Herniated boar?! Something big and unwelcome in the scrotum.

[farmerjan]

I would maybe use a little tape near the top of the incision, that might kinda keep the worst of the manure from actually having a way to get into it..... sorta like a half closure from the top? But one thing, how loose is his manure? There shouldn't be that big a deal if the manure is semi-firm, it ought to sorta just fall off as he does it? I would put him on some anti-biotics for protection of possible infection.... but if you are snowmobiling feed and such in and out, cold weather, his manure ought to be fairly firm and not a big deal. Flush it like you are doing and just keep it draining. I am thinking that it may just have been a little bit of a slow festering like you thought. If he does all that rubbing it could have been there long time or again he could have done it a few weeks ago. One thing, are the sows bred? Did they come back in heat? If not, then I would just do what you are doing to keep it open and healing from the inside. I think that iodine would be iffy that close to important parts. We use iodine in a badly infected mastitic quarter on a cow to kill the quarter. I think that you might try something like the tubes of mastitis medicine.... Today or Tomorrow. Squeeze it in the "hole" after flushing. It works good on several things and does not damage, or irritate the sensitive tissues. We use it in a cows eye that has pinkeye. Doesn't hurt or cause them to get nutty from the pain or irritation. Soothes the irritation and is an antibiotic. There are other brands. Use like a 1/2 tube or something.

 

[Pinecones]

Thank you for the replies. I flushed him out with probably half a gallon of warm water today. The pus is ENDLESS! And the stench is stomach turning.
No fresh blood though, aside from the initial minor bleeding on the incision. He seems to enjoy the flushing.

I don't know how I could possible vet wrap him. He's a giant... brick. Kunekune means Roundround for a reason, lol! He's a walking sausage with a snout on one end. We made the incision strategically at the lowest point of the mass, and off to the side, hoping poop wouldn't get in it. But he's a filthy slob and poops wherever he's standing, unlike the girls that use their allocated pooping areas. That includes pooping where he lays, pooping on other pigs, pooping up against walls and smearing it all over himself... His manure is not runny or sloppy, doesn't do too much "sticking", but it's the environmental contamination that we worry most about.

I use a slightly saline antiseptic tea made from usnea and holy basil. Taboo for a lot of folks, but I use usnea anywhere I need antibiotics these days and it hasn't failed me yet. I had a cat with a ripped open eyelid and an eye full of blood this summer, gave her daily flushes of this tea and she healed with no infection, no scar, and no loss of vision that we can detect. Just one example. I can't praise usnea enough and it grows prolifically here.

Anyway. I worry that taping the incision might either prevent it from draining and/or encourage it to close. These wounds need to stay open and heal from the inside out- especially if he has a foriegn body in there that caused this! If we isolated him from the other pigs, anything we put on him 'might' stay put, but he itches it butt on EVERYTHING so I have my doubts. If he stays in with the girls they'll never leave it alone if we tape something to him.

Packing it with antiseptic-soaked cotton is still the best thing I can think of but I'm still afraid to do it. Never have I dealt with such a large cavity. I am not embellishing about the size of this abscess. It was at least as big as a large grapefruit, it was massive and completely bloated with pus. He must feel so much better with it deflated...

 

[Pinecones]

As far as we can tell teh sows are bred. We've seen no signs of heat. So far he's done a good job of that!

We stock up on a year's supply of feed in the fall, we only leave if we need to go to town for supplemental groceries or something specific in the winter. But our vehicle we have to snowmobile down to is out of commission right now anyway, we're totally grounded til parts come in and I get a chance to fix it. Workin' with what we have here...

 

[farmerjan]

Then I would just keep doing like you are doing. If it keeps draining then you are ahead of the game. Sooner or later if there is any foreign body in there it will get flushed out. I think that what you are doing is probably as good as anything the vet could do and since you are not close/able to get to town for anything else,,,,,

Where are you located? Could you put it in your avatar section? Helps for people like me to remember since I have a memory like a seive about things like that.
No offense, but I am glad that I am not snowmobiling in and out. Once I used to like it, lived up north in New England..... now that I am older, not so much......

 

[Baymule]

Where are you located and can you please put a general location in your avatar?

 

[Baymule]

Haha, we were both posting the same thing!

 

[farmerjan]

I don't think I would pack it. Let it drain and just keep flushing.

 

[Sheepshape]

Lovely pig, and well done to you for your surgery.

I've never personally treated an abscess on a pig, but have done so on sheep, chickens and dogs......I guess the principle is the same. If the porker is fairly well in himself then he doesn't have a systemic infection and the bugs are confined to the abscess which will be thick-walled and will take time to heal. The pus now has a way out and the abscess will not close until he's no longer producing lots of pus. Squeezing out the pus followed by irrigation of the abscess cavity with sterile saline/ hydrogen peroxide solution/ a few drops of tea tree in boiled and cooled water, squirted into the abscess cavity with a syringe will clean it up. Packing with a sterile wick or gauze is optional. I wouldn't try to close the incision.

Sounds as though he'll 'live to grunt another day' and produce more Little Piggies to me.

 

[Sheepshape]

Seems that there several of us l throwing in our thoughts about the need to pack an abscess at the same time......the consensus? No need.

 

[Baymule]

I use a slightly saline antiseptic tea made from usnea and holy basil. Taboo for a lot of folks, but I use usnea anywhere I need antibiotics these days and it hasn't failed me yet. I had a cat with a ripped open eyelid and an eye full of blood this summer, gave her daily flushes of this tea and she healed with no infection, no scar, and no loss of vision that we can detect. Just one example. I can't praise usnea enough and it grows prolifically here.

Nothing wrong with using what works and doesn't cost you anything. I bought herbal books to study and usnea is recognized as an antibiotic. If you would be so kind as to post how you collect and process it, I would certainly appreciate it. Pictures would be an added bonus.