At 5 weeks old, Mr. Piggy was the cutest thing I'd ever laid eyes on. He was so little that I could carry him around in my purse, which I did every chance I got. But his appetite was insatiable, like he was starving ALL THE TIME. Because I hadn't done my homework and I was completely in the dark of how to care for this little creature, I fed him and fed him and fed him!

Needless to say, after a year or so of this feeding regimen, my sweet little piglet had become a
BIG FAT PIG!!!!! He would only get up to eat and go to the bathroom, but worst of all, his face got so fat that his eyes squeezed shut and he couldn't see.

After doing some research, I finally found out that I was feeding him about 100 times too much food. I gradually cut back his food intake, and after one year, many sleepless nights, and lots of devoured blankets, I finally got him on an appropriate feeding schedule.

He lost quite a bit of weight, (his belly wasn't dragging the floor anymore), but he still couldn't see. He was also becoming very aggressive. The less he could see, the MEANER HE GOT! He would snap at anything that moved. Since he couldn't see, Mr. Piggy was protecting himself by attacking before he was attacked.

I checked with a few vets and learned of a surgical procedure that's equivalent to a face lift. The doctor makes an incision starting under one ear, across the forehead to the other ear, and peels back the skin. They scrape off the fat, cut off the excess skin, and suture the skin back into place. A patch of skin is also removed from under each eye, the fat scooped out and the skin sutured back into place. This procedure pulls the skin back from the eyes, allowing the patient to see again.

Unfortunately, none of the vets I had checked with had ever performed this procedure on a pig before and were unwilling to try. Finally, I was referred to the U. C. Davis Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

I called Davis and was put in touch with Dr. Brian Sponseller and explained the situation. They had performed this procedure several times and they assured me that it was safe and would make a considerable difference in Mr. Piggy's sight. We scheduled the surgery for the following Monday, and Mr. Piggy was to spend ONE night there and I could pick him up on Tuesday.

Bright and early Monday morning, my husband Jorge and I loaded Mr. Piggy into the back of our Geo, and off we headed for Davis, a three hour drive. Dr. George Barrington was to perform the surgery, with Dr. Sponseller assisting.

I was a nervous wreck at the thought of having to leave him there, since he had never left my side in the three years that we'd had him. After a tearful goodbye, we left for home, expecting to return the next day.

Due to some unexpected emergencies, Mr. Piggy's surgery was delayed until the next day, so he had to spend another night in a strange place. But everyone there was so nice to Mr. Piggy and to me. They treated him like the spoiled little house pig that he was, they even called me that night to let me know that he was tucked in with his blanket and pillow, and was resting comfortably.

Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Sponseller called to let me know that the surgery went well, and Mr. Piggy did well under the anesthesia. They wanted to keep an eye on him over night and I could pick him up the next day. So, Wednesday, back to Davis we go. I wasn't expecting what I saw! Mr. Piggy's eyes were swollen shut and his face was covered with big, blue stitches. He was a regular FRANKENPIG!! The doctor told me the swelling should go down in a couple of days and he should be able to see a little more each day.

Well, it didn't happen that way. The swelling didn't subside. We had to make another trip to Davis and put him on antibiotics and antiinflammatories. We were told Mr. Piggy was just a slow healer.

Finally, after hundreds of dollars and many miles spent on the road, Mr. Piggy's sight slowly returned and we had our happy pig back. He's more active than ever and his weight is slowly dropping off. He even remembered how our friend Henry pestered him when he couldn't see. Every time Henry comes over, Mr. Piggy chases him around the house, snapping at his ankles. It's pay back time!!

I hope that anyone with a potbellied pig doesn't make the same mistake that I did by overfeeding your pig, because it can be very harmful and costly to correct, and could even cost you your pig's life.