Tusks and Hooves

Most people are unaware pigs have tusks. You know those white things sticking out of Pumba's mouth on The Lion King?  Those are a pigs first form of self-defense. A pig will quickly whip his head to the side to take out any threats, and, trust me, you don't want to be on the receiving end of the head whip. A pig's second form of defense is hooves, as in running away.

Piggy parents must take tusks and hooves into consideration when scheduling an appointment with the vet (or they must take care of them at home).  Some families decide to take no action on the tusks, as it is a natural part of the pig.  Most don't like the look of the tusks or don't want their baby to accidentally gut them, and they choose to have the tusks trimmed (tusks can't be surgically removed because they are part of the jawbone and there are too many risks involved).

We've had four pigs in our family, and each had their first tusk trimming between the ages of 2-3.  Our first pig, Jake, had the unfortunate experience of the vet not waiting long enough after giving him a sedative before trimming his tusks.  We learned exactly how loud a pig could scream that day - nearly 120 decibels (louder than a jet).  Not only was Jake scared, but he could have accidentally inhaled tusk clippings during the process.  It broke our hearts to witness this, but we didn't know what else to do.  This was in 1995 - I am happy to say that since domesticated pigs are more mainstream today, vets know how to better take care of them.  Tusk trimming now usually involves anesthesia, so the pig has no clue what's going on during his sweet dreams.

Pig families must take care of the hooves.  They can't decide not to trim them and expect their baby to be okay.  Hooves can grow too long and cause pigs not to walk correctly - who would want that for their piggy?  Some pigs allow their families to trim their hooves at home.  Other pigs get a trip to the vet for a pedicure.  Whoever trims the hooves must be careful not to cut too much or they'll hit flesh.

Perrin had his annual exam on Monday.  We chose to take him to a new vet because of how the old vet chose to trim his tusks and hooves in the past.  You don't want the vet to trim the tusks too close to the gum line because that area could get infected - Perrin's vet last year was so afraid of this he only took off the very tip of the tusks, which still left quite a bit of tusk protruding from Perrin's lips.  Besides being too expensive to have to do several times yearly, it isn't good for Perrin to have extra procedures done.  Also, the vet last year cut Perrin's side hooves (what are these called?) too much and Perrin bled from one of his pinky hooves.  Poor baby.

Perrin was woozy after his appointment on Monday, but he wasn't bleeding, and he had no problem with eating his dinner.  The vet tech gave me a baggy containing Perrin's tusks - maybe they would make a good ivory earring set for my sister this Christmas...

Writing with Perrin P Piddy

I published the Perrin P Piddy books because I needed to do something creative but wasn't yet ready to finish an actual novel. Then Perrin bust into my garden and ate all the plants and Perrin P Piddy Eats his Veggies was born. It's not the best children's book of all times, but kids seem to like the pictures of a pig in the house.

Perrin wants to be near me when I'm using the computer. He's fine if he's just laying on the couch or sitting next to me, but it is quite hard to type when there is a pig in your lap. The poor guy doesn't understand the need for my arms to be anywhere other than around him. I get lots of complaining grunts and groans from Perrin when this happens. I'll continue trying to type until Perrin gets tired of me trying to type over/around him or until I finally remember Perrin is a pig and can go play outside until I'm finished writing.

My writing is completely derailed when Jafari gets involved. He has to be between me and the computer. That's when I put up my laptop and allow the babies to enjoy some mama-time.

My first novel for adults is not Literature with a capital L. It's a snarky slice of life story written from the point of view of a disgruntled barista. While it was fun to write, it is not my point of view (please don't confuse me with my characters). I didn't post the novel's information directly to Perrin's Facebook page because children do visit the page and I don't want to direct them to a book that's inappropriate for kids.

Coffee Czar is a good book for anyone who has ever worked retail. If you're interested you can Buy Coffee Czar here.

Feeding a Pig Should Not Be Rocket Science!

I'm a bad mother - Perrin is too thin. And this isn't the first time he's been too thin. He's not skin and bones but he needs to work on his curves.

He gets his protein/kibble in the morning and again and in the evening and I give him his piggy salad with supper. He gets oatmeal as treats during the day (yay - carbs!).  He likes to graze in the backyard.

Two reasons I think he hasn't maintained his weight: miscommunication with my husband on how much to feed him in the morning and the lack of grass in our backyard.

Between Perrin eating the grass and the drought, we lost most of the grass in one part of the yard last year. Then my husband dumped about a foot of leaves and dirt on the rest of the backyard to level it - so Perrin lost that grass. I didn't even think about more items to supplement Perrin's diet.

I'll review the feed amounts with my husband. And I'm putting up the computer to take Perrin to a clover patch.

Jafari is Silly

Why does Jafari try to stand on his head?

I really have nothing exciting to say. I was going to post about Jafari's birthday or how Perrin and Jafari aren't much alike but they still love each other, but the words just aren't coming.

Here is our exciting evening. Perrin is outside, grazing. Jafari is playing with a toy. We'll get the stick toy in a few minutes and go fishing for a bengal cat. Perrin will come inside and ask to go to bed (or to the nest, as we call it). We'll go into the bedroom and I'll read while Perrin cuddles up next to my husband.

Despite the lack of zest in this post, it is a good reminder to enjoy the simple things in life. Stop and take time to be quiet with your loved ones - tell them you love them but don't fill the air with useless chatter. Just be.

Where Have You Been, Perrin P Piddy?

Isn't it great how people start blogs and then stop posting to them?  Perrin says I need to get back on top of writing about him.  He's so bossy sometimes.

Perrin likes to play in the backyard.  What he doesn't like is how he can't reach the vegetables we're growing in buckets.  My husband used cinder blocks and planks to create a platform P Pid can't reach.  The result is bell peppers, cucumbers, squash, jalapeños, eggplant, and tomatoes that are able to grow to maturity before someone eats them!  I will say I strongly suspect a squirrel of stealing a nice size tomato - I wonder if the squirrel was in cahoots with Perrin.

I'm also working on my narrow vertical garden. Perrin decided the catmint was tasty this year (he's never eaten it before!) and he thinks some of my plants are just as tasty as vegetables.  So up goes a piddy barrier...I'm sure it won't last long.  I'm sure Perrin will jump the wire or push it down and I'll have to figure out something else.  Poor Perrin - he just wants to help me with my garden!