If there’s one thing we love to see as much as other people doing great after overcoming seemingly impossible odds, it’s when animals do it. And really, some of us can probably say they like that even better.
But while some animals can show incredible strength in overwhelming situations, the fact of the matter is that in most of these stories , victory came from a team effort.
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And that’s definitely the case for one 500 pound pig who never would’ve made it to his robust size if not for the chance that a very caring family gave him.
When Chelsey Weaning of West Virginia first met Floppy the pig, he was part of a litter of piglets recently born at her sister-in-law’s home on January 18, 2020.
As Weaning told Bored Panda, it was clear that he was suffering from a condition that’s informally called shaking head syndrome.
This left Floppy with uncontrollable tremors, which prevented him from nursing or walking.
When Floppy was taken to a vet, she said Floppy’s case was the worst she had ever seen and figured he wouldn’t last longer than a week. So she recommended euthanasia.
However, this wasn’t an option that either Weaning, her husband, or her sister-in-law were willing to take.
In her words, “My sister-in-law hated the idea of euthanasia and me and my husband were determined to let this piglet live out his life, if even for a short time.”
So the couple brought him home and even though they didn’t live on a farm, they were able to care for him around the clock and bottle fed him every three hours when he was a baby.
Although Weaning only expected Floppy to be in her life for a couple of weeks, the dark day the vet predicted never came and he’s now thriving a year and a half later.
Although Weaning had intended to bring Floppy to a sanctuary when his condition improved, she found that she couldn’t bear to part with him and he is now a 500-pound indoor pig with his own room.
As she said, “Floppy is so loving, smart, and sociable. He never wants to be alone and loves spending time with people. He gets so excited when people come to visit him. He taught himself how to walk up and down the stairs and how to open doors. He loves snacks and belly rubs and playing in his pool.”
Most amazingly, Weaning also said that Floppy’s shaking has all but gone away and seems to only appear when he’s excited or anxious.
From her perspective, his story shows the powerful results that can happen when we have faith and give each other a chance.
In her words, “I have always had a place in my heart for animals. All of my animals are rescues and I see the value in being the voice for those who can’t always speak for themselves.”
h/t: Bored Panda
