My Pigs Overdosed on Chocolate

My pigs overdosed on chocolate.  They’re not supposed to have any, but some time in the evening hours yesterday one of them, most likely Finnemore, climbed the treacherous heights of the leather sofa, crossed the wooden plains of the side table, and pushed the forgotten pot of goodies from its stable perch on the edge of the table’s plateau.  He had calculated on gravity doing the rest, which it obligingly did.  Each pig had several ounces at least preferring pure milk chocolate to chocolate with additives.  For example, all of the Hershey’s Kisses were consumed while the Crunch bar stood untouched.

They weren’t suffering when we came home.  In fact, they looked satisfied, wickedly satisfied, but so do drunks before the morning after.  Every website we have read says that, like for dogs, chocolate is toxic for pigs, that it can potentially  kill them.  I don’t understand how this is the case given the similarities between the pig’s digestive system and our own, but I am willing to take the experts’ word for it.  I was also willing to take the experts’ word for it when they said to rid their bodies of the toxin by dosing them up with hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting.

It’s tough, my pigs, but it’s also love.  You’ll thank me in the morning.

Note: Finnemore and Chesapeake are happy, healthy, and normal as of tonight and it does not appear that they will have any problems related to the incident last night.

Tip: If you are in a similar situation with your pigs, hydrogen peroxide is one thing they won’t want to drink up.  We used syringe tops to squirt the peroxide into their mouths.  Just hold them still and try to poke the syringe into their mouths.  I was surprised at how cooperative our pigs were.  Even though they didn’t like it, they didn’t put up too much of a fuss.  Your pig’s behavior may differ depending on his or her trust in you and on how much he or she dislikes being fed hydrogen peroxide.  After about 2 or 3 tablespoons of peroxide, we gave them a few minutes and up came the chocolate.  Apparently this only works if you induce vomiting within an hour or two from when they ate the chocolate.  We also discovered that it takes a lot of milk chocolate to kill a pig, but better safe than sorry.

Websites We Visited for Information:

• Ross Mill Farm: Potbelly Pig Care Tips
• Michigan Veterinary Services
• Veterinary Support Personnel Network