Arnie is eleven years old. Sheila bought him for $75 from a local farm when he was a mere piglet of seven weeks. As you have probably guessed, Arnie is a pot-bellied pig. Pot-bellied pigs are intelligent, readily trained, affectionate, curious, playful, clean, generally quiet, odor free, and usually non-allergenic. You may have also guessed that he was named after Arnold, the pig from Green Acres. What you might not have guessed is that Arnie can do tricks. Sheila has taught him to sit on command, and he can also give you his hoof. But the best trick is one that Sheila might play on you! When Sheila wants Arnie to come out of her closet (where he sleeps), all she has to do is open and close the freezer door. Arnie knows where the ice cream is kept! So Sheila has convinced visitors that she can call Arnie through mental telepathy. Meanwhile, she unobtrusively opens and closes the freezer door, and of course, Arnie comes to her!
In mid-July, Sheila started noticing that Arnie wasn't quite right, and so began the arduous task of trying to get to the root of the problem and treat him accordingly. After investing a helluva lot of money into his treatment, Arnie wasn't improving, so off to Ithaca went Sheila, Arnie, and Sheila's mom (who gets the Mother-of-the-Year Award as far as I'm concerned). Turns out, everything checks out okay with Arnie . . . except he's constipated. To quote Sheila: "I just spent a million bucks on a constipated pig."
A nutritionist is going to evaluate Arnie and suggest a diet that might alleviate the problem. I think the sooner he is able to come home and be with his family, the better. So if you are reading this blog, send out your love to Arnie, okay?
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