Wiebke's Tribe: Sows and the City Boars

Wiebke said:
Alan is currently a short-haired pig, having lost his train courtesy of his barbering wife Lissie (Brathlys), who in turn is suddenly sporting a rather noticeable congenital cataract in her right eye.
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Mererid and Morwenna have made it through the hot weather and are still here, too. They are still turning up for meal times although Mererid may occasionally need some waking up.
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Just two weeks short of 18 months of not losing any piggies at all now - which is an absolute record since I started the Tribe group adventure twelve years ago.
After losing 6-8 piggies every year in the four precending years (mostly the second Tribe generation), it does make a much appreciated breather before the third generation is coming increasingly into the years now - although I will be very much looking forward to having less cages to clean again!
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Aw look at them 😍
 
Here is a little picture of 2 years old Begw (Peggy 'Little Pearl') and her Dylan, who is one of my many Tribe piggies turning 5 years old this year. Begw is still very dependent on her daddy-hub who she's been with since her surrender as an unwanted, mis-sexed baby.
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Otherwise, I am rather busy with Beryn 'Cadytuft' suffering another, though milder GI stasis episode followed by bloating (although no temporary back leg paralysis this time round) on Sunday; Macsen 'The Greatest' developing sterile IC (has been thoroughly checked for stones at the C&R three weeks ago) while his wife Hirael 'Long Brow' has quickly worsening mobility issues, which Simon thinks are neurological and not caused by a spinal injury or arthritis after a thorough investigation and an x-ray; and Breila 'Briar Rose' is just getting over her own latest IC flare. Her companion Cerian 'Little Love' is a candidate for another discussion about a potential spay for hormonal ovarian cysts once my vet fund has recovered from my latest trip to Northampton.
My side table looks like a pharmacy again... The downside of having so many piggies!
 
Good luck for all of your patients! 🍀🍀
I know how difficult and stressful more than 2 sick piggies can be. (But my upper piggy limit is much lower than yours.)
It's great that you can take care so many!
 
In case you have been wondering why I haven't been around much recently to support other owners, I have sadly lost four Tribe members over the course of not even 3 weeks and haven't been getting much sleep or free time in the day due to lots of round the clock syringe feeding and several nights sitting up with dying piggies.
It's been rather in the way of a waking nightmare... :(

RIP Hirael 'Long Brow', 14th August
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RIP Alan 'Coltsfoot', 24th August
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RIP Beryn 'Candytuft', 26th August
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RIP Gareth 'Gentle', 1st September
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While I have had an unprecedented 18 months of no losses, sadly things have caught up with a vengeance since the anniversary day I reached that milestone record; epsecially the last ten days. It is going to take me a while to digest it all and to get my badly disrupted sleeping rhythm back.

The piggy room is feeling a lot quieter and emptier without so many beloved faces.

Just in case anybody wants a big group and lots of piggies - times like these are unfortunately part of being a multiple owner. They are not something you walk away from easily as you still need to grieve just as much but can process only a certain amount at any time. :(
 
Sending you hugs and my best wishes at such a very sad time. I hope you can get some well deserved sleep soon.
 
Sending you gentle hugs, Wiebke, as you mourn your losses and adjust to the new normal in your piggy room. Xx
 
Sending you big squeezy hugs! I hope things pick up for you soon. Take care of yourself. x
 
Hard to believe that the little baby boy born here within less than a day after I emergency holiday boarded his highly pregnant mother and her sister for a local new owner is now already 3 years old and in the prime of his life!
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First baby excursion a few hours after birth

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There are exactly three years between the portraits!
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Llelo returned here at separation age to live first with Dylan (another failed suitor of Beryn's) and then - once neutered - was chosen by Miaren to be her hubby.

PS: Llelo 'Little Llewelyn' has been named after the Tribe founding patriarch Llewelyn (2006-11), who also had a white and a ginger side. Llewelyn was actually rescued in Wales and kept his name by request of my Welsh husband, hence incidentally starting the Tribe name theme when circumstances finally allowed me to realise my long-held childhood dream of having a group of piggies a couple of years later.
 
Unfortunately, feisty Meleri (named after St David's grandmother, a Welsh saint in her own right - although there was nothing saintly about Millie) has had to join her husboar Gareth at the Rainbow Bridge just a month later on 5th October. It's been a necessary but heart-breaking decision for me and one that has affected me quite a bit.

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Wiebke said:
Unfortunately, feisty Meleri (named after St David's grandmother, a Welsh saint in her own right - although there was nothing saintly about Millie) has had to join her husboar Gareth at the Rainbow Bridge just a month later on 5th October. It's been a necessary but heart-breaking decision for me and one that has affected me quite a bit.

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You in my thoughts my dear xx
 
It must be so hard to keep up the relentless work looking after your own herd, and then supporting so other people with their pigs on here, and whatever else is going on in life. You do an amazing job but I’m sure the losses never get easier and she looked like an adorable piggy. I hope you get chance to take a breather and look after your own needs too.
 
So sorry you’ve lost Millie, sending hugs x
Sleep tight Meleri, go be with Gareth over the bridge 🌈
 
LucyP said:
It must be so hard to keep up the relentless work looking after your own herd, and then supporting so other people with their pigs on here, and whatever else is going on in life. You do an amazing job but I’m sure the losses never get easier and she looked like an adorable piggy. I hope you get chance to take a breather and look after your own needs too.
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Thank you.

Yes, it can be very tough and trying at times (the same as for the other mods or any veterinary personnel) when you are taken for granted at all times. Thanks to the mutual support of the mod team members, we can give each of us the possibility to take out-time whenever needed. We are still normal humans with our own piggies/pets, jobs and family life; and at times they can really clash. We also need a balance because you cannot give and give emotionally without suffering a burnout if you are not careful. I've seen too many good people making that mistake and leaving, never to be seen again.

As a long term owner, you can generally deal a bit better with the whole dying process most times and some things are easier because you have worked out the ethics of a situation (i.e. where you stand in terms of when the right time has come for you to euthanise, so you do not have to do it from scratch every single time; you know when the line has been crossed) and the whole dying and saying goodbye process is no longer as frightening some 40 piggies down the line. But as each piggy and each bond is unique, the pain of loss is never any less and there are no shortcuts in that respect. And there is always a piggy you have a very special bond with that gets right under your skin.

It's been a rough two months with so many losses in such a short time and a lot else happening on the side. :(
 
Wiebke said:
Thank you.

Yes, it can be very tough and trying at times (the same as for the other mods or any veterinary personnel) when you are taken for granted at all times. Thanks to the mutual support of the mod team members, we can give each of us the possibility to take out-time whenever needed. We are still normal humans with our own piggies/pets, jobs and family life; and at times they can really clash. We also need a balance because you cannot give and give emotionally without suffering a burnout if you are not careful. I've seen too many good people making that mistake and leaving never to be seen again.

You can deal a bit better with the whole dying process most times and some things are easier because you have worked out the ethics of a situation (i.e. where you stand in terms of when the right time has come for you to euthanise, so you do not have to do it from scratch every single time; you know when the line has been crossed) and the whole dying and saying goodbye process is no longer as frightening some 40 piggies down the line. But as each piggy and each bond is unique, the pain of loss is never any less and there are no shortcuts in that respect.

It's been a rough two months with so many losses in such a short time and a lot else happening on the side. :(
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Sending big hugs, Wiebke! You're definitely appreciated. I hope things look up for you soon. x
 
I’m so sorry for your loss Wiebke. Lots of hugs.
 
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