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Dachshund Mothers Baby Pig

A mother instinctively knows what a child needs and it usually does not matter the species.

Pink, the baby pig, was part of a litter of 12. Though baby pigs are born with their eyes opened, Pink was born with his eyes sealed shut. The other baby pigs took to nursing right away; however, Pink was so tiny, he had no sucking reflex. The family worked throughout the night to keep the small newborn warm and tried unsuccessfully to get him to nurse.

The family decided to see if their female Dachshund Tink would allow Pink to nurse. Tink had previously given birth to only one puppy, but was the foster mother to two puppies from another large litter born to another family dog. Tink enjoyed her role as a foster mother, but seemed to be even happier when Pink was placed near her. Tink licked little Pink all over and the tiny pig took to nursing right away.

At about 3 weeks, Tink began to wean her puppies and Pink. Though the piglet had a difficult time, the puppies did just fine. The transition was hard for Pink, but eventually, he began to eat his formula. He also took to eating more puppy food than pig food.

The pigs from the same litter now weigh in at 20 to 30+ pounds. During the six-week check up at the Vet, Pink weighed in at 2 ½ pounds. Though small, Pink loves roaming around the house, exploring and chasing his puppy litter mates. He is crate trained, sweet and very smart. Thanks Tink, for being such a great foster mother!