Help with a poorly pig

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Help with a poorly pig
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Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 05 5:15 am Post subject: Help with a poorly pig

Can anybody advise on what might be bothering our pig?

He has been laid out in the sun for the last three days and has gotten rather sunburnt on his back. He seems happy enough but yesterday we noticed that he is having trouble with his back legs. He seems to struggle getting up after he has layed down. Once he is up he seems fine. Could he be suffering sunstroke or am I being silly?

The vets don't open until 3pm today so any help on here would be appreciated.

S

Wombat

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 396
Location: SW Cheshire

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 05 6:55 am Post subject:
How old is piggy? Wombat

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 05 7:15 am Post subject:
He is about four months - we've only had him two weeks so I am rather new to this.

Wombat

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 396
Location: SW Cheshire

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 05 8:37 am Post subject:
Pigs do usually have to do a rocking type move to get up. Sounds like that to me. If he is still eating he is OK. Once a pig stops eating you know there is a problem. Wombat

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 05 8:46 am Post subject:
Yes he is eating fine. His legs seem to buckle up beneath him as though he is having trouble holding his weight. I have also noticed this morning that the area around his eyes seems sore (red-looking). Is it just me being paranoid or would you advise we have the vet look at him this afternoon?

farmwoody

Joined: 19 Mar 2005
Posts: 98

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 05 10:22 am Post subject:

Hi Simon, Sorry I missed this earlier, i thought I'd reply here so that everyone can see and add anything they come up with.
I've never come across this myself but I do know that pigs can suffer from cramp, just like humans. It usually affects their hind quarters and can mean that they cant walk properly. It is apprently not a serious illness but is incurable and can of course lead to bullying if one animal has cramp and others dont. In extreme cases the pig will loose use of his leg muscles altogether and pull himself around by his front legs only.
It could be that they pigs have had too much sun and are suffering from sunstroke! Pigs are very similar in make up to humans and they suffer a lot of the same aliments. I hope you are using sunblock on the pigs ( ordinary human sunblock will do), sunburn can be really uncomfortable for them and if it leads them to stratching to ease the discomfort, you'll soon get very sore, raw patches on the pigs which could in turn lead to those areas becoming infected. Prevention really is better than cure. Do they have somewhere in the shade to lie and you [b]must[/b] provide a wallow for them in hot weather.
Sorry I cant be any more specific than that, I'd say if you're really concerned get the vet, better safe than sorry.

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 05 10:30 am Post subject:

Thanks very much for your comments. I am now thinking that the sun may well have been to blame as he is scratching a bit which he has not done in the past. I will be keeping a close eye on him. I never even thought about suncream. Will give it a try. We had 3 hot days this week but it's peeing down now so I'm hoping that may give him some relief. He has a shelter from the sun but daft sod won't sit in it during daytime .... I'll sort it.

Thanks again

Simon

farmwoody

Joined: 19 Mar 2005
Posts: 98

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 05 2:35 pm Post subject:
Simon, just a thought but do you use Aloe Vera at home? If so you can rub some into his sunburnt bits, it'll cool it down for him. We've got an aloe plant on the kitchen windowsill and it treats everyone, people and animals alike. Other than that theres always green elder ointment.

sara jane goodey

Joined: 12 Apr 2005
Posts: 45
Location: north wales

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 05 2:52 pm Post subject: sunstroke

hope this info is not too late! pigs do suffer terribly in the sun and heat if they have not have access to a cool place or wallow. You need to put sunblock on pink/white bits particularly ear tips and backs.Once any animal has sunburn they are quite likely to have heat stroke too, the theory being if they were daft enough to stay in full sun to get burned then they will have over done the heat too.You need to keep your pig in a cool dark place (on its own if poss) with plenty of water and treat sunburn with aftersun products and give him plenty of cooling rub downs with wet towels particularly in arm pits to reduce his core temp.

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Sat Apr 16, 05 6:32 pm Post subject:
Thank you greatly to Wombat, Farmwoody and Sara Jane Goodey for all your helpful advice. We have fair confirmed that pigs so not suffer the sun well. I will take note of all your comments and try the techniques and remedies stated. I will certainly make sure that the silly boy goes into his shelter next time we have a heatwave. Thank you all Warmest regards Simon

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 05 9:16 pm Post subject:
How is he Simon?

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 9:34 pm Post subject:
He is absolutely fine now. Thanks for the concern. He has a few scabby patches behind his ears which we have treated and are doing ok but apart from that he is the best tanned pig in the south of France .... all the sows fancy him!

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 9:58 pm Post subject:

simon wrote:

..he is the best tanned pig in the south of France ....

Did someone say crackling?
I did note that H F-W was on about keeping them in pairs, for company and boredom avoidance. Apart from yourselves, has he any chums? Or toys - where did I hear about footballs?
(Not that I've ever kept a pig, myself, you understand!)

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Thu Apr 21, 05 9:54 am Post subject:

dougal wrote:

Or toys - where did I hear about footballs?
(Not that I've ever kept a pig, myself, you understand!)

Footballs are OK, but they are not half so much fun as playing hide-the-water-bucket!

Blue Sky

Joined: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 7658
Location: France

Posted: Fri Apr 22, 05 4:50 pm Post subject:

dougal wrote:

has he any chums? Or toys - where did I hear about footballs?

No, we never thought of that! The football sounds like a good idea. He has a couple of rubber troughs which he tries to throw around (sometimes succesfully) but other than that his favourite thing - as Judith said - is the bucket. Ours is metal so he makes a heck of a raquet chucking it about. Will have to get him a plastic one as he keeps shorting the fence out.

With regards to company he is well impressed when I just sit there in the straw with him but we have had some good news from a local farmer. He can get us a sow in a couple of weeks time so we will certainly be taking him up on this offer. We will probably keep the sow for breeding.

Now where did I put that football????

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