dippity pig or porcine stress syndrome?

Question
I rescued a pig in december of 2011.. he had several what i call attacks, where his back legs would not work and he would just lay there screaming like he was in pain. When i got him neutered the vet called it porcine stress sydrome, but from what i read on the internet seems more like dippity pig, without the lesions. I was his 5th home because his owners house had burned down, and he kept getting passed around. I had rescued another pig last summer from a shelter, so I thought id eventually introduce them to be companions.. He had 3-4 attacks all within a few short weeks, usually only lasting about 24 hours or so. I finally moved him outside when the weather was nice enough and kept them seperated for awhile so they could get used to each other through the fence. Once i introduced them and the bigger male established dominance, everything has been fine. For several weeks no problems and then oggie the younger one had an attack just a few days ago and then again today. The vet suggested i give him vitamin e in his food which i have been doing for about 3 months now. Up until now I assumed he was happier outside and thats why he hadnt been sick, but now its happening again. Any way, he seems to be in a lot of pain if i try to touch him, so i usually just pet his head and try to sooth him to sleep. The vet says its more that he is scared than in pain. Just wondering if you have any advice that might be helpful. I cant move him when he is like that, so i had to leave him laying there today and go to work, i felt so bad :(

Answer
I am not a veterinarian and can not make a medical diagnosis over the internet. This does not sound like Dippity. Pigs rarely get Dippity more than two or three times, and never more than once or twice a year.

Has piggy been x-rayed? This could be a back injury. Back injuries can be triggered by something as simple as slipping or tripping when walking, or getting a foot tangled in a blanket. Being loaded or unloaded into a crate can bother a back injury, and so can the vibrations of riding in a car. Stress can make things worse.

You might try giving him baby aspirin when he's really hurting. There's a list of vets at www.farec.org that work with pot-bellied pigs. If there's one close, you might want to contact them for a second opinion, especially if your pig has not been x-rayed. There are some vets who specialize in pot-bellied pigs and will work with other vets over the phone. If your vet is willing to do this, contact farec about getting in touch with a specialist.