pigs tusks

Question
A friend past away several years ago and I took his two grown potbellied pigs.  They had not been handled because he got sick shortly after buying them.  They were given to us as two girls turned out one is a male.  One of his tusks is very close to growing into his face.  I am feeling desperate.  I have tried for YEARS to find a vet that will treat potbellied pigs.  A retired small animal vet has offered to assist but has no experience.  He can sedate the pig for us.  I don't want any one to get hurt but something has to be done quick.  I watched a video on putting a pig on his back. Easier said than done. He is probably 150 lbs.  I tried to put him on his back.  I can handle the pigs only while eating.  Can I try to flip him over when he is eating or will he choke? I can order a wire to cut the tusk and see one at valley vet (a cattle J-18 wire.)  Is this ok?  Would a pig snare be a good way to go?  Please please any advice would be great.  Thank you so much for your time.

Answer
I understand your frustration. It can be very difficult to find a vet who will see pot-bellied pigs. There's a list of vets who do see pet pigs at www.farec.org

A tusk growing back into a cheek is a problem that needs to be addressed, but it's seldom an emergency situation. So if your pig will cooperate, you can take several days or even weeks to trim it back, a little at a time.

Be VERY careful with cutting wire. It gets very hot and can cut flesh like butter. Use gloves when working with cutting wire. STOP OFTEN, let the tusk and wire cool as necessary. In a veterinary office, an assistant would be flushing the wire constantly with water to keep things cool. In a home setting, this is not possible, so you'll have to STOP frequently to allow the wire to cool.

If you can handle him while he's eating, you might be able to mess with him a bit while he sleeps. Visit him later at night, start by talking softly, work your way up to belly rubs, then touching his face and mouth. At that point, you can start cutting the tusk with a thin, rigid file. It's ok if you can get only a few swipes each night, after a while, you'll make a deep cut. If the cut is deep enough, the tusk may break off on it's own.

You do not have to flip or sedate a pig to trim a tusk. You will need at least two brave volunteers. While piggy is eating, push him on to one side as gently as possible. Or, while piggy is sleeping, sneak in and keep him down.

Get the pig laying down on one side, problem tusk side up. One volunteer lays across the body of the pig, using body weight to keep the pig pinned but not crushed, supporting himself (or herself) on knees and hands or elbows. The second person uses their body weight on the pigs shoulders, and holds the pigs lips away from the tusk. You use the cutting wire to slice through the tusk. STOP FREQUENTLY to let the wire cool. When it's cut most of the way through, try snapping it off.

Cutting the tusk in the direction they naturally break can prevent the problem, or at least slow it down. Cut it so that the side towards the cheek is longer, the outside side away from the cheek it shorter. Don't worry if the cut isn't at the perfect angle. It will take a long time to regrow, and may not be a problem again. Remember to stop often to let the wire cool.

There's always a risk when sedating pigs. The older and heavier the pig, the higher the risk. If you choose to go this route with the vet, there's resources for vets to determine the correct drug and dosage from www.farec.org and Duchess Fund at www.petpig.com