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Help! Ear

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Cat906

Cat906

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I took out Butter today and noticed a big tear in her ear. I think she had a little notch there but can't be 100% sure. She is in a hutch with another sow. I've seen them squabble but never any nipping before. If anything Butter has always been the dominant one who bosses Coco around. So....

1. What do I do right now- clean it? With what? Does it need vet attention?
2. Could this have happened by catching it on something or is it definitely a bite from Coco?
3. Is Butter ok to go back in the hutch with Coco?
 
Hi!

Please disinfect it the ear with hibiscrub or saline solution (either sterile from the pharmacy or made at home by mixing one teaspoon of salt into 1 pint/500g of boiled, cooled water.

The injury is likely to be due to the ear being caught by a nail than a bite; it has likely happened in a spot where Butter couldn't get out of the way quickly enough.

See how the girls go when meeting in a neutral space. If it was a bite and a serious tussle, there is going to be some serious grudge going on between them and Butter will not at all be happy to see her companion. if it was due to an accident, they should continue to get on. Just remove any hideys with only one exit.
 
Thanks. I have disinfected it. I've separated them for tonight and will try a mini- integration tomorrow and see how it goes.
If it was a fight will I see a reaction as soon as I put them together or will it be more subtle?
 
Cat906 said:
Thanks. I have disinfected it. I've separated them for tonight and will try a mini- integration tomorrow and see how it goes.
If it was a fight will I see a reaction as soon as I put them together or will it be more subtle?
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You will either see some teeth chattering pretty quickly or Butter staying away from her mate as much as possible with a very tense, stiff body that clearly signals stress if she is not happy being back together.
 
Seriously hoping it was an accident though. I feel awful at separating them as piggies always need a friend. Couldn't imagine what it would be like if I had to do it permanently- a major disaster. They are outdoors hutch pigs so it's not as simple as putting a divider in their cage or putting another one alongside so they can see each other. I have never seen them properly fighting- just chasing and nose raising. Especially never seen Coco be aggressive in any way. Can it go so wrong so quickly?
 
Cat906 said:
Seriously hoping it was an accident though. I feel awful at separating them as piggies always need a friend. Couldn't imagine what it would be like if I had to do it permanently- a major disaster. They are outdoors hutch pigs so it's not as simple as putting a divider in their cage or putting another one alongside so they can see each other. I have never seen them properly fighting- just chasing and nose raising. Especially never seen Coco be aggressive in any way. Can it go so wrong so quickly?
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It is very difficult to say when it happens in your absence. Accidents are more frequent than actual fights/face-offs, so hopefully, they will go back together. Just make sure that there is always an escape route and that the girls can get away from each other. It can well be Coco being cornered and trying to get away from Butter. In my experience, most (shallow) bites to the mouth and scratches have happened in situations like that, and they were usually accidental hits through misjudgement. Real fights amongst sows are rare. You will have to see how badly it has affected the girls and whether there is some grudge and whether the dominance when they re-establish the hierarchy goes well.

How old are they?
 
Thank you that is reassuring. Looking forward to putting them together tomorrow and seeing how it goes to hopefully put my mind at rest. I think they are about 7 months ish. I've had them since January with no problems, but I can't be sure how old they were when we got them.
 
They've always been quite a snuggly pair so hopefully it will be quite obvious if there is a problem
 
It can just have been Coco being in season and somewhat confrontational/wanting to renegotiate the hierarchy terms. They are too young for aggression caused by ovarian cysts, which was why I was asking.
 
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