What Caused the Pneumonia??

I don't know exactly what caused the pneumonia. Homer lived outside all his life, in a run-down shack in a big yard in Carbon Canyon. The shack was missing most of three sides, therefore not keeping Homer safe from the winds and cold, it was filled with JUNK, and he didn't have any blankets for the winter, nor a swimming pool for the summer (until Rosalinde found him and took such things to him during this last year). He had a nice big yard to roam in.



When Rosalinde found him, his tusks were so overgrown that they were growing back into the sides of his face. We got the owners to agree to let Kelley come out and trim Homer's tusks. He's a very active pig and would run up and down that hill like nothing when we tried to capture him and flip him for the trimming :o) .After the tusks were trimmed, there were huge bleeding infected "holes" in the sides of Homer's face.





Although neglected, he was safe in his nice huge yard......UNTIL the fence at the top of the hill blew down, due to strong winds, and the owner would not fix the fence, therefore allowing the rottweilers to have access to Homer's yard and to Homer!!! Rosalinde noticed this because she'd stop by two or three times a week to visit Homer and take him treats. One day, she stopped by to give Homer treats and she actually witnessed the dogs keeping Homer prisoner in his run-down shack.


When Homer tried to come out to greet Rosalinde (which he always did), the dogs actually chased and attacked Homer, biting him!! That's when Rosalinde talked to the owners and got the owners to agree to release Homer to us (evidentially this had happened several times in the past and the owner had done nothing to stop these attacks - we know, because Homer's ears are all torn up, obviously from dog bites). As a result of seeing these dog attacks, Rosalinde, her fiance-Andreas, Kelley and myself, went to rescue Homer from this "torment" and took him to Little Orphan Hammies. Suey(at Little Orphan Hammies) loved Homer and Homer got along just great with all the other pigs there, even tho he had never been around another pig since he was a piglet (Kelley figures Homer to be about 14 years old now). Here's how Homer let Suey get right in his face for loving.


The only thing that was different when he went to Little Orphan Hammies is that Suey gives all her pigs "hay" to nest in........could it have been an allergy to hay??? Could he already have had been developing pneumonia when we rescued him (because according to the x-rays, he had a collapsed lung and his lungs were FILLED with fluid...which we are told does not happen overnight). He was only at Little Orphan Hammies a few short weeks when Suey noticed Homer was not eating and was breathing hard and wheezing. Since Suey knows of no good pbp vets up there, we brought Homer back down here to an EXCELLENT vet hospital in Monrovia. If anyone needs an excellent vet, this vet is highly recommended ... and she treats potbellied pigs, which is difficult to find. Dr. Kanfer, and her vet staff, has been excellent, so compassionate, and so caring for Homer. He is on the road to recovery, thanks to those that rescued Homer and to Dr. Kanfer!! Now we must pay Dr. Kanfer for her services....somehow!!!!!! Here's photos of Homer at the vet (Kelley and Dr. Kanfer with Homer, Rosalinde & Andreas with Homer)






Homer is such a sweet pig, he has let the vet & Kelley work on him, insert IV's, take temperature, x-rays, poke him here and there with needles, and never complained (well, only when he had to be lifted up onto the x-ray table). For several days before, and after he was admitted (which was on March 15th), he had not eaten or gone potty. Finally I think around March 21st, he started eating on his own and went potty!!! He is still breathing hard and trying to cough up the build-up that's in his lungs, but he is on the road to recovery...THANKS TO DR. KANFER AND HER VET STAFF AND TO SCAMPP MEMBERS .....