Piglet nearly facing death gets second chance at animal sanctuary in Dartmouth

January 21st, 2021 Stories

His name is Chance.

He’s a 6-week-old piglet that almost died.

But a friendly farmer and a pair of friends who co-founded an animal sanctuary in Dartmouth have given the adorable baby feeder pig a second shot at life.

“This little piggy has just been fighting and fighting to be here,” Deborah Bell-Devlin told NBC 10 News during a phone interview Friday morning. “It’s just really awesome that he has this opportunity and that people are being so supportive.”

Bell-Devlin, who along with Jill Tigano established “Don’t Forget Us Pet Us,” run the sanctuary out of Bell-Devlin’s home. They received non-profit status in 2016 and established a second location in Duxbury.

They shared a video about the baby pig on Facebook Sunday evening, showing Chance enjoying some tender loving care after he narrowly avoided death.

“It’s sad, but the momma must have sat on him and did some damage,” Bell-Devlin said, adding that he suffered multiple injuries to his legs.

“Once a pig is compromised like that, the other pigs will go after them,” she said, as his siblings attacked him. “The poor thing couldn’t walk or stand. He was all bloody.”

Bell-Devlin said the pig farmer immediately separated the pig and took him home, giving him a cozy spot in the basement. He was unsure if the pig would make it through the night, but the pig continued to be resilient, as did the farmer.

“For a month, he went out to the basement to see the piggy,” she said, praising the farmer. “His kids loved it, and his wife fell in love with it, but it just wasn’t getting better.”

While Chance regained some use of his front leg and his wounds have mostly healed, he still has some issues.

Bell-Devlin said one of his front legs is shorter than the other, and one of his back legs is posing a few problems.

A veterinarian examined Chance, taking X-rays and giving an evaluation.

“She said, ‘I don’t see any fractures, but I think there’s significant soft tissue injury there that may heal or may not heal,’” Bell-Devlin said. “So, we’re waiting a few weeks to see if there’s any improvement. He’s going to be a huge pig. He’s a feeder pig, so if he doesn’t have his legs, he doesn’t have his life, sadly.”

Bell-Devlin said his long-term prognosis is poor, but the pig has pep and isn’t giving up. She said he’s giving his second chance everything he’s got.

He has been responding well to medication and seems to be improving, as he recently stood up on all four feet.

“The fact that he has been on his feet the last two days has been so encouraging,” she said.

She also shared photos and videos of Chance walking, with images showing the pig’s daily progress.

“He took a couple of little steps,” she said. “Every day, he just seems to be doing a teeny tiny bit more and it’s really exciting.”

She said they hope to start his cold laser therapy during the weekend.

“It’s supposed to be really good for inflammation for soft tissue injuries,” she said.

Professionals will also measure his range of motion, muscle mass, and potentially explore the use of hydrotherapy, which focuses on exercising in water.

“We did that with one of our goats and it was amazing,” Bell-Devlin said. “We have a consult for Thursday.”

They also give him massages and are considering acupuncture if all else fails.

“He has a chance, but we have to do everything we can do right now to try to save those legs, so we want to be really aggressive with that,” Bell-Devlin said.

The treatments aren’t free, with the sanctuary relying on donations for help.

Bell-Devlin works as a respiratory therapist, while Tigano is also in the healthcare field. They have a few volunteers, too.

“We all work full-time,” Bell-Devlin said.

To donate, visit “Don’t Forget Us Pet Us” on social media.

“You can go to our Facebook page,” Bell-Devlin said. “There’s a donate button there.”