My piggy Wilbur

Question
Hello, I adopted a pot belly pig 2 weeks ago.And we are both itching really bad. He makes himself bleed and Im scratching all day and night. What do I do ?

Answer
Chances are your piglet has a form of mange. Mange is caused by a tiny parasite called a mite. There's different kinds of mites, swine mites are usually the only problem mite with pigs. Swine mange mites can live only on pigs, and their eggs can hatch only when laid on a pig. Mites may jump off the pig onto other pets or people, but those mites will not live more than a day or two and will not reproduce.

Adult pigs have thick, tough skin that is impervious to most parasites, like fleas. Mange in an adult pig is certainly swine mange. But piglets have soft skin that's much more susceptible to fleas, ticks, and mites of all sorts.

Your vet can identify the parasite by a skin scraping and prescribe the proper medicine. Mange medicine is given in two doses. The first dose kills all living mites. The second dose, two weeks later, kills the mites that hatched since the first dose. In severe infestations, a third or even fourth dose may be needed. If the problem is a different kind of mite (not swine mites), additional steps may be needed, like washing the bedding.

There's a list of vets that treat pot-bellied pigs at www.farec.org