Sherman’s Trip to the Emergency Vet: A Cautionary Tale of Pride, Pigs, and Poor Decisions

One otherwise ordinary day, Sherman decided that peace was too boring.  For reasons known only to him, he picked a fight - with the pigs. Yes, the pigs. The pigs who love birds, are willing to share their food with them (which is just about the highest honor a pig can give) and who have never had a bad word with any of our bird family.  

Unfortunately for Sherman, the pigs are pretty good at fighting when they want to. Charlotte, who had been cornered by Sherman, was not in the mood to be bullied and did what any self-respecting pig would do: she defended herself. We’re pretty sure she or one of the pigs landed a quick and well-deserved counterattack with a tusk.

When we rescued Charlotte and got Sherman to safety, everyone seemed fine so we weren't immediately concerned.  But then we saw a dark patch on him and when we looked closer, realized it was a large, raw wound on his chest. His feathers were gone in that area, and beneath them was a deep, open gash.  Though there wasn't much blood, we did see a shiny surface underneath and our hearts dropped, realizing it could be his airsac exposed.  

We scooped him up and rushed straight to the vet, trying to keep calm but panicking inside. When the vet came into the room, we mentally prepared for the worst news.  But, she told us the shiny layer wasn’t his air sac - it was muscle, which, while still bad, was survivable. The muscle was torn, but she carefully cleaned and stitched the wound, prescribed antibiotics and pain medication, and admonished him for his foolishness.

Sherman came home that night patched together, a little groggy, and with strict orders for rest and isolation. He’s now spending his nights in the med barn under close supervision, hopefully reflecting on his life choices.
He’ll stay there until his chest heals completely and until he can demonstrate that he’s ready to rejoin society without trying to fight everyone over imaginary honor disputes.

It was a terrifying day, one that reminded us how fragile these strong personalities really are. We’re endlessly grateful for quick and trusted veterinary care, and that we know our animal family well enough to know when something seems off and needs a closer look.