With spring and it’s song birds, sunshine and flowers, comes great activity at The Gentle Barn. We have so much to do to take care of the animals. Tasks like sheep-sheering, goat hoof trimming, grooming everyone's winter coats to help them shed, and trimming pig tusks.

Male pigs have very long teeth at the corners of their mouths called tusks. It's what they would use to protect themselves and their families if they were wild. In a barnyard, however, the tusks could get caught on fencing or hurt other animals accidentally, so each spring we trim their tusks down so they are shorter and not so sharp.

This week, our wonderful Dr Molnar and Christine from All Animals Veterinary Hospital in Calabasas, came out to spend the day with our piggies. We sedated Biscuit, Bodhi, and Zeus, and trimmed their tusks and toe nails. It does not cause any pain or discomfort, we sedate them to keep them still and quiet. Unfortunately, they will not allow us to work on them without sedation, believe me we've tried. Each tooth and toe were slowly and carefully inspected and trimmed. When they were finished, they were given a reversal to wake up. When they awoke they seemed alert, happy, and ready for lunch.

Then, we moved on to the pot belly pigs to trim their toe nails. The pigs were not very cooperative or happy about the procedures, but we made sure to give lots of praise and treats to everyone when we were done. We felt accomplished and proud of the way we care for our animals. It's back-breaking, time consuming work, but only the best for our animals!

Come to The Gentle Barn, CA and see how polished and perfect our piggies look!

Written by Ellie Laks
Founder, The Gentle Barn