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Baby pig wit diarrhoea

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Netpon

Netpon

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I got a 6 week old piggy last Saturday as a companion for my boar. He's very skinny and I've had to treat him for lice.

Today he has developed diarrhoea, he's still very bright and active. Does he need veterinary treatment fir this or is there anything I can do at home and should I separate him from the other pig?
 
Hi! Please have him seen by a vet as soon as possible, preferably today! youngsters with diarrhea can go downhill very quickly.

Take him off any fresh food; hopefully his poo will firm up again within a day, but he should still be seen by a good vet, especially as he has come with other parasitic problems. Most shop or backyard breeder piggies haven't anything/much in the way of fresh veg and their guts are not used to them.

If you are in the UK, we have a locator for piggy savvy vets on the bar under the forum logo.

Here is more information: http://www.guinealynx.info/diarrhea.html
 
Thank you, I've booked him in to see a vet this afternoon . Hope he's ok. I've never had one with diarrhoea before
 
Should I keep him away from the other pig?
 
Absolutely. I don't like keeping pigs together if one is slightly ill, the stress of an ill pig isn't good for either. The well pig could bully the weak one.

Also, it's Impotant to quaratine new piggys before introducing them into an existing environment of other pigs. If shop bought, it's essential you adhere to the two weeks quaratine system, separate rooms etc. not crossing of bedding, bottles or food trays.

What food have they been eating? There is no substitute for a vet, so you are doing the right thing, also it's a good idea to weigh your ill pig daily until its feeling better.
 
Hope the vets goes ok and your piggie will be fine, let us know how he gets on
 
I would wait until you have seen the vet and have got his opinion. The little one has an overwhelming need for company; it may upset the baby more separating him than it is worth.
 
Wiebke said:
I would wait until you have seen the vet and have got his opinion. The little one has an overwhelming need for company; it may upset the baby more separating him than it is worth.
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I did think that, I put them in separate cages to clean them out and they were both making lots of noise, little baby was doing full on loud squeaks
 
Unless the vet advises separation, I would always leave them together as separation often causes stress which can compound illness. Little piggys in particular need comfort and stability from a friend. If the vet feels the problem is infectious then you may need to separate but as they have been together so far it would be unlikely to help.

Hope he feels better soon.....
 
Thanks for all your advice. The vet was worried about him, he's very skinny and the vet thinks he's small for his age. He suspects internal parasites as he was covered in lice when I got him. He's not keen on giving him antibiotics so he's given me some recovery powder to mix with water and syringe and said to repeat the Xeno in 2 weeks and make sure he's got plenty of hay and water. He said to weigh him every day or two to make sure he's putting on weight. If it continues I've got to take in a sample to send off

I'm treating the adult pig with Xeno as well in case he has picked anything up from the little one, so I think I will put them together..... I hope its the right thing to do
 
Netpon said:
Thanks for all your advice. The vet was worried about him, he's very skinny and the vet thinks he's small for his age. He suspects internal parasites as he was covered in lice when I got him. He's not keen on giving him antibiotics so he's given me some recovery powder to mix with water and syringe and said to repeat the Xeno in 2 weeks and make sure he's got plenty of hay and water. He said to weigh him every day or two to make sure he's putting on weight. If it continues I've got to take in a sample to send off

I'm treating the adult pig with Xeno as well in case he has picked anything up from the little one, so I think I will put them together..... I hope its the right thing to do
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Sounds sensible to start with. Antibiotics will be no use for aprasites and they are harsh on the gut, so would probably make things worse. Just keep a really close eye on him and his weight. Piggies of that age should be slowly and steadily putting on weight so he needs to be eating plenty. If he doesn't put weight on or ven maintain his current weight you need to go back before two weeks. That is too long for such a small piggy to not be getting enough food.

Paws crossed the xeno works and he starts gaining weight.
 
Please be very careful when syringing so that nothing is going down the wrong way! it is even more important with tiny youngsters like that. Rather use a spoon or a 1ml syringe whose tin tip you have cut off. Also make sure that you keep him hydrated. The trick is to feed little but often, around the clock. Ideally you are aiming to get the equivalent of 120 ml into him in either solids or recovery food. With a seriously ill piggy that is often not easy, but your good care can make all the difference.
Wishing you all the best!

Here are more tips about hand feeding: http://www.guinealynx.info/handfeeding.html
Weighing: http://www.guinealynx.info/weigh.html
 
Thank you. He is still eating really well and took the syringed stuff well too. What sort of weight gain would be normal for a 7 week old boar?
 
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