See,

Alex Barton, “Pig fed diet of junk food for seven years rescued from small flat; Portia was said to be ‘very depressed’ after she ballooned to 26 stone and could barely walk, The Telegraph, July 8, 2023 (3:48pm);

Just when we’re bracing for some more terrible news from Ukraine or Sudan, we come across a newspaper article that causes us to ssmike.

Portia is a pig who was fed junk food for seven years and became so obese she could hardly walk. After being rescued from a small flat by Britain’s Whitegate Animal Sanctuary in Wirral, Merseyside. Portia has been restored to good health.

Barton quotes Jill Jolly from the santuary on Portia’s dramatic change back to normal:

Portia has transformed from being unhappy and overweight to an animal with a “good little life and attitude”, according to Ms Jolly.

She said: “With time, love, care and patience we’ve managed to basically get her back introduced to being a pig.”

Woodside Animal Rescue Trust also recently rescued an alcoholic dog. Barton reports,

Staff at the centre said Coco, a two-year-old Labrador cross, became dependent on alcohol when his owner left out drinks before he went to sleep.

Woodside Animal Rescue Trust wrote on social media: “Canine alcohol withdrawal, a first for us.”

The centre said it hoped Coco will eventually be adopted.

It added: “He is not yet ready for adoption and whilst physically he seems to have recovered, mentally he is still very anxious at times.”

The Trenchant Observer