My two pigs are fighting

Question
QUESTION: I have two pot-bellied pigs, age 2 1/2. They are not littermates but I did get them at the same time as piglets. They have gotten along well and are always together and sleep together. One is dominant. 5 days a ago, the vet came do do an xray on the dominant pig, and he was sedated. As soon as I put him back in his pen, my other pig atacked him (I assume he thought this was his chance to move up the line?). I have now had to keep them seperated with only supervised visits and each time I try to put them togeher the smaller pig continues to attack now. I have now broken up over a dozen fights. Will this pass and should I continue to seperate for a while or keep trying to put them together with me being there to break things up. Thoughts ?

ANSWER: Yes, Pig #2 certainly saw this as his opportunity, or more accurately from his point of view, obligation, to step up and be leader. Herds of prey animals need strong, healthy leaders to survive, so he did the natural pig thing.

Another factor here is their age. These pigs are just at adulthood. They knew their positions in the herd as kids, now they need to find their place as adults.

The best thing to do is just leave them together and let them work it out between them. Pig #2 may become the dominant pig, for a short or long while. Put Vaseline on their ears so they can not grab hold and bite. Then put them together and the rest is up to them. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to watch. These pigs got along just fine for years, so they will work it out.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the advice Helen. The pig that had the x-ray still has a bit of a sore leg. He is now on medication to help that. I thought I would keep them separated for the next week while his leg improves and the medication sets in so he can better defend himself. Then I will just go back to our normal daily routine and let them work it out. Lots of Vaseline to be included. Also, should I give them baths to get all the bite/blood scents off them ? Thank you very much !

Answer
I would bathe them more to get the blood off and make sure that any open wounds don't get infected. Pigs have a keen sense of smell, far more sensitive than any human. Also, medicine can change body odors. Usually it's something that people won't notice, but a pig will.

If you can easily keep them separated then yes, it's a good idea to do that for a week or so, but not a whole lot longer.