08/02/2025
The following is a true story.
Photos are not included, because if you know what I’m talking about, you will not need photos, and if you don’t, you’re better off.
About a month ago, a little guy popped up in a litter who is unquestionably the nicest broken color American I’ve had in over a year. I didn’t even care that it’s a boar.
I did my initial protections of it by never making eye contact and never touching it except on cleaning day. I did send photos to two friends, who replied (as is the custom) “OMG that’s the ugliest baby I’ve ever seen!” In fact, I actually left the state for several weeks as extra insurance.
On weaning day, I brought him into the house and put him in with a teen male show pig, since I don’t like keeping them alone. The teen pig is super-chill, so I knew they’d get along.
Oh, they got along.
As expected, they played their “boy games” with enthusiasm, but no aggressiveness.
I clean the show pigs’ pens every three days, so the following mishap couldn’t have been more than 36 hours old.
When I took the smaller guy out (remember, the BEST BROKEN COLOR I’VE HAD IN OVER A YEAR) there was something stuck to his rear foot.
A glob of boy-games enthusiasm somehow ended up on his tiny foot AND THEN A LARGE PIECE OF SHAVINGS ATTACHED TO THE BOTTOM AND CURLED OVER THE TOP OF THE FOOT.
Just imagine how bad it could be and you’re correct.
I couldn’t see or feel any of his toes.
They were very tightly being pinched by the piece of shaving which was being held tight to the top and bottom of the foot by a substance that’s slightly harder than cement.
Truth be told, it looked exactly like he’d offended a mobster and had been fitted with a cement shoe, so he could swim (in circles, I guess, since there was only one) with the fishes.
I soaked the foot.
I soaped up the foot.
I repeated.
Then, repeated again.
After about 20 minutes, I freed one toe that was red and angry, but not swollen or dead. I was cautiously optimistic that he wouldn’t lose all his toes.
By this time, he was pretty well over my messing with him, so I put him in an empty box covered with a towel and gave him the Spinach of Apology, which he accepted with only a mild side-eye.
Twenty minutes later, I soaked and soaped his foot again, and GLORY HALLELUJAH, the shaving popped off, revealing two fully attached toes next to the one I’d already freed.
All three toes are red and missing fur, but he has his toenails and nothing is broken.
“Raise and show guinea pigs” they said.
“It’ll be fun” they said.
