Help Little Dude Get His Smile Back

Little Dude has been a fighter since he was just four days old.

The runt of his litter, Little Dude was discovered on a farm with a severe bacterial infection in his back leg after his siblings had chewed at it, leaving both the wound and bone underneath infected. Thankfully, a compassionate visitor saw that this tiny piglet desperately needed help and reached out to Barn Sanctuary who rescued him, giving him the chance at life he deserved.

Now 9 years old, Little Dude has grown into a very big boy with an equally big personality — but unfortunately, his health challenges haven’t ended.

Years ago, Little Dude fractured one of his tusks, requiring ongoing dental care. He has also struggled with painful gum disease that has already caused him to lose several teeth. For pigs like Little Dude, dental disease isn’t simply cosmetic. Without proper treatment, it can cause chronic pain, make eating difficult, and seriously affect their overall health and quality of life.

Recently, Little Dude returned to Michigan State University’s Veterinary Medical Center for another much-needed dental procedure. Veterinarians extracted a troublesome molar and smoothed down overgrown teeth to make eating more comfortable. While he was under anesthesia, they also removed a small growth near his ear as a precaution.

Thankfully, Little Dude handled everything like a champ and returned home with a favorable prognosis — and a healthy appetite for applesauce and pumpkin puree!

But specialized veterinary care for a 726-pound pig isn’t inexpensive, and Little Dude will continue to need dental monitoring.

Your donation will help cover the veterinary care that has given this once-tiny, injured piglet the opportunity to grow up safe and loved. Little Dude has already overcome so much. With your help, we can make sure dental disease doesn’t stand in the way of the comfortable life he’s fought so hard to have.