VERY sick pig

[christytrav]

So we got 6 Yorkshire pigs(pink ones) 6 weeks ago. They were trucked in. Several of them had coughs when we got them. We treated the one w/ penicillin that had the worst cough. The others seemed to get better on their own with the exception of one. She seemed to be getting better and then took a quick turn for the worse. about a week ago I went out and she appeared to be having a siezure. I called the vet and he recommended 4cc of Penicillin everyday for 7 days. At day 2 she could not walk and was no longer eating and drinking. Day 4 she started to turn around and was getting up wobbly and eating & drinking. She stumbles and seems to be very disoriented, falling down and running into things. Day 7(yesterday) she seemed to be almost cured. Today she is falling down and stumbling and running into things again. She is eating and drinking. I have called the vet several times w/ no return call. Does anyone have any ideas on what we should do next? My husband is going to put her down if she doesn't turn around within the week. We have seperated her and have her in a stall in our barn under a heat lamp. It is 50* here. We started our piglets on the medicated pig start and switched them over to hog grower about 2 weeks ago. She weighs about 45 lbs. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[animalfarm]

This has gone on too long already for good results. Up the dose of penicillan to 15 cc. Use a 1.5 inch needle and inject into the neck (never in the ham). This dose is against the rules, but pigs have very poor circulation and you need to make sure enough actually gets into the pig. They also have a thick fat layer that must be penetrated by the needle. She is dead either by gun or by treatment or she survives treatment and makes it to butchering. You are between a rock and a hard place.

Myself, I would have treated all of the pigs at the onset as they can be very prone to some of those strep bugs that cause spinal and neuralogical problems. One big dose of the pen. and she should show signs of improvment within 24 hrs. if there is any hope.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Sorry I am SO late to this conversation How old were the piglets when you got them? Have they been wormed? Coughing can be a sign of worms & if so penicillin will not do anything for them. If they are as sick as you say then you need a stronger drug. Excede is very expensive - $125 a bottle around here BUT is more effective than penicillin. Also you may want to try some Probiotics to help boost their digestive system. We use Probios - you should be able to buy it at your local agricultural store. We purchase it online in 25lb buckets.

Hope they get better,

Liz

 

[christytrav]

The vet finally made it out here on Saturday. He said her lungs sounded like a barrel of bolts and she had a high fever still. He figured she was too far gone and would die. She is still alive today, still stumbling around but eating, drinking and pooping just fine. We are hesitant to continue raising her for food. She is definately deaf and blind in one eye, that may be part of her disorientation problems. Thanks for all who replied for us. looks like we will probably be putting her down soon.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

She is definately deaf and blind in one eye, that may be part of her disorientation problems.

Did she come to you like that or did she get an injury? Sorry she is not doing well.

Liz

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Sounds like some sort of pneumonia to me. My pigs caught it at the fair last year. The vet had to give higher than normal doses of Baytril to knock it out, plus Banamine for the pain/fever. One had nerve damage because of the fever and her head was slightly tilted to the side. I was told the first 12 hours are the most crucial for a sick pig of this caliber, so I would recommend putting her down.