[Gpdd] [HEALTH] What's best for a blind piggie?

[scalabro3 at cfl.rr.com]

Hi. I'm trying to decide what is best for our little Ghirardelli. She lost her partner a year ago. She's been doing really well as a single pig. We moved Reese into the same room with her so she'd have someone to talk to, but he's in a separate pen at a lower level due to his former skill as a pigloo jumper.  We found out a year ago that she was going blind, so we've been very careful to keep her environment the same. The bowl is always in the same place, water bottles, pigloo, hay, etc.  She gets around very well and you'd never know that she had any vision limitations unless you looked into her cloudy left eye. The vet determined that she's lost all of her vision in that eye and about half of the vision in the other. She can still tilt her head and see some things, but right now, she's looking through a milky glass according to the vet.

We had decided that we had a "no replacement" policy with the piggies. We love each and every one of them with all of our hearts, and we hope that they live as long as they can, but eight was a lot for us to take care of. We both still work full time, and my job is in another City, so I'm on the road a lot.  So, we decided at the time not to find her another friend unless she seemed lonely or if we felt it would be best for her.

So, that worked for a year, but now I'm looking into her cloudy little eye and wondering what her life will be like when the other one clouds over. I'm not sure what's best for her. Would another pig be a disruption in her environment or a comfort for her once the world goes dark. I know that some of you have had blind animals before or you are sharing your homes with them now. Any advice would be appreciated.

ME in New Smyrna Beach