Helen The Pig Update

The Express-Times ran an update today on the improving condition of Helen The Pig, the 5-year-old Pennsylvania pot-bellied pig who had been found living alone in a barn on a recently foreclosed farm.

• The farm's former owner had been returning to care for Helen and clean her stall. However, his uninformed care and liberal feedings bloated Helen to an unhealthy 120 pounds. Helen has been slowly losing weight since she was rescued by Pig Placement Network volunteers, who were contacted by the township after the finding ... .

While she has a way to go to regain her health, she is reportedly making progress and has revealed an endearing and sweet disposition to her new caretakers. For more, see Pot-bellied pig losing more of her pot belly.

For earlier post and stories, see:

• This little piggy gets some care,
• This not-so-little piggy cries wee, wee, wee on her diet,
• Helen The Pig Found Living Alone In Foreclosed Barn; Now Recuperating.

For more on potbellied pigs, see the North American Potbellied Pig Association (NAPPA).

For another story on the health problems of a pig who was allowed to get overweight, see Woman Claims Pet-Sitter Made Her Pig Fat (A woman wants abuse charges filed against an acquaintance who was pet-sitting for her potbellied pig and allowed the animal to get fat. Michelle Schmitz said her pig, Alaina Templeton, weighed 50 pounds when Schmitz left her with a co-worker who offered to care for the animal in February, when Schmitz went on medical leave to recover from ankle surgeries. Nine months later, the pig weighed 150 pounds and it took veterinarians 4 1/2 hours to surgically remove the animal's collar, the Winona Daily News reported.).

Go here for more on pets and foreclosures.