Happy pigs are Healthy pigs - FAQ's

Bob Stevenson answers your frequently asked veterinary questions.

Q1. I have purchased some pigs to put in an area of woodland. Three of the four have not eaten for two days and are huddled in the kennel arrangement that I have built in the wood. I do not know whether I need to be worried because I have not kept pigs before. What would you suggest?

A As so often with pigs, the answers to simple important questions are much longer than the question itself. I can almost “hear” the suggestions from some, perhaps more experienced pig keepers! Such suggestions might vary from: I would give an injection of “penicillin” to “see whether they are eating tomorrow”. In my view neither is correct. In an era of evidence-based treatment you must closely inspect your pigs every day. You will need various degrees of encouragement in order to ensure that these, possibly grumpy/unwell pigs, stand up and move around and come out of the kennel. In the winter months you are likely to need a decent torch even if it is just to locate your pigs in the wood! Having carried out this closer inspection you will have a better indication as to whether the pigs have actually been filling themselves with the vegetable matter and rootled goodies in the wood and are merely sleeping it off or are indeed ill. Make contact again with the results of your closer inspections.

Q2. I discovered that a weaner in a litter group of 10 had died overnight. They are about 20Kg in weight and one other is behaving oddly and trying to climb up the wall of the stable that I keep them in. What could it be and is there something I ought to give the ill one? I think that it is something to do with the boar because I lost two pigs which behaved oddly in a previous litter.

A While it might seem natural to suspect the boar, he is rarely directly involved in this type of situation. This may well be a case of infection producing fairly rapid death and, what is clearly, bizarre behaviour. Alternatively what you outline might result from a form of poisoning. This is a situation when sitting on the fence is not an option! Both these pigs are likely to have resulted from infection with one of the types of pig meningitis. This is especially the situation if, in cold weather, the stable door has been closed at night to preserve heat. Such action reduces the air flow and the meningitis bacteria will increase and be breathed in by the pigs. Alternatively, again in the cold weather, this situation could result from deprivation of water, maybe because of freezing conditions overnight. This lack of water results in an increase in sodium chloride concentration in the pig’s blood and what amounts to salt poisoning. Doing nothing is not an option. Sending digital photographs as an attachment to an email if possible will assist before deciding the need to carry out an autopsy and/or come and see the group. We need accurate diagnosis in this situation. The remaining pigs will need a particular type of medication otherwise they will become affected and meantime please ensure you check that they all have ready and easy access to water..

Q3. I seem to have more loose dung on the floors of pens which contain growing pigs in groups of 12 to 15. The pigs are not growing as well as I would like. Could it be the anything to do with the pig feed?

A The feed often gets “blamed” for problems, most particularly when looseness of faeces appears. While pigs sometimes produce loose faeces even merging into a real scour when a diet is changed rapidly or when a new constituent is incorporated into a manufactured feed, this is relatively rare. If a “grower scour” is becoming something of a consistent finding, as may be the case here, then I would strongly advise you to have faeces analysed. The reason for this “seeking diagnosis” approach, much favoured by veterinarians, is to confirm which condition, out of a short list of possibilities, is involved. Swine dysentery, although not a NOTIFIABLE disease can be hugely damaging to the pigs and the pig keeper’s cash flow! Scour, which may but not always contain some blood, is a feature of swine dysentery. There is something of an upsurge in swine dysentery outbreaks recently. In the majority of situations that do not involve swine dysentery, a low grade looseness, when pig faeces appear more like “ cow pat faeces”, and the pigs look a bit “hairy” the cause is a bacteria Brachyspira pilosicoli . There are several other important infections that could also be involved. Whether or not you sell breeding stock or take pigs to shows, you must ensure that your veterinarian submits appropriate samples together with background information for diagnosis. The subsequent measures to both treat and control this looseness in pig faeces differ greatly varying from careful use of the correct antibiotic in water to the use of vaccination against ileitis.

Q4. I have four “point of service” gilts that I keep in an orchard. Yesterday one of the gilts did not emerge from her hut to feed and today she came out at feeding time but was sick. She produced a lot of yellow mucus containing liquid which did not contain any feed. What could cause this vomiting and should I do anything to help?

A This is something of a regular question. You will appreciate that pigs are omnivorous and will attempt to eat pretty well anything “animal, vegetable or even mineral”. Nature has built in something of a safety mechanism into the pig’s digestion in that they “throw up” pretty readily and easily. If food is obnoxious or contains certain toxic substances the pig will expel all the stomach contents and, in getting rid of potential harmful material, will exact “self cure”. In such a situation involving just one pig the probability is that nothing needs to be done unless vomiting persists. I am sometimes called to attend if the vomiting involves more than one individual and have recently been involved in a situation where badly stored feed resulted in mould developing and the pigs giving their opinion as to what they were being given by throwing it back! In an orchard situation fermented fallen apples and other materials often present on the ground of the typical UK orchard may well be involved. If the other gilts start being sick and any other signs develop then it can be due to certain pig diseases.

Q5. What is the best way to dispatch a piglet that is less than one day old?

A While not pleasant to contemplate, many people who keep breeding pig will be faced with this dilemma. The piglet that is clearly grossly deformed but still alive. The piglet that has been accidentally, or occasionally intentionally, damaged by its mother cannot be left to linger. Such piglets and even ones that are non viable because they are too small are best despatched. It is accepted in publications like the Pig Veterinary Society’s Casualty booklet, that for very small pigs a determined and hard blow to the skull of the piglet is a humane method. [The booklet mentioned is very worth while obtaining for reference. It will aid you in answering many of the most challenging welfare related questions]

Q6.Should I always give iron to my piglets?

A Milk from the sow is notoriously deficient in iron. A fast growing piglet will require 7mg of iron every day. Mother’s milk provides just 1 mg! We know that iron is an essential component of haemoglobin the red pigment that is carried by the red blood cells. Haemoglobin is essential for the oxygen carrying function of the blood and deficiency leads to “iron deficiency anaemia” in pigs. This is easily identified from blood samples, bur practically, can be determined in our non pigmented breeds by the pigs appearing obviously pale at about 10-21 days of age. A pale pasty scour can occur at this time. In many situations piglets grow adequately, if not to their maximum potential, without supplementary iron injections. This is especially so if the system allows the piglets access to iron containing soil. If you choose to supplement with iron, injection on the third day of age is indicated. Preparations containing iron can be given by moth but need to be given within 12 hrs of birth.


Disclaimer - The information provided on these pages is offered in good faith in response to hypothetical situations. You should always consult your own vet for specific veterinary advice for your own herd. The British Pig Association accepts no responsibility for any outcomes resulting from the use of this information.

[back to Owning a Pedigree Pig]