The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: DavidnChris on April 11, 2009, 07:52:52 am
-
Just been to feed my two pigs this morning and the one is definately not herself. Seems a bit stiff when walking and not as interested in food as normal. In fact took more interest in eating a slug at one point. Broke off eating which she is doing slowly to go and have a drink then come back to the food. Other one is fine wolfing it down as normal.
Food is the same as they have always had, pellets.
They are 5 1/2 months old
The off colour one is fatter than the other but has always been the same
They were fed a bit earlier this morning than normal,
Could she just have been a bit stiff having got out of bed?
Bed is an arc with plenty of straw.
-
If she is stiff and off her food I personally would call in the vet. Its not worth the risk. (Apologies when you get your vet bill and she was just stiff). However if she is not eating well that is a worry.
-
Pigs like us can have an 'off' day, I would watch her closely for the next few hours, making sure she eats, drinks, poos and wees. She could have lain awkwardly hence the stiffness, if she doesn't improve call the vet. Maybe the vet would give you some advice over the phone before actually calling them out?
-
Apart from being off her food how does she seem in herself? Is her tail curled, are her eyes bright?
Does she feel bloated?
-
She seems a lot better now, I've changed their bedding in case the other was getting too compacted and hard.
While it was doing this, which they thought was a great game they chased each other round the enclosure so probably not much wrong with her, if anything. She's now sunbathing and hopefully will be chomping at full speed later on when I feed them.
I could do with adding this saga to my previous post "pigin 'eck " still I suppose it's all part of the fun, I did wonder if, had this pig been part of a herd of 50 in a commercial farm, would this have even been noticed?
Thanks all for your input and interest.
-
We have recently been alerted to heart and lung worm carried by slugs. If pigs eat these (the dogs eat grass and if a slug slime is on it they can contract this), can they be infected by these worms too? And are they normally vaccinated against it?
-
I hadnt realised that. Would it affect ducks as well? Our pigs are wormed quite regularly I assume if its like lung worm in donkeys the wormer will clear it.
-
Just found this add in the paper about dogs and lungworm on slugs. Perhaps this may provide some answers.
www.lungworm.co.uk
-
That's really interesting many thanks.
-
One of my children has eaten a slug and the other one used to put snails in his mouth and rattle them against his teeth - do you think there is a 'drop on the back of the neck' solution for little boys! ;D
-
Not recently I hope - I would get him checked if it was. i think this worm came over from France fairly recently! Within the last couple of years I think.
-
I have tried to find info on this but so far just got galic shrugs. Oh well c'est la vie!!!
-
Just found this add in the paper about dogs and lungworm on slugs. Perhaps this may provide some answers.
www.lungworm.co.uk
Did you read this bit about them which seems to apply only to dogs ?
-
According to that website people can't get them!