Signs Of Fighting Or Illness? Help!

[Ocelot]

I have two 9 week old boars. Last week, I noticed Bob had a small cut on his nose. I've been looking out for signs of them fighting, as I know they should be separated if they hurt each other, but beyond a bit of growling, they have been ok (I've checked out the boar behaviour stickies on here). I decided Bob had maybe cut himself scratching and I've been keeping an eye on it. Anyway, this morning I noticed Bob now has several marks around his nose and it looks sore. I'm really worried as I'm not sure if this is something fungal or mites or something or whether Lenny has done it. Yesterday, they were in their run and Lenny was charging about a lot which was making Bob run about too - they seemed a bit jittery around each other and I've not really noticed Lenny's charging around make Bob seem so edgy before. Bob is really shy and wary of us so far so I really don't want to take him to the vet unless I have to as I think he'll find it really stressful. I'm not sure whether to separate them or to take them to the vet. He also has some white marks behind one ear. I'm thinking vet would be best to be on the safe side but do you think I should also keep them apart? I've attached pics ...
Thanks!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! If the cut is not from yesterday, then it is just a cut. If it was fungal, the infected area around it would grow steadily over the next few days and show balding and crusting over. Are the white areas by the ears powdery/crusty or just skin.

It doesn't look like a full-on bite, so it is not yet reason for a separation; but it is certainly time to keep a close eye on the boys. if things are jittery, please remove any hideys that have only one exit, so Bob can't get cornered and caught.

If your boys needs to be seen by a vet, please take both; that is a lot less stressful. In case of fungal and skin parasites, you always need to treat all piggies in contact with an affected one, anyway.

Tips For Vet Visits
Boars: Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[Ocelot]

White areas are on the back of one ear. The cut higher up on his nose (darker mark on white) was from last week and seems to be healing. The new bit is the two white marks on the right nostril and brownish marks on the left. Do you think it could be a low level bite rather than a full on one (if there is such a thing)? Poor wee thing. I will be watching closely. Thanks for your thoughts

 

[Wiebke]

White areas are on the back of one ear. The cut higher up on his nose (darker mark on white) was from last week and seems to be healing. The new bit is the two white marks on the right nostril and brownish marks on the left. Do you think it could be a low level bite rather than a full on one (if there is such a thing)? Poor wee thing. I will be watching closely. Thanks for your thoughts

Sorry, I didn't notice the bites and scrapes around the lips. Those look rather like bites, so the problem is worse than just a one-off swipe in the heat of the argument and it looks like more systematic bullying.

In that case, I would recommend to do a trial separation and see if Bob is perking up when away from his mate or whether he is still desperate for company. That should give you the clue as to where to go from there.

Some piggies cannot stand up for themselves, so the situation devolves into acute bullying instead of blowing up into a full-on fight.

 

[Ocelot]

Ok, I'll try a trial separation. Thanks again!

 

[Adelle]

Hi @Ocelot !

To me, the red and raw area under the fur looks like it could be a possible fungal issue, although it is impossible to say for sure from a picture ofcourse.

I think if your boys where to have been fighting, they would still be having frequent bickers that you would witness when you are at home.

Personally i would have him seen by a vet for a diagnosis, as it really is difficult to say for sure over the internet.

I hope your boys are alright and hopefully the little ones skin issues are under control soon x

 

[helen105281]

It does look like possible fungal to me too. See what the vet says, they may want to test for Ringworm, please note though that Ringworm is the only type of fungal that tends to show up in any tests. If you get a negative result it may be a different type. All tend to be treated the same way though.

 

[Ocelot]

Thanks for your comments. The vet thinks possible fungal. The boys seem very relaxed around each other and no signs of aggression so I'm hoping it is not fighting (although not brilliant re fungal).

 

[Adelle]

At least it is treatable and you know your boys can still live together as usual.

Here is some info on hygiene whilst treating your boy as some fungal issues can be highly infections to us humans:
Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures

What treatment has your vet given him?

 

[Ocelot]

Thanks for the link - it doesn't look like any of the pictures, but perhaps it's just in the early stages. I found a vet using the vet locator on here. She said it could be expensive to test for/treat ringworm so suggested using Daktarin Gold (human antifungal) for 7-10 days and see if it clears up. Do you think that's a bit dodgy?

 

[Claire W]

Thanks for the link - it doesn't look like any of the pictures, but perhaps it's just in the early stages. I found a vet using the vet locator on here. She said it could be expensive to test for/treat ringworm so suggested using Daktarin Gold (human antifungal) for 7-10 days and see if it clears up. Do you think that's a bit dodgy?

I once used Daktarin Gold on a piggy of mine but her fungal infection was mild as it was passed on to her from her mum and as Ena was only a few weeks old at the time, my vet wanted to try that first before trying anything stronger.

Thankfully the infection cleared up but you do have to carry on using the cream for a week or so once the infection has cleared up.

 

[Adelle]

Thanks for the link - it doesn't look like any of the pictures, but perhaps it's just in the early stages. I found a vet using the vet locator on here. She said it could be expensive to test for/treat ringworm so suggested using Daktarin Gold (human antifungal) for 7-10 days and see if it clears up. Do you think that's a bit dodgy?

Topical anti-fungals can be used if it is mild- any further spread over more than a couple of days (it will worsen before it gets better) then head back to the vet for some oral treatment such as intrafungal.

All the best