Dozens of malnourished pigs in a barren field in Oregon were rescued by the local sheriff and distributed to animal rescue and sanctuary organizations for care, including Center Valley Animal Rescue.

The discovery of the severely malnourished pigs and many pig corpses led the sheriff of Deschutes County to confiscate the animals that were still alive. It turned out that several of the sows were pregnant, which quickly led to a significant increase in the total numbers.

The overwhelmed sheriff’s department reached out to Heartwood Haven, an animal sanctuary in Roy, Oregon, for assistance.

The pigs needed to be spayed and neutered before homes could be found for them other than breeders who might have slaughtered them.

Heartwood quickly organized a network of animal rescue and sanctuary organizations including Quilcene’s Center Valley Animal Rescue, Pasado’s Safe Haven in Sultan, and the University of Oregon in Eugene.

Local veterinarians volunteered their time and skill for a spay and neuter clinic at CVAR, performing surgery on fourteen of the pigs in what was described as a “successful, day-long, marathon effort.”

According to CVAR, it was “by far” the largest clinic of its kind ever performed at the facility.

“The first vet and tech arrived at about 7:30 a.m.,” and the last to leave “worked until about 8:30 p.m.” said CVAR director Sara Penhallegon.

“Everyone has a problem finding someone to spay pigs,” she said.

They usually go to universities, at a cost of about a thousand dollars per animal, Penhallegon said.

“They’re kind of a nightmare to do anesthesia on, a lot of complications come up.” she added. “It was a great learning experience for everyone.”

After recovering from surgery, most of the pigs will be returned to Heartwood Haven, with some being sent to additional sanctuary facilities in California.