Our son, Cole Hixon, has been raising his pig Oliver since August as part of his 4-H project. Cole has cared for him daily and had been preparing for the Manatee County Fair, which was only days away.

Last Tuesday, we noticed Oliver seemed off and appeared to have an ear infection that was affecting his balance. We contacted our vet right away and started medication as directed. Oliver showed improvement, but since he wasn’t completely back to normal, a second round of medication was prescribed.

On Wednesday, Oliver was active again, running around and behaving normally. He received his medication that night. The next morning, Cole went out to feed him and found him unresponsive and shaking. We moved heat lamps, covered him to keep him warm after a cold night, and contacted the vet immediately.

The vet came out right away and gave Oliver a steroid shot and additional antibiotics. We were told that supportive care was the only option and that we would know within 24 hours if he would recover. Cole stayed with him throughout the day, offering water and food as he was able.

Unfortunately, Oliver declined later that day and became unresponsive again. We made the difficult decision to let him go.

In 4-H, the fair is the end result of months of work, and animals are sold at the fair with the expectation of a sale that helps cover costs and supports future projects. Losing Oliver just six days before fair check-in means Cole will not be able to participate after putting in months of daily care and preparation.

We did not plan to create a GoFundMe, but after several people reached out asking how they could help, we decided to set one up. Any support, whether through donating or sharing, is truly appreciated.