The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Pigs => Topic started by: fifixx on July 04, 2010, 08:14:38 pm
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One of my 9mth old gilts has fallen ill with Erysipalas. She has a temperature of 42 and red and purple splodges on her and it is touch and go. The vet came yesterday and today with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.
I originally thought she had heatstoke as she was hot and lethargic. I hosed her down but the next day it was obvious she was really ill.
The vet said it can be transmitted pig-to-pig (so had I been anywhere?), also it lives in the soil and wild birds/animals carry it too. The heat also makes it flare up more - so I now have a footbath and a line of wet straw soaked in disinfectant for any visitors which I probably should have had before.
I have just managed to get her to have a drink and she has gone to bed in the arc - so fingers crossed for tomorrow...
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Sorry to hear about your gilt :( Fingers crossed that the antibiotics and anti-inflammatories do their trick to give her some respite and improve her healing capabilities
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:pig:also know as diamond disease or east anglian disease, has to be treated quickly you will often see it during the hot weather and can be brought on by stress we had two go down with it last summer at seperate times never had them pass it from pig to pig touch wood, one due to the heat i syringed liquidised food into them for about 4 days every few hours both survied (until we took them to slaughter) we did this by moving them to a straw yard and letting them rest away from the other pigs the deep straw bed helped the lameness this disease causes we brought them both back to full health with no injections just loads of tlc.
you can inject against the disease but we tend not to.
dont give up hope and fingers crossed for yours.
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She seems much better this morning - she is quite wobbly on her feet but for the first time for 4 days she got up and out of the arc straight away when I came. She ate a bit of food too - I think she is on the mend - hurray!
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Thats a relief. :D
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yes, on the mend - eating and drinking and wallowing as usual! Now for the hard work - the bacteria can contaminate the soil for months, so need to move them to fresh ground and completely disinfect everything! Husband making a summer pig arc with no base so we will just straw it down and move it when necessary burning the bedding after.
i have also got foot baths and straw wetted with disinfectant by all gates which shall stay now - better safe than sorry!
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Glad to hear she's ok, why don't you vaccinate against it now, just to be sure. I never used to vaccinate mine, but a smy boar goes off on hire and I accept visiting sows I decided I should vaccinate.