An elderly Saanich Peninsula pig has been euthanized after 18 years of living alongside the Lochside Trail.
Frans and Marjolyn Winkel’s last remaining sow was the subject of an SPCA order this month, following a complaint from the member of the public.
The SPCA had said that the sow would have to either get checked out by a vet or be euthanized.
The sow — a cross between a Danish Landrace and Duroc — had a chronic but treatable skin condition brought on by old age, the Winkels said.
Though capital region residents offered to cover the costs of treatment and a vet check, the Winkels decided to go forward with euthanization.
“We found out that she didn’t have that much time left,” Frans said. “There were complications coming up.”
“It was better to let her go,” Marjolyn said. “Rather than having the vet come out again and involving the SPCA, we decided we would rather take care of euthanizing her ourselves.”
The pig was the subject of a similar notice last year, a matter that was resolved after a vet checked her, the Winkels said.
Before the pig’s euthanization, her days were filled with eating and sleeping and wallowing in a muddy pond, which also helped with the skin condition.
Frans would spray the sow’s sore spots with a vet-recommended product to deter flies and reduce itching every morning.
He had previously said that he hoped that the pig could die on her own terms.
Marjolyn, who has been raising pigs with her husband for more than 50 years, said that it will be strange to no longer have pigs on the farm.
The sow has been audience to a marriage proposal and countless cyclists travelling on the Lochside trail over its 18-year life.
The couple said that many have come forward with heartwarming stories about their experiences with the pig.
One person said that he was happy to live in a place where a pig could make the front page of the local newspaper, Marjolyn said.
“We would like to thank the many people who showed us great personal interest in our last remaining sow,” she said.
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