of mischief. She lived for a while with minipigs Tofu, Hazel and Lunchbox, but eventually she had other larger pig friends. Some 4 years ago, she developed raised bumps that looked like a skin infection. We called all the local veterinarians in the area who were either unable to treat pigs, or we were too far away from their driving radius. We had volunteer veterinarians try to treat her - a scraping showed secondary infections that we tried treating with antibiotics. 

We had not solved her issues at that point. Our veterinarian Dr Eaton worked with then animal caregiver Michael Tuberdyke to have us build a secure chute for treatment, then do a biopsy. Pink skinned Penny had skin cancer in fact, so we signed the USDA permission to do chemotherapy, and then she had field surgery to remove the larger tumor. Over 2024, past Shelter Manager Michael drove her to the veterinary hospital in Cornell in Ithaca NY for more forms of cancer treatment. Penny became a cutting edge patient with electrochemotherapy.

Large farm pigs are also prone to hoof cracking, and this winter - Penny had a crack that then became infected. Over the months of treatment,osteomyelitis, then de-briding, a decision was made to amputate the infected toe and bone. This was not undertaken lightly, but as I mentioned at the start, she was nearly 10 then and there is an important focus we have on the quality of rescue's life, not exclusively a goal for just a long life. All of us want to have a GOOD life.

Penny lives a good life. She was back at the hospital briefly in June, but is home now. None of us want her to have to be in the hospital or locked in a stall for weeks on end, so her health care moving forward will be focused on a more palliative and “enjoy today” sensibility. Her skin issues are under control, but of course with one toe missing, we have to also watch her ability to use the rest of her legs smoothly.

Today, Penny Blossom had a loving round of “Happy Birthday sung to her by the team here.  She (briefly) wore a wildflower crown Intern Sydney made for her! Her treats were vegan mini-cupcakes, watermelon, strawberries, and orchard grass. You can rightfully guess that the cupcakes were eaten first!