We Love Our Milkshake!

Martha’s Farm Animal Sanctuary is committed to helping farm animals in need receive the love, compassion, and respect they deserve. One of these animals is Milkshake, a sweet and affectionate pig, one of the smartest animals on the Ranch. We delight in caring for him and watching him thrive, but his life wasn’t always so idyllic.

Milkshake’s back story is, unfortunately, all too common. A family with the best intentions fell in love with the cutest little piglet for sale at a rural feed store. The owner of the store assured them that he was a “mini pig” and that he would stay small and cute. The children named him Milkshake and they took him home as a family pet. It didn’t take long for the family to realize that Milkshake wasn’t going to remain petite, he began to grow into a LARGE pot bellied pig!

Eventually, the family found themselves with a very big pig, weighing over 185lbs, in their very small suburban neighborhood with no idea what to do. Poor Milkshake had grown and grown, and had become, as some may say, rather “frightening looking” – two factors that made him especially hard to place. We received a call from a local pig rescue that had originally been contacted by Milkshake’s family but currently didn’t have room for him. Thankfully, here at Martha’s Farm Animal Sanctuary, we had the space and the resources to help.  

When we arrived at the family’s home to pick up Milkshake we found him living in poor conditions. The family didn’t have the space or the knowledge to care for him properly. Milkshake was living in a small and dirty makeshift pen in the backyard which had led him to develop a severe skin infection. Meanwhile, the kids had grown and lost interest in Milkshake, you could see that he was very lonely.

Pigs are very smart and can show a range of emotions, studies have shown that pigs are smarter than dogs and even dolphins. Even though Milkshake was big and scary looking to some, we could tell that he was sweet and had a gentle soul, he was like Shrek! It was painfully obvious that he needed some TLC.  

Milkshake enjoys his bath!

As soon as Milkshake came home with us, we called our mobile vet, Dr. Stephanie Klein and she was able to come to the rescue again! Dr. Klein treated Milkshake’s skin condition, vaccinated him, neutered him and, with time, he got a clean bill of health.  

Milkshake now lives happily with the other potbellied pigs at Martha’s Farm Animal Sanctuary. No longer lonely, he loves to eat apple slices, romp around with his buddies and especially loves cooling off in his piggy pool! 

Sadly, stories like Milkshake’s are not rare - there are no guarantees that a potbelly pig will remain small and petite and most people simply don’t have the space or experience needed to care for pigs. The adorable little 10lb piglets often end up weighing close to 200lbs once they reach adulthood. 

Luckily Milkshake’s former family recognized that they needed help and called sanctuaries, looking for a forever home for him, rather than just dropping him off at an animal shelter or, even worse, selling him for food. 

Saving and caring for Milkshake did not change the world, but it did change Milkshake’s world. By giving him the opportunity to live a better life, we continue to learn from and love our sanctuary farm animals. With the generous support of donors like you, we can continue to provide care, respect, and compassion to Milkshake and all the other farm animals that are part of the Martha’s Farm Animal Sanctuary family.