Boar with Swollen/Sore Hind Leg

[drdoolittle]

I noticed that my Pot Belly Pig boar, Bugsy, was favoring his left hind-leg yesterday. I was able to get a closer look at it today, and it is swollen a little ways up, and seems to have a small spot right between the front of his hooves that is puffy and possibly infected. I am going to call the vet tomorrow morning, and was wondering how to restrain him when the vet looks at it and does whatever he needs to do. Bugsy definately did not want me to touch it at all, and threw quite a fit. I am so worried about him, but also worried about him biting me. Is there some way I can fashion a muzzle---maybe with a strip of cloth or something. I also have the problem of even getting him into a crate and then how do I get him in the vet's office? I'm not sure this vet will make farm calls-----guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.........

Oh, I have no idea how he may have injured his foot/leg----I don't think it's broken or sprained, but definately infected.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Can you make a footbath for him to stand in? You may need to make a little chute, and put food on one end and a tub w/ warm water and epsom salts in it for his feet.

 

[drdoolittle]

Took Bugsy to the vet today. It's a good thing I called the vet closest to me before 8 a.m.-----found out that he does not accept PBPs as patients "due to their disposition". But the answering service did give me the name of a vet in a nearby town that does handle them----and that's where we went. Bugsy's foot is indeed infected, and doc gave me some antibiotic to inject once a day and some Kopertox to squirt on the foot and also on a new sore on his tail. I think maybe Bugsy's companion, Angel, may have bit him on the tail and possibly his foot. We separated them for the time being.

It was quite a fiasco trying to get things things arranged in order to get him to the vet, First I tried to get the pig harness on him, thinking I could then just lead him to the crate and then load the crate in the van----NO GO! I probably tried every way possible to get that harness on, but he was not having it----he knew something was up. I finally dragged the crate over to the pen, and opened the pen gate up to the open crate door and threw a banana in the back of the crate. I used a plywood board to create a chute, but it was a lot of work to get him in there. His mate, Angel, was trying her best to get into the crate and get that banana!

Once Bugsy was in the crate, I hauled the crate up onto my little wagon and pulled it to the van-----he was perfectly fine once in the crate and traveled quie well. The vet decided against taking Bugsy into the clinic, and tried using a hog-snare to get him out on the ground in order to wash the foot off and look it over-----this didn't work, partly because the et was worried that Bugsy would get the snare off and take off running, partly because he just couldn't get Bugsy out of the crate. I finally had to practically get in the crate and turn Bugsy around so the vet could look at the foot! At least Bugsy didn't try to bite me.

It went o.k., although the vet kept insisting that Bugsy is NOT a true PBP----just a "regular pig" because "true pot bellies only weigh 10 lbs."------I think the vet needs to do a little more research. True PBPs are anywhere from 75-150 lbs. at maturity----it's the so-called miniature or teacup pigs that are 10-35 lbs.-------and there's a big debae about those. After we left, my 17 year old son asked me, "How can a vet be so stupid?" I don't think he's stupid, just uninformed----and it doesn't matter to me about all that----I'm just so, so thankful he was willing to treat MY PBP!

 

[drdoolittle]

Giving Bugsy the shots is SO easy-----he doesn't even seem to feel the needle! I did switch from the needle the doc gave me to a smaller guage needle I oredered from Jeffers. They go in a LOT easier. Squirting the Kopertox on Bugsy's foot and tail is another matter-----he acts like I am killing him (maybe he doesn't like the smell of it any better than I do.) That stuff is so nasty----stains everything a bluish-green and smells like tar. It does come off a lot easier than Blu Kote though.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Hope Bugsy gets better soon

Liz

 

[drdoolittle]

Bugsy is all better! His leg started improving dramatically just 2 days after the vet visit. I have him separated from the sow he was with-----but am wanting to put them back together. I believe she's already bred, but I know he would be happiest living with another pig.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Wonderful