Waffles the potbelly pig (formerly known as Jello) was one of the very last animals spotted on the property of the former Twist of Fate "sanctuary". She  had previously been in a field with other goats and after the goats were all placed, Waffles was eventually found in a shed in that field (pictured above). Most likely she had wandered in there by herself at some point to escape the scorching July sun and heat and was misplaced in all the confusion of trying to get the animals off the property and away from Ashley as quickly as possible. When the door to the shed was first opened and she saw daylight and the face of someone who actually cared about her (finally) she was absolutely and understandably terrified - who knows when the last time was that she had any positive human contact. 

Waffles was extremely overweight/obese when she was rescued. So overweight in fact that you could barely see her eyes, which meant that she could barely see. An animal that is overweight is still being neglected and not cared for properly since this can lead to a lot of health problems - it can shorten an animal's lifespan significantly, as well as leave them open to arthritis, cardiac issues, liver issues, and more. Waffles was not getting proper nutrition with fruits and veggies, and she was only eating the dried up grass on the floor of her shed. 

Waffles was taken in by Road to Refuge Sanctuary (@roadtorefugesanctuary) in North Haven, Connecticut, USA. She was given vet care, a much needed hoof trim as her hooves were also overgrown, and put on a proper diet. For several weeks she remained afraid of humans after everything that she had been through and wouldn't let anyone touch her. Megan and the others slowly started to gain Waffles' trust, and she eventually started accepting belly rubs. Between July 2022 - July 2023 Waffles lost about 100 pounds (45 kilos), and you can finally see her beautiful eyes and her pretty coloring now. Definitely go to Road to Refuge's November 12, 2022 Instagram post to hear Waffles give her "piggy puffs" for Megan, which are sweet little noises of affection, happiness, and trust. She also made a pig friend, Opie, despite never having been around a pig before. 

Unfortunately, as if surviving the cruelty and neglect by Ashley DiFelice wasn't enough, a few days ago Megan noticed that Waffles was displaying some neurological signs. She was wobbly, had a head tilt, and rapid irregular eye movement. Megan consulted with the vet and they decided that it could be one of two things (a vestibular episode, or possibly an inner ear infection or bacterial meningitis) and started treatments. Within 48 hours she was back to feeling like herself and her symptoms were gone.  However, 2 days ago Megan found Waffles in her normal sleeping area unresponsive to calls or coaxing to eat or get up. She eventually got up but refused to eat and then went and laid back down. Megan decided to take her in to the hospital for a CT or MRI and some bloodwork to find out what's going on.  

The tests were able to determine that there is some evidence of an inner ear infection, which is what could be causing the balance/neuro issues. The bloodwork gave some even worse news, as the vet team believed Waffles to be septic, though it is unclear as to why. She has a low blood glucose, low temperature, low perfusion (perfusion is the passage of blood, a blood substitute, or other fluid through the blood vessels or other natural channels in an organ or tissue), and all of her inflammation markers are elevated. Waffles will be treated with antibiotics, pain meds, and G.I protectants and will have her symptoms monitored.

Please follow (@roadtorefugesanctuary) to keep up to date on Waffles' health and progress. They are currently fundraising for her large and still growing hospital bills in their Instagram profile, so if you are able to make a donation any amount is appreciated. It's a shame that Waffles has been through so much, but we're all so grateful that she is finally getting the wonderful care that she deserves. 

You can also check out their Instagram to see photos and videos of Waffles and what she looks like now (way different than the pig in the photo above!). And if you'd like to donate to the overall care of Waffles or anyone else at Road to Refuge, you can send donations through their website here, Venmo (@RoadToRefuge-AnimalSanctuary), or PayPal (@roadtorefugeanimalsanctuary@gmail.com). To make a monthly donation towards their care, you can join their Patreon for any amount (every little bit helps!) or sponsor one of the animals. They also have an Amazon Wishlist and a GoFundMe! Please feel free to comment below to say hello to Waffles, give her some love, and wish her a speedy recovery.   

A few of the animals' stories have been shared in previous updates - read about cow Rigel, pigs Shirley & Pepper, goat Billy, goat Johnny and his necropsy report here and here, sheep Linus, horse Mint Paddy, sheep Artemis & Apollo, and sheep Ethan. 

Thank you for being here. Please stay tuned to see whose story is next!  

Also, please continue to share the petition - Ashley DiFelice's next court date is September 14th, and since the court is aware of the petition we'd like to get as many signatures and comments on it as possible before then. Thank you!