Author Topic: Greasy pig disease-any experience? (Read 4508 times)

SMarshall · « **on:** August 30, 2012, 10:28:58 am »

Well, we're not having much luck with our LB litter. Mums snout bleed and lack of eating/drinking has resolved itself but some of the little ones are now not good :-( vet thinks it's greasy pig disease and probably brought on from not enough colostrum from mum before she started her snout bleed etc.

We've just lost one piglet and are monitoring the rest. They've had antibiotics and a wipe down but it's all rather sad :-(

Cheers
Steph

Berkshire Boy · « **Reply #1 on:** August 30, 2012, 10:56:53 am »

Sorry to hear your bad luck is continuing, I have no experience of greasy pig so no usefull advice to give I'm afraid. Sometimes these things seem to happen and then the next litters are no trouble and you can start enjoying them again instead of dreading going out to the pen. Good luck and keep us informed.

Fowgill Farm · « **Reply #2 on:** August 30, 2012, 11:21:16 am »

Not something we've has either, but keep your chin up

, it should soon clear up

, enjoy your babies they soon grow.
Mandy

robert waddell · « **Reply #3 on:** August 30, 2012, 12:52:02 pm »

not had any experience of this either but i would recommend a change of vet the piglets are infected from the vaginal canal at birth the sow will be a carrier the worst ones turn black and die others have wrinkled skin

SMarshall · « **Reply #4 on:** August 30, 2012, 03:03:12 pm »

Now... mid last week we did see discharge from her vagina, but I guess we were more focused on her not eating/drinking etc. and also as she'd had antibiotics and anti inflams we didn't think about it too much :-s we're learning...

It's her first litter and I guess we'll take advice on whether to try again with her or not, interestingly both the following sites state "The incidence is often higher in gilt litters..."

http://www.thepigsite.com/pighealth/article/282/greasy-pig-disease-exudative-epidermitis
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/70700.htm

We've had numerous litters of various breeds over this last year but this one has been the hardest experience to date and oddly enough was the one I was most worried about beforehand as she was a gilt.

the rest of the litter make it, there are two that look infected but we'll just have to monitor and treat and see...........

Beewyched · « **Reply #5 on:** August 30, 2012, 11:25:47 pm »

I had a problem with greasy pig last year - mum rejected her wee boy when he came back from castration at 3 weeks old & he went down-hill very quickly.
You will definately know if it is greasy pig because of the smell - it's bl**dy awful

- & lots of tar-like pus with craking skin, very noticable under the belly. He became very hunched-up & shivered a lot, due to the splitting & thickening of his skin.
Wee Harry did make it

- I kept him in a dog crate in the house for over a month, constantly changing his bedding of towels & a hot water bottle, plus heat lamp for the 1st week. I was feeding him every 3 hours - baby milk & mashed banana/apple with pestled weaner feed. Antibiotic injections every day for 10 days & a twice daily bath of anti-bacterial dog shampoo (from the vet, but not licienced for pigs). He's never really grown much, but now keeps one of my stud boars company over the summer

Our vet told us it's not a very good survival rate for greasy pig, due to damage to internal organs & yes, it's more common in gilt litters (something to do with a lack of antibodies in 1st time mums). It's a horrible infection to deal with, but Harry is an example of how they can pull through - I hope yours make it ok

debbietownhead · « **Reply #6 on:** September 07, 2012, 09:37:34 pm »

We had a piglet with what we and the vets thought was greasy pig and it turned out to be parakeratosis where the body has too much calcium and not enough zinc. He was the only one affected in his litter, had no temperature but a horid skin that crusted from nose to tail.
With zinc sulphate tablets ( for children) he eventually recovered and grew to his full size before going o the butcher at 11 months old instead of the usual 8.
The books say that this is very rare.
Debbie

mrsbeckett · « **Reply #7 on:** August 10, 2013, 11:42:12 am »

hi guys sorry to drag up an old post but it was relevant lol! we are new to the pig keeping lark just had a few boars with us for a few weeks in the past for slaughter but this is all new after being brought an abandoned baby piglet with severe sunburn and skinny as a rake poor boy! well his sunburn darkened and yesterday i noticed it was sort of spreading in little redish brown dots and his ears are redish brown and scabby that weep pus if wiped he also has little pus filled blisters on the soft tips of his ears. he has had no other pigs around after being found wandering on a road and still had his cord on his belly when brought to us so he is about 10days at the most now. we are feeding Percy on baby formula so would it be a deficiency as said here or greasy pig? we were about to get him settled on a new home with someone on here but wont move now

Fowgill Farm · « **Reply #8 on:** August 10, 2013, 02:28:03 pm »

more likely to be remanets of the sunburn blisters which have got infected, try antiB cream if you have some and make sure he is well hydrated.
mandy

Tamsaddle · « **Reply #9 on:** August 10, 2013, 09:59:01 pm »

For one happy moment I thought Robert had been allowed back, until I realised this was a post from 2012.
I for one still miss him a lot, he knew so much.