The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: Laurasfarm on November 27, 2012, 09:31:13 am
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Just had a call off other half and my pig is poorly :(
She has 8 bonny piglets two weeks old. She diddn't eat her tea last night but has been eating and drinking a bit this morning. She has been up and about but more lying down than usual for her. He also said she's moving straw around alot and seems unsettled and a shivering a bit.
He's keeping a close I on her. I'm stuck miles away at work, I hate not being there :'(
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Get OH to take her temperature should be 38.8c or 102f, anything higher or significantly lower (shivering?) which will need antibiotics on an urgent basis, also check her udder for heat & lumps (mastitits) again abs needed from vet.
Check her straw is it damp? with all this bad weather you need to be checking her bed probably twice a day, clearing out wet straw and providing fresh dry replacement. Damp straw is a breeding ground for all sorts of nasties.
Keep tempting her with water and any food you can get into her and make sure piglets are still feeding.
HTH
mandy :pig:
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Ditto Mandy ;)
Hope she's on the mend soon :fc:
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Anxiously awaiting news :-\
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The update
Temp is 38.6, straw nice and dry and no obvious signs of mastitis. Shes still producing milk but the piglets seem thirsty(and hungry they ate this pants!). She doesn't seem interested in water and seems to be shivering. He's calling the vets now :(
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If the piglets are hungry she's not producing enough milk for them so they're shivering to keep warm, she needs to drink more to produce milk at least 20-30ltrs a day, her food intake should now be up to full strength 6lb for her and a 1lb per piglet per day so thats 14lb food a day split if you can over 3 meals, you could try making her feeds sloppy with milk/water to make her take on board more fluids.
In the meantime i would try to get her to drink plenty of dilute warm milk and see if this tempts her, unless you have a good pig vet they won't have a clue whats wrong and will just jab her regardless with abs & anti-inflams for good meaasure.
Make sure she has plenty of straw and no obviously howling gale drafts going thro her house. Do you have a heat lamp on for piglets you should have at this time of year and weather.
HTH
mandy :pig:
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Aw. Poor mother pig. Poor little piglets, too.
I too would have the piglets under a lamp, and maybe try now to get them lapping some milk - before it is really urgent as when they all need it at once, it'll be hard to meet their demands. They'll happily go back to Mum if she's okay, but in the meantime you've started the not very easy step of getting the little ones used to another means of taking in nutrients.
Can you try banana for the sow? When ours have been down, we have found that we could pop small sections of banana in their mouths and that it stimulated an interest in drinking, too. It may not be the right thing or what she most needs, but for sure, it won't hurt. And we have found twice that it has re stimulated a sow who seemed to feel too poorly to try to eat or drink.
Give her a stroke under the chin from all the Cinderhill Farm piggies too.
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If the piglets are hungry she's not producing enough milk for them so they're shivering to keep warm, she needs to drink more to produce milk at least 20-30ltrs a day, her food intake should now be up to full strength 6lb for her and a 1lb per piglet per day so thats 14lb food a day split if you can over 3 meals, you could try making her feeds sloppy with milk/water to make her take on board more fluids.
In the meantime i would try to get her to drink plenty of dilute warm milk and see if this tempts her, unless you have a good pig vet they won't have a clue whats wrong and will just jab her regardless with abs & anti-inflams for good meaasure.
Make sure she has plenty of straw and no obviously howling gale drafts going thro her house. Do you have a heat lamp on for piglets you should have at this time of year and weather.
HTH
mandy :pig:
i agree with mandy re fluids but have to say dont dilute milk it causes scours time and time again we have been asked why their pig, goat kid lamb etc scours on diluted milk needs to be whole to work in the gut is the simple way to explain.
you could try soluable multi vit in water to give her a boost.
sounds like she needs some anti b too.
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The vets coming out in the next 2 hours
I've given husband instructions, he's very good with the basics but I take most responsability for them, so frustrating to be so far away when she needs me.
The piglets arn't under a lamp at the moment, their not shivering but he's getting everthing ready just incase. Not tested the vet with the pigs yet but there usually very good practise.
Thanks for your help it's keeping me sane, will keep you posted
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Best of luck and wishes to you :hug:
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Keeping my :fc: and hope all goes well :hug:
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Ok so the vets been.....
Shes been lying down all day, typically wouldn't keep still when the vet came. They couldn't manage to take her temp again :( no signs of mastitis :)
Course of antibiotics, the vet didn't inject her while he was there so jabs and cuddles when I get home.
Shes still not eating, so i'll pick up some tasty treats on my way home see if I can persuade her
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Why on earth didn't the vet inject her. If I was you I would be down there complaining.
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is she lying down on her belly? ie to stop the piglets from suckling? if so id say a touch of mastitus as her milk is coming up to max production (3 weeks). mine did this at 2 weeks post farrowing, had a temp, lying down alot. was fine the next day. i did encouage exercise tho.
fingers crossed for you :fc:
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Why on earth didn't the vet inject her. If I was you I would be down there complaining.
When our vet came the first time, none of us could catch Lady P for her to have the injection (we hadn't learned about pig boards and pens at that time). I said, after 20 mins running up and down our (steep) hill after her, that maybe she was well enough after all to not need the jab. Everyone involved readily agreed ;D
The second visit from the vet (different pig, different reason), the vet did manage to get the needle in, but it broke off as Margot decided to leave the scene faster than anyone anticipated a pregnant pig could. I was the one to catch her and to remove the broken needle...
I have decided to just do it myself in future ::)
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I wasn't impressed with him, they didn't manage to take her temp either so maybe she was too mobile.
She didn't make a fuss when I jabbed her, not a good sign really. But I did get her to eat some milk and apple though. I'm not convinced it's not mastitis there very hot. A bit better this morning eaten half her breakfast and apples and the pigglets are looking good, it's amazing how big they are.
From an earlier post I had about breed standards for osb's three of them are looking good so I'm going to get someone out to have a look (wasn't going too if I didn't think they were worth considering)
So :fc: she's getting better
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Good keep persevering with the fluids this is very important ( we use calf electrolytes from vet) and anitbiotics, they'll soon kick in :fc:
make sure the piglets keep feeding to keep her milk flowing
best of
Mandy :pig: