[Liquidator]

I've got a poorly GOS piglet. 

She's 6 weeks old and seems to have lost all energy. Doesn't want to eat or drink and is just lying around in a corner of her pen. The other 9 all seem fine and have been charging around the field today and sunbathing.

I've never had a sick piggy before so would welcome any suggestions from the more experienced pig lovers out there.
 

[robert waddell]

sunburn ? is it red when it should be pink

[little blue]

heatstroke?

any other symptoms?  Bowels ok?!

[Hilarysmum]

Is she drinking can you get water down her?  If she doesnt improve I would call the vet.

[cranfordpigcompany]

Is she hot to the touch?

We had two 8 week old piglets go like this and we had to call in the vet.

He said it was pneumonia and two hours after a shot of antibiotics they were starting to get up and made a full recovery.

According to our vet pneumonia is common and if we had not called him in they would have died.

Good luck with your piglet.

[Stevie G]

Surely Lillian and Little Blue are having a laugh(sunburn and heat stroke?) with what they have said?
Are you really being serious or is this a joke that you have fininally decided to share with the masses, hey Lillian?
Smallholders please do get together and for the sake of your pockets, "stop calling the Vet and learn to injection" !
It maybe pneumonia, loss of appetite is one sign, but also the way they breath(thumping motion when brething being the extreme) and lethargy.
If the problem does not clear straight away continue for a few days longer or try another drug.
If injections then don't work then call a Vet, but that has very rarely happened to as it has mainly been kill or cure.

[poppajohn]

Dont rule out the fact its the runt. Plus the weather has been hot so........... heatstroke or sunburn could happen early.
As a rule we are cruel in our group, they dont go out for three weeks, the piglets, not the group. Of course I am an evil ex pig unit manager and like to keep them out of natural light on clean straw in fresh air. It could be pneumonia as Stevie says, time will tell but I bet its a runt.

[robert waddell]

well in the absence of liquidator comming back on to tell us more everything is speculation even stevie g with inject and that dont work inject with someother drug but hey ho i dont suppose they get much sun in the land of oz 

[Stevie G]

well in the absence of liquidator comming back on to tell us more everything is speculation even stevie g with inject and that dont work inject with someother drug but hey ho i dont suppose they get much sun in the land of oz  

It maybe any number of things ie heat stroke, sunburn, Pneumonia(but to name a few!) or possibly Menigitis(?) I just find it comical that in April in the UK it would be sunburn or heatstroke. Seem to remember having snow in April. .
For heatstroke I would be giving it water to drink and cover it in mud from my "WALLOWS" and putting it in the shade somewhere, and likewise for sunburn, mud over its back from my well prepared WALLOWS. ::)I wouldn't be injecting it if it was one of these two.
Its been a mixed year over here, with lots of rain for the last 3 months(Iam in the Tropics so it is normal) and the temperature stays around 33 degrees C most of the year round, so I see more sun than rain(otherwise I wouldn't be over here).
I always thought that when people said they were getting the SUN in the UK , that they were going down the newsagents to buy it.

[BadgerFace]

Personally, I would hate to make a diagnosis based on vague symptoms posted on a forum.
It would be a good idea to ask a local experienced pig keeper (if you have one nearby) to have a look at the piglet for you, or if the piglet is making no improvement, please call a vet.

With regard to sun/heat stroke, here near the South Coast we have had over the past few days a heatwave, with temperatures in excess of 27°c. All my pigs have been spending their days, between the wallows and shade of the trees. Definitely hot enough to cause sunburn/heat stroke. In all, a bit of shock weather wise, for both livestock and humans - we have come to expect rain on a bank holiday weekend !

I hope the piglet has made a full recovery. 

[Stevie G]

From the very little information provided I will stike with Menigitis(eyes also flicker backwards and forwards) as the days are hot and the night will be cold as it si April.
Penicillin is the answer and this pig needs treating as soon as possible, so yes if in doubt get your Vet out!
Good Luck.

[robert waddell]

stevie g you had another post on here did you scrub it (and there was me thinking you were getting a funny side )a well everbodys loss

[Stevie G]

stevie g you had another post on here did you scrub it (and there was me thinking you were getting a funny side )a well everbodys loss :wave

I thought I best not let the masses hear it as they may get upset, hey Lillian.  
There loss I suppose, hey ho

[Liquidator]

Thanks for all the advice. 

I decided to put the piglet into a quarantine pen and gave it some water, food and carrots. I checked it at midnight and it hadn't moved since 9pm, so I was ready to find a dead piggy in the morning. However, I went in at 6am and found it standing in the corner of the pen, all the carrots and food were eaten and it had finished half the bucket of water. I let it out to be with the others and it was soon running around like nothing had been wrong with it. Phew!!

Thankfully it goes off to a new home today with three of it's sisters, so I'm so glad it survived.

Thanks again for all the helpful advice. 

[Stevie G]

Miracles do happen. May just ahve been dehydration(which looks similar to Menigitis), but atleast things turned out good.
I am very pleased for you.