Wild boar found

Question
I have found a month old wild boar piglet, her eyes were gunged up and so I took her to the vets and he informed me that she does not have any eyes and therefore will never be able to see again. I have been told because of her age (too old) and the fact that she is blind that I will not be able to control her and will eventually have to sacrifice her, and this is not something I want to do. So my question is could you give me any tips to help me tame her? and tips to introduce her to my dogs?

Thank you

Answer
Pigs are smart, adaptable animals. As long as she's kept in a safe space, she'll do just fine with nose and ears.

If you're keeping her inside, put up gates to keep her from accidentally tumbling down any stairs. Use carpet runners or mats on slippery surfaces so she does not fall. If she must go up and down stairs to get inside, give her a ramp.

Make sure her outside area is securely fenced, so nothing can get in at her. This includes covering the top while she's small, to protect her from predatory birds. It needs to be fairly level, but she'll quickly learn the lay of the land. If you're keeping her outside, the ideal set up is a stall with a doggie door outside to her fenced pen, or a dog-a-loo type shelter inside a secure pen.

Pigs and dogs are a tricky mix. So much depends upon the dog. All dogs have a hunting instinct. Pigs are prey animals, and they way they naturally move can trigger the hunting instinct. It isn't the dogs fault or the pigs fault, it's just nature. Some dogs can not be left alone with a pig. Because your piglet can not see, she's going to be very nervous around all but the calmest dogs.

Start by letting them smell each other, and mix up the blankets between dog bed and pig bed so they get used to the other's smell. Let them meet through a gate or fence several times before letting them with each other.

One big danger area is mealtime. Pigs can be pushy and are all about food, so this is the time when many pig-dog fights start. Always feed piggy separately, in a secure place.

I highly recommend the book Pot-Bellied Pig Behavior and Training, by Priscilla Valentine. Pris really understands how pigs think and why they do the things they do. I also recommend checking out the Yahoo pot-bellied pig groups. PigInfoAndChat is a particularly good one, there's several sanctuary people on the list, who have quite a bit of experience with handicapped pigs. They're happy to answer questions and ideas to help you accommodate your piggy's special needs.