The Lazy Pig Animal Sanctuary is a no-kill facility. This means we never, ever euthanise an animal for our convenience. On occasion, we do have to consider putting an animal to sleep because of quality of life issues. This is a very difficult decision for us and we have only had to do this once. ... more Our pot belly pig, Jasmine, had uterine cancer. There was nothing that could be done to treat her because of her advanced age. An operation would have killed her. We kept her comfortable and happy for as long as we could. When she exhibited signs of being in terrible pain and she was no longer interested in food, it was time. A local vet came to the sanctuary. He gave her a sedative to make her sleepy. When she was asleep with myself and Megan both petting her and providing comfort, he gave her a shot to send her to piggy heaven. It was a very peaceful, respectful, loving passing for our beloved pig.

End of life issues are not taken lightly by anyone of us at The Lazy Pig. To us, it is important that animals not suffer. After all, that is why we got in to rescuing animals to begin with. If an animal's quality of life is compromised, if they are in pain and suffering then we will call the vet to come and gently, humanely help them on their journey.

We have animals who pass on at the sanctuary cremated at out local animal shelter. We keep their ashes in containers and honor the lives they led. Close

FEEDING continued
..We believe that nutrition with animals is the absolute key to good health. If you feed your animals high quality food, you will spend a lot less money at the veterinarian's office. Standard pet foods (dog and cat especially) is very low in quality and contains a lot of toxins. The “meat” is basically what is swept up off the slaughter house floors and includes sawdust, dirt and nasty chemicals. Although it may be a lot cheaper to feed your animals lower quality foods, you and your pet will pay in the long run. Your pets will live shorter lives, they will produce more feces and will likely have more illnesses – especially cancers, digestive problems and allergies. We encourage you to do the research. A natural, organic, high quality pet food will provide your animal with the proper nutrients he or she needs to live a healthy, happy, high energy life.

The option of cooking for your dogs and cats: A lot of people who believe in good nutrition will cook for their pets. There are a lot of great books on the subject which include healthy, varied recipes for dogs and cats. If you have the time, this is a great option too!

All the animals at The Lazy Pig Animal Sanctuary are well fed (maybe too well!) and eat the best possible food money can buy. The dogs and cats get organic, natural pet foods. The pigs, goats, sheep and rabbits receive fresh alfalfa and locally purchased grains and feed. They also have access range and eat the native plants on their property. They receive the occasional treat of fresh veggies and fruits and always have access to fresh, clean water

Grooming
... When you wash your dog a lot, they lose these oils and can catch colds more easily if the spend time outside when it is chilly. The dogs at The Lazy Pig get baths only when they are stinky. This amounts to about once a year. Brushing your dog will help keep their coats healthy, helps keep hair off your furniture and floors and will make your dog happy and sweet smelling. Try it and see if you can't bathe Spot less frequently.

The cats who enjoy it get brushed whenever they like. Amber especially likes to be groomed. Because she is a Persian, her fur gets matted easily and she gets overheated in the summer months. Every Spring, Amber gets a hair cut which she absolutely loves. She also insists on being vacuumed every time the vacuum is out! Rather strange behavior for a kitty but we do try to give the animals what they want.

Another grooming tip for cats is to clip the ends of their toenails. That's right, you can trim a cat's toenails! Get them used to it and then just take a pair of finger nail clippers and take off the very end of each nail. Be sure to take off just the very tip so you don't hurt the cat. If you take off too much, you will hurt them!

As for trimming the dogs toenails, I haven't had any success with that. Some people are able to trim their dog's toenails but I am unsuccessful. I have the vet do it when the doggies go in for shots or check-ups.

more on affection
...We offer them up for cat or dog seating. It is possible to teach an animal to enjoy being petted. We always give it a try but it doesn't always work. Our sheep, Cuzko, loves it when you talk to him but doesn't care much for being touched. Teaser, one of our goats, loves to be petted, kissed and loved. We have two cats who don't care much for human interaction so we leave them alone.

Affection is offered freely and if an animal enjoys it, great. If they don't want to be handled, they aren't. However, they are all treated with love and affection. We talk to them, we feed them well and we pay attention to their individual needs

Veterinary Care cont'
...strongly that pets are over vaccinated and really don't need shots every year. Others disagree. This is something you need to research thoroughly and decide for yourself. Lucky for us, one of our humans is a nurse. She can give the animals shots when they need them. Most feed stores will sell basic shots and you can give them yourself IF YOU KNOW HOW. Please, be sure to check with your veterinarian before you decide to do your own boosters