woodticks

Question
This is my 2nd potbelly pig- she is 2 yrs old about 40 pds, lives inside. The past 2 weeks I have found about 20 wood ticks on her. And I continue to. Most of them have bitten her cuz she has red swollen bumps and they are not easy to take off. Our Vet says pigs don't get limes, however she is acting really strange -In one day she is shaky and scared of everything, since she only poo's outside, she hasn't gone in 2 days. We have tried fav. treats, She wants to come out and tries but shakes and runs back in. At first I thought she couldn't see cuz her nose is straight up smelling in all directions, walking slow & cautiously. She doesn't leave my side inside too, 2 days ago she was very independent! Thank you Helen.

Answer
Generally, most fleas and ticks are not a big problem in adult because they have trouble biting through thick pig skin. They can attach on the soft skin around armpits, the belly and behind the ears. Big, nasty ticks can and do bite on the softer skin areas.

You can use any insect repellent made for people on your pig to discourage ticks. You can put any soothing lotion made for people on the bites on your pig.

I have not found any documented instances of a pig catching Lyme disease from a tick. Pigs and humans are very much alike. So much alike that pig skin is used to treat human burn victims and pig hearts are used to fix human hearts. Given this similarity, it's hard to believe that pigs are naturally immune to Lyme disease. What is more likely, is that their thick skin prevents most insect bites and thereby reduces their chance of catching any insect borne illness.

Lyme disease infects different kinds of animals, but can be transmitted only by Deer Ticks. No other ticks can carry Lymes.

The immediate symptoms of Lymes include a peculiar circular red rash, chills, fever and headache. Later symptoms include arthritis and heart problems. These don't seem to match your piggy's symptoms.

If piggy is acting frighten and sniffing, it's most likely that something frightened her. She may smell urine from a dog or other predator who visits your yard when you are not watching. She may have been taunted by a neighbor or passerby. If she is a very small pig, and you live in an area with very large predatory birds, she may have been attacked or harassed by a hawk, eagle or black vulture.

Products designed to discourage garden pests often include predator urine, or something that smells similar. The smell is supposed to frighten away raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, deer, etc. If a product like this was used near the door, it could be what's disturbing the piggy.

Pigs will also panic if they slip and trip or fall. A stumble over the doorstep on the way inside might go practically unnoticed by us, but could throw piggy for quite a loop.

Piggy needs to poop, that is the first priority. Feed piggy some canned pumpkin, and take her for a car ride in a crate. Expect the crate to quickly fill with poop.

Next, wash the area around the door. Wash walls, decks, walkways, etc with any product designed to clean outside surfaces. Hose down shrubberies, try to wash them off really well. Open the door, sit right outside with some treats, and see if piggy will come to you for the goodies.

If she still hesitates, make sure there's nothing for her to stumble or trip over at the door.