Pig down!

[Pinecones]

First- we are remote and without vet access. Don’t tell me to see a vet, it’s not possible.

3 weeks ago one of our kune kunes (6~ months old) got chilled and got frostbite on her ear tips. She was feverish and lethargic and needy the next day when we discovered her. The other kunes were fine.

We kept her inside for about a week and treated her for pneumonia until she was her restless spunky self again. At the time her symptoms were dark ears and nose, wheezing and ragged labored breathing, coughing, fever, refusal of food and water, and lethargy.
She spent 2 weeks or so with the other kunes after recovery and was about 90% her old self. Moving a bit slow but eating and being a pig.

But she went down again and is back in the house with us now. This will be her second night indoors.
She has no fever and no cough. She is not wheezing or struggling for breath. She drinks well and her urine is relatively clear and odorless. Her appetite is small but she eats small amounts very slowly. Haven’t caught a poop yet.

Her symptoms now are bluing of ears, skin, and nose. Intense lethargy. Poor appetite. Jolting with exhaling (not always though). And she goes rigid when I put pressure of any kind on her shoulders. She’s an affectionate pig and is fine with all other touch. Just not her shoulders/neck right now.

I have no idea what to think. No runny stool or diahrrea. Back end is clean and normal. Mouth and gums are pink. No coughing or wheezing. Her temp is fine but her ears and about are blue and cold. She seems like she’s in pain. She just wants to bury her face and sleep.

Treating her for lung infection/pneumonia today doesn’t seem to have changed anything.
Our other 4 pigs are 110%, excellent health.

Suggestions would be appreciated. I’m worried she won’t pull through if I don’t know what’s wrong. I haven’t been able to find any literature online about what I’m seeing here.

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYH from NE TX! So glad you joined us, but sorry for the reason that brought you here. You didn't mention where you're located but frostbite tells me someplace cold. @misfitmorgan raises pigs in central Michigan, so deals with cold/snow/ice/etc. Maybe she can help or offer some feedback, though hers aren't Kune Kunes. Also, I believe @High Desert Cowboy works with hogs in Utah, and they get some pretty cold conditions. By tagging them, I hope one or the other will be along, and there are other pig owners here as well who might be able to help. I listed those two because of the cold. There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. You'll get to "meet" folks at the same time. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Oh, and we all love pics, so post them anytime you feel the need! Please make yourself at home!

PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself. Old folks like me will never remember from this post & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!

 

[misfitmorgan]

First- we are remote and without vet access. Don’t tell me to see a vet, it’s not possible.

3 weeks ago one of our kune kunes (6~ months old) got chilled and got frostbite on her ear tips. She was feverish and lethargic and needy the next day when we discovered her. The other kunes were fine.

We kept her inside for about a week and treated her for pneumonia until she was her restless spunky self again. At the time her symptoms were dark ears and nose, wheezing and ragged labored breathing, coughing, fever, refusal of food and water, and lethargy.
She spent 2 weeks or so with the other kunes after recovery and was about 90% her old self. Moving a bit slow but eating and being a pig.

But she went down again and is back in the house with us now. This will be her second night indoors.
She has no fever and no cough. She is not wheezing or struggling for breath. She drinks well and her urine is relatively clear and odorless. Her appetite is small but she eats small amounts very slowly. Haven’t caught a poop yet.

Her symptoms now are bluing of ears, skin, and nose. Intense lethargy. Poor appetite. Jolting with exhaling (not always though). And she goes rigid when I put pressure of any kind on her shoulders. She’s an affectionate pig and is fine with all other touch. Just not her shoulders/neck right now.

I have no idea what to think. No runny stool or diahrrea. Back end is clean and normal. Mouth and gums are pink. No coughing or wheezing. Her temp is fine but her ears and about are blue and cold. She seems like she’s in pain. She just wants to bury her face and sleep.

Treating her for lung infection/pneumonia today doesn’t seem to have changed anything.
Our other 4 pigs are 110%, excellent health.

Suggestions would be appreciated. I’m worried she won’t pull through if I don’t know what’s wrong. I haven’t been able to find any literature online about what I’m seeing here.

Do you have any pictures? Any eye discharge? Is she currently bred?

 

[Rammy]

I was wondering about tetanus. Im a little concerned about the blueness. Worried it means lack of oxygen somehow? Hope you figure it out.

 

[misfitmorgan]

I was wondering about tetanus. Im a little concerned about the blueness. Worried it means lack of oxygen somehow? Hope you figure it out.

There is actually more then on pig disease/virus that will cause edema of the ears....aka blue ears.

 

[Rammy]

Oh, ok. I had just seen something about that on a tv show so I got concerned.

 

[Baymule]

I only raise feeder pigs and haven't had to deal with sickness. But I wanted to welcome you to the forum and I hope your pig gets better.

For dehydration you can make your own electrolyte solution. In a quart of water mix 5 tablespoons of sugar and 1 table spoon of salt. You can syringe a little at a time in the animal's mouth if they are not drinking. Refrigerate the mix, it will last several days, then throw it out. You can make a smaller amount using a pint jar and change the tablespoons to teaspoons.

Sorry I am not of any help as far as a diagnosis of your pig.

 

[Pinecones]

Location; NW Montana @ 5300ft elevation. It was around 0 the night she got nipped. They were in the barn. Her sister was totally fine though, so there may be a health factor in why the cold got her and no one else?

Eye discharge; a bit of brown staining drainage yes, no goop though

She shouldn’t be bred. She was not with the boar when this happened and hasn’t cycled that we’ve seen. Her sister cycled for the first time about a week ago. I would be absolutely stunned if she was pregnant. She was only with the boar when they were under 3-4 month old. (The boar is 1 month older)

She isn’t dehydrated. She’s not eating much but isn’t skinny. She is now noticeably smaller than her sister though, so she’s maintaining her weight but not growing.

She ate a large apple and a full bowl of oatmeal with raisins during the night. It sounded like her stomach was jumping/heaving for about 15 minutes after. Occasionally she would burp a little bit. That’s the first time I’ve witnessed that. Nothing came of it though. She’s drinking well and vocalizing softly this morning. Still breathing oddly and very slow to get around. Color is still scary.


I know bluing is a problem with circulation or oxygenation. Much like chickens. Thats why I’m perplexed. She’s not displaying symptoms of pneumonia. Her symptoms, aside from the bluing, seem pain related.

 

[Pinecones]

Not suspecting tetanus. She has no wounds, punctured, or infections. Her mouth ya working properly. And this is dragging on for many days without decline.

 

[Pinecones]

Dadgum auto correct. Sorry. Her mouth/jaw IS working properly