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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!
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