Rescue & Adoptions

In Loving Memory

Boots

At nearly 12 years of age in 2006, Boots easily claimed the title of "oldest pig" here at our New York Shelter. When all of the other rescued pigs currently living at the Shelter first arrived, Boots was there to greet them. For this reason, they couldn't help but look up to her and respect her, and they didn't dare challenge her on anything. If she walked up to a group of sleeping pigs and wanted their sleeping area, they moved. Her age, life experience and cool, confident demeanor have always made her a natural leader in the pig barn. Even after she was diagnosed with cancer and fell ill in 2005, this remained true. Boots continued to lead.

Caregivers first discovered that Boots was ill late in the summer of 2005. During a routine health check, they noticed she was having difficulty breathing and was more lethargic than normal. A short time later, they also noticed that her belly was distended. Worried by these symptoms, especially because Boots was an elderly pig, they decided to take her to Cornell University's Veterinary Hospital for diagnostic tests.

At the hospital, the doctors noticed right away that there was a large, firm mass on the right side of Boots' abdomen. An ultrasound and blood tests confirmed our worst fears. The mass in Boots' abdomen was a large tumor - roughly the size of two basketballs - which doctors concluded had formed in the reproductive tract, or in the liver or spleen. The cancer had metastasized to her lungs, which explained her labored breathing. Sadly, the doctors told us that because of Boots' respiratory compromise and the unlikelihood that such a large tumor could be removed successfully in the first place, surgery was not an option. There was nothing more we could do, they said. The cancer would take her life eventually. Devastated by the news, we took Boots back home to the farm, hoping at least to keep her as happy and comfortable as possible for as long as we could.

Quite unexpectedly, Boots continued to persevere throughout the fall and winter of 2005 and much of 2006. Caregivers treated her with a steroid medication, which decreased inflammation and helped to alleviate her respiratory distress and other symptoms of her cancer. The steroid also helped increase her appetite, kept her strong and helped her feel more like her usual self. In addition to this medication, caregivers offered Boots loads of hugs and kisses and comforting scratches behind the ears. They visited her often throughout the day to offer her a special feed mash, let her drink out of the hose (which she really loved to do) and just hang out.

In the late spring and early summer of 2006, Boots' condition began to deteriorate. Despite her steroid medication, she lost a great deal of weight, and she began to have more trouble getting around. She was always a fighter, though, and her will to live remained strong. Through all of her struggle with cancer, she maintained her feisty spirit and award-winning good humor. Even though she was sick, she still loved her life, and her friends in the pig barn continued to love her, as well. She may have been half the size of most of the pigs in the pig barn, yet she remained their "leading lady."

On August 9, Boots' struggle came to an end. Hoping to spare her further suffering as her condition continued to worsen, caregivers made the decision to have her humanely euthanized. Surrounded by friends who loved her, she fell quietly to sleep. As she left us, we knew that an era had come to a close. Life will go on without Boots, but we can't help but feel that things just won't be the same. Nonetheless, we will hold our heads high and continue our important work, because that's what Boots would want us to do. As we move forward into the future, her memory will always be with us.