Brown nose fungus

Question
Hi, Helen.  My 4 month old piglet has a brownish discoloration/light crust on and around her snout.  If it is cleaned firmly with Fungisan, the brown comes off.  However, it is back the next day.  Took her to vet, who gave Gentocin.  Fed good food, veggies, and vitamins.  Can you offer any help?  Thank you.

Answer
Pigs occasionally inhale dust or dirt while they're busy snurdling around. These dust particles are trapped on sticky mucus. The dirty mucus is expelled through the nose. Sometimes, it takes awhile to clean out all the dirt. Piggies have been known to snurdle up things like colored sand, and produce neon green snot for days after.

I am assuming that you and your vet have ruled out the possibility that piggy is snorting up something brownish, and the crust is dirty, dried mucus. I am also assuming that the vet checked piggies teeth and the problem is not due to a dental issue.

Fungisan is an antiseptic, which does a pretty good job of cleaning away dirt and germs. Gentocin contains antibiotics, which should clear up any infection lurking on the skin. Use the Fungisan first to clean the snout, then apply the Gentocin. Stubborn infections may require longer treatment or stronger antibiotics.

If the Gentocin doesn't work, then it may be necessary to do some lab tests, to figure out if the problem is really on the skin, or deeper in the body. If it is just the skin, it could be due to something in the environment, like dye from an old blanket, mold from old straw, or an allergy (strawberries are known to cause skin reactions in pigs). Or it may be a stubborn germ that requires a stronger antibiotic.

Other possibilities are a sinus or lung infection, a foreign object lodged in the sinuses, a bad tooth, or cancer.