Pig recovers from leg injuries thanks to veterinarians

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - A beloved member of a Valley family is walking again, with some help from the Animal Medical and Surgical Center.

You may be forgiven for thinking this four-legged creature is a dog.

It's actually a potbellied pig.

The pig, named Sizzle, loves to eat, play and get into trouble. One day, Sizzle, who is just 13 weeks old, got a little too rowdy while playing at his Valley home, and injured his back left leg.

"Suddenly, he jumps up, and then he comes down and breaks his Tibia," said surgeon Shanti Jha.

Sizzle's owners took him to a veterinarian, but he needed more care than some vets could provide. Sizzle was then referred to the Animal Medical and Surgical Center in Scottsdale.

"There's less experience in doing pig surgeries around this area," said Jha. "We are a dog and cat primary hospital, and we see pigs, I'd say, once or twice a year."

When surgeons saw Sizzle about two weeks ago, they knew he was in a lot of pain.

"You can see the fracture right here," said Jha. "Complete half, and then, you can see a nice plate right there and five screws."

Thanks to doctors at AMSC, Sizzle is doing much better. He still has some time to recover, but surgeons say Sizzle will grow to be about 150 pounds, and will be able to walk, run, and get into trouble, just like any other pig.

Doctors say recovery for SIzzle will take about eight weeks.