From the president
Juy 2024
Dear Supporter,
In this issue I would like to address a concern that often comes up and it has recently from a very longtime, loyal supporter. When is enough enough? Every other month Donna features one of our pigs’ medical stories in which the pig has endured an extraordinary medical condition that often lasted over a long period of time and resulted in many visits to our vets. This condition consequently accumulates a large medical bill over time. It is difficult to anticipate at the beginning the total cost of all these visits or even know how many visits will end up being necessary.
Sometimes the decision is to repair a broken bone at great expense, but in these cases most of the cost is known upfront. More often however, as in the most recent story, Gruntilda’s condition began as an unresolved infection from a spay where all babies were known to be dead. She was part of a large rescue and already pregnant. In time after the spay, she slowly developed the abscess that resulted in so many visits to our vets and the resultant medical bills.
Whether it be from a horrible dog attack, a chronic dental, hoof or eye infection, or so many other conditions requiring long term care, the cost of saving these animals becomes expensive. But, just because we are a sanctuary with a large population of animals, should one of our pigs die if the condition is treatable and the pig is able to recover anymore than a privately owned pet?
So what criteria do we use to decide to go down the road to what might become a very large veterinary bill? We may ask what is the chance of survival and what will his or her quality of life be if they survive the treatment? Will life be able to return to normal or nearly normal? Will the care offer a cure or at least the end of the suffering they are now experiencing? This is especially true with dog attacks or broken bones. The outcome, though often very expensive, almost always has a good ending and the pig will now enjoy a lifetime free of suffering even though they may be disfigured. We also consider his or her age. If they are seniors but are otherwise healthy except for the illness being treated, we will give them the care they need.
Just like your own pets, these pigs are our friends. They are not all social and sometimes we never even get to pet them until we are saying our final goodbye. They live among us and have their life with us and depend on us for their well being. Sometimes they have come from unspeakable conditions and now they are in our care which includes their medical care that is often very complex.
At Ironwood, we lose about 10% of our population each year and well over 90% of those deaths are by euthanasia, either here or at our vet clinic. Very few pigs die here naturally and if they do, they almost all will go in for a necropsy. The decision to euthanize must be made because it is our belief that our pig no longer has a path to recovery or a good quality of life. They will pass peacefully with us in familiar surroundings and often with their companion nearby. It is our final gift to them.
It is your money that pays for these procedures and for all the care of the hundreds of pigs at the sanctuary. We hope we spend your money wisely. I know for some it is very difficult for you to accept these large bills for individual pigs, but I hope this letter has helped you understand our part in these decisions. Yes, we have many pigs, but each is an individual to us and we must treat them as such. You make it possible for us to save these individuals like Gruntilda, Tomahawk, Lord Cromwell, Maggie, Amber, Lulu Mae, and so many more who are now living full lives after coming through some very difficult times. Thank you so much for making the lives of our dear friends possible.
Sincerely,
Mary Schanz, President & CoFounder
