Recently bereaved sow

[Teema]

Hi again everyone, just curious about our senior girl, Penny’s behaviour after just losing her cagemate Thomas.
I posted recently and received endless and wonderful support after our beloved Thomas had to be put to sleep last week despite our best efforts trying to fight his pneumonia. After leaving the vet with him once he was “asleep”, we took him home and placed him in the cage with Penny to let her say goodbye, she did as I expected and had a good sniff, licked him and finally settled in beside him as though they were cuddling. I let her be for about half an hour to an hour before lifting him out (we buried him in our garden in a special little box).
Penny seemed fairly okay afterwards, later that day however she started popcorning which I haven’t seen her do in a while. She
is eating and drinking really well, interacting with us much more than she usually did, and now, a few days after Thomas passing, she was zooming around the cage like crazy today and popcorning again! It’s as though she is a little baby again, she has a whole new lease of life, she is so full of energy and even put a little weight on and absolutely loving a cuddle too, she is especially chatty - any ideas what is causing this? If she’s happy I am delighted for her because we were so worried she would go into a depression after losing her best pal but she seems to be thriving. Has anyone else experienced this?
We will be looking into adopting another piggie soon.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi again everyone, just curious about our senior girl, Penny’s behaviour after just losing her cagemate Thomas.
I posted recently and received endless and wonderful support after our beloved Thomas had to be put to sleep last week despite our best efforts trying to fight his pneumonia. After leaving the vet with him once he was “asleep”, we took him home and placed him in the cage with Penny to let her say goodbye, she did as I expected and had a good sniff, licked him and finally settled in beside him as though they were cuddling. I let her be for about half an hour to an hour before lifting him out (we buried him in our garden in a special little box).
Penny seemed fairly okay afterwards, later that day however she started popcorning which I haven’t seen her do in a while. She
is eating and drinking really well, interacting with us much more than she usually did, and now, a few days after Thomas passing, she was zooming around the cage like crazy today and popcorning again! It’s as though she is a little baby again, she has a whole new lease of life, she is so full of energy and even put a little weight on and absolutely loving a cuddle too, she is especially chatty - any ideas what is causing this? If she’s happy I am delighted for her because we were so worried she would go into a depression after losing her best pal but she seems to be thriving. Has anyone else experienced this?
We will be looking into adopting another piggie soon.

Piggies react as varied as humans to any death; only that they do not have societal norms to compete with so their reactions are more honest and direct.
Penny has obviously genuinely loved Thomas and given him a good farewell but she is also obviously enjoying having the cage for herself and being able to play around as she likes, no longer having to worry about an ill mate. Feel blessed!

Perhaps a younger boar or a baby to zoom around and play with may be a better choice of company for her? I've not rarely had a very frail older piggy rediscover the joy of playing with their baby successors (chosen so they couldn't challenge a very frail older sow or boar whose death was rather foreseeable) and even seen very arthritic oldies having waddle-zoomies and little popcorns when playing with a happy baby or two.