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DM030819
I still can't quite get my head around this at all, so apologies if I start to waffle.
I had my beloved boar Anselmo euthanised last Monday due to a neurological issue that was affecting his bodily functions. And I'm gutted. He's been through so much and was still going strong at 7 years old. I thought he would outlive me.
So, I adopted Anselmo back in June 2010. He was 1kg in weight so we guessed him to be at least 6 months old. He was "an unwanted dad" (I still have his papers in my purse that say this) and he was called Marvin.
He started out being bottom pig in a trio, with Fozzy and Arnold J Rimmer. He so loved Arnold and I would sometimes catch him trying to sneak in next to him when Fozzy wasn't looking.
Once Fozzy passed away Anselmo snuck up to second pig, above new boy Toki Wartooth.
We all had a big move soon after and moved from Middlesbrough to Leicester. Almost immediately after Anselmo's issues began. He started to squeak when peeing and he was diagnosed with a bladder stone.
He had 2 bladder stone surgeries in his life, the second one after he was 5 years old and he took them all in his stride. That boy loved his food and no surgery was going to stop him eating.
After his best buddy Arnold passed away he was in a trio for a little while with Toki and Jon Snow. He was very much Top Pig and proud of it. He was the ruler!
Sadly Toki passed away very young and Anselmo didn't get along with Jon in a pair. I tried a new boar, Podrick Payne and still it didn't work.
So, he lived alone for a while and that's when our bond grew. He had medication twice daily, and I regularly monitored him to ensure his calcium output was okay. He was such a good boy taking his med's but would happily give me a nip, or tug my top to tell me to stop loving on him and put him home.
He loved to nip and tug at the vet too, she loved his visits saying how much of a personality he had. And he really did. I know we all say how all of our pigs have great personalities but Anselmo was truly 1 in a million. He was so opinionated that he would only drink one type of orange juice (for his bladder issues) and he could tell if it came out of a carton or bottle. He refused carton juice!
He briefly had a new cagemate in Spencer, a lone pig of a friend whose landlord made her rehome him. Anselmo was in love again. Two old boys pootling around the cage after each other, and Spencer got a bit of loving from Anselmo too!
Again, Anselmo outlived his cagemate and went back to being a lone boar. But he was happy. He loved his food and he loved his cage and he especially loved his little curtain that he slept behind. Oh, and he loved hay seed heads.
Since he's been gone I've noticed how much my life revolved around him. Making sure I'm home to give him his medicine, putting him in his nebuliser whenever he needed it, buying certain veg for him, getting a certain type of hay. Even going to a shop across town just to get him a bottle of water. I've not even had a holiday for 6 years, as I've wanted to be here for him.
And now he's gone. I feel awful for making the decision to have him euthanised. The photo of him is the last one I took of him and he still seemed so bright and happy. But, he was going to start suffering very soon.
And now he's back with Arnold, which makes me happy for them. The lady who cremated him for me scattered their ashes together in their memorial wood.
I do wish he was still here to feed tomatos to though, I loved seeing him with seeds all over his chin.
I'm typing this on my phone so I can only add one picture at a time, so I hope it's okay to add a few more posts with some of my favourite photos of him.
I had my beloved boar Anselmo euthanised last Monday due to a neurological issue that was affecting his bodily functions. And I'm gutted. He's been through so much and was still going strong at 7 years old. I thought he would outlive me.
So, I adopted Anselmo back in June 2010. He was 1kg in weight so we guessed him to be at least 6 months old. He was "an unwanted dad" (I still have his papers in my purse that say this) and he was called Marvin.
He started out being bottom pig in a trio, with Fozzy and Arnold J Rimmer. He so loved Arnold and I would sometimes catch him trying to sneak in next to him when Fozzy wasn't looking.
Once Fozzy passed away Anselmo snuck up to second pig, above new boy Toki Wartooth.
We all had a big move soon after and moved from Middlesbrough to Leicester. Almost immediately after Anselmo's issues began. He started to squeak when peeing and he was diagnosed with a bladder stone.
He had 2 bladder stone surgeries in his life, the second one after he was 5 years old and he took them all in his stride. That boy loved his food and no surgery was going to stop him eating.
After his best buddy Arnold passed away he was in a trio for a little while with Toki and Jon Snow. He was very much Top Pig and proud of it. He was the ruler!
Sadly Toki passed away very young and Anselmo didn't get along with Jon in a pair. I tried a new boar, Podrick Payne and still it didn't work.
So, he lived alone for a while and that's when our bond grew. He had medication twice daily, and I regularly monitored him to ensure his calcium output was okay. He was such a good boy taking his med's but would happily give me a nip, or tug my top to tell me to stop loving on him and put him home.
He loved to nip and tug at the vet too, she loved his visits saying how much of a personality he had. And he really did. I know we all say how all of our pigs have great personalities but Anselmo was truly 1 in a million. He was so opinionated that he would only drink one type of orange juice (for his bladder issues) and he could tell if it came out of a carton or bottle. He refused carton juice!
He briefly had a new cagemate in Spencer, a lone pig of a friend whose landlord made her rehome him. Anselmo was in love again. Two old boys pootling around the cage after each other, and Spencer got a bit of loving from Anselmo too!
Again, Anselmo outlived his cagemate and went back to being a lone boar. But he was happy. He loved his food and he loved his cage and he especially loved his little curtain that he slept behind. Oh, and he loved hay seed heads.
Since he's been gone I've noticed how much my life revolved around him. Making sure I'm home to give him his medicine, putting him in his nebuliser whenever he needed it, buying certain veg for him, getting a certain type of hay. Even going to a shop across town just to get him a bottle of water. I've not even had a holiday for 6 years, as I've wanted to be here for him.
And now he's gone. I feel awful for making the decision to have him euthanised. The photo of him is the last one I took of him and he still seemed so bright and happy. But, he was going to start suffering very soon.
And now he's back with Arnold, which makes me happy for them. The lady who cremated him for me scattered their ashes together in their memorial wood.
I do wish he was still here to feed tomatos to though, I loved seeing him with seeds all over his chin.
I'm typing this on my phone so I can only add one picture at a time, so I hope it's okay to add a few more posts with some of my favourite photos of him.
