[CharingPorkPantry]

Hello,

Just looking for some decision making help here.

I have a few LB Weaners at the moment of roughly 4 months. On Saturday morning I noticed someone looking worse for wear in the pen - malcoordinated behind, not eating, shivering. I separated her off and she had a pretty high temperature. After consulting with my vet I injected her with loxicom and ultrapen and kept her indoors overnight.

Sunday morning there was no change to the temperature so I gave her a second loxicom. After this is dropped pretty rapidly (within a couple of hours) and has stayed down since. However, sadly she has been left with neurological damage. She is stuck on her left hand side and unable to stand.

This morning, although the paddling had stopped and she is responsive to noise and can obviously focus on me, she still cant get up. She has 100% got her appetite back and has been eating apples all day. I am getting as much fluid into her as possible via syringe but its not easy with her on her side!

So I am 50/50 on pushing on or calling it a day. I am just not convinced that the neurological damage will reverse so that she can get up but as she is keen to eat and drink I am reluctant to give up on her as yet.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Its worth pointing out that she can push back on all four legs when I push them so she's not lost the use of them, it just seems like all her muscles are pushing her over to the left.

Any advice much appreciated 

[TonyG]

I've had a pig in the same condition lying on her side unable to get up and if turned over to the other side then flipped herself back over, eating and drinking well.  We kept seeing to her and she recovered in 3 - 4 weeks, I can't say that the same would happen with yours, up to you whether to continue with her or not.

[CharingPorkPantry]

Hi Tony G,

Thanks for your response. If there is hope then I will persevere for now. May as well, having got her this far.

[Marches Farmer]

Difficult call, not knowing what the cause of the problem was in the first place.  I'd be inclined to support for a week or so and see what happens.  Probably not a commercial decision. If anything worsens it'd be a visit from the knackerman.

[TheSmilingSheep]

Oh, what a miserable situation for you.... very positive to hear that someone else had a similar experience with a good outcome.  No doubt, you love your pigs, and will do what feels right day by day 

[harmony]

A pig lying on its side and paddling with its feet sound like meningitis. I would discuss with your vet.

[CharingPorkPantry]

Morning,

Much the same this morning. Harmony, yes that's what we are thinking. She isn't paddling any more and her temp is normal I think at this point we are just dealing with residual damage.

Thank you everyone for your replies, I will continue with TLC for now and give her a week or two. I don't think she is suffering. Brendon21, thank you for your kind message. We do love them all whether they are going for meat or not! We had one other pig a few years ago who suffered neurological damage from an illness and she had to be shot but she was very different in that she seemed a lot more brain damaged and could not eat and drink so trying not to compare the two!

Staying positive but realistic... 

[SophieYorkshire]

Why did the vet give you loxicom? Curious.

You'll need to roll her over and massage the side she's lying on, it will be turning blue/black.

Good luck 

[CharingPorkPantry]

Hi Sophie,

Not sure really, she was out and about so it may just be that's what she had instead of Metacam. Seems to have done its job.

We have been flipping her over a couple of times a day which at first she really hated but now    it doesn't seem to bother her so much.

Her progress report is promising although not wonderful. This morning we managed to roll her onto her belly and she actually balanced there to eat and drink which we could not achieve previously. She is happy in herself and eating/ drinking/ pooing and weeing so I am definitely going to continue. The muscle spasm which was pushing her to the left appears to have stopped and now I think she maybe just has to kind of relearn how to use everything!

Not getting my hopes up for a full recovery but feeling good 

[Daisys Mum]

Good luck 

[Roxy]

I have had a goat with meningitis, whose legs seemed to just paddle, and she seemed blind too.  Vet gave me injections to give her, and she could still eat and drink.  While she was still eating and drinking, I did not want to give up on her, so kept going.  It was a couple of weeks before she could be propped upright against the shed wall, and from there, she improved until 4 weeks later she was up on her feet.

Good luck!!

[MarthaR]

Really rooting for you and your pig - know it's very stressful when they are/have been very ill but sounds like she's got the best possible shot at recovery.
 
Martha R

[Small Plot Big Ideas]

hoping for the best with your pig 


Also realising how lucky I've been with pig health so far and that I need to talk to my vet before anything happens rather than afterwards!

[CharingPorkPantry]

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to give an update at the one week mark. Pig is very happy in herself, very noisy, eating well. She is still on her side but we prop her up on her belly three times a day to eat and she balances there. I think she might have a little more strength in her legs as she is pushing herself around a bit and rearranging all her straw. I am giving her at least another week to show improvement.

Rebecca 

[Marches Farmer]

I wonder if she has an abcess on her spine?