iron overdose

Question
Hi my potbelly pig got into some Hot hands which the main ingredient is iron. so my problem is we believe she has overdosed. she has some bleeding from her back ( a wide line down her spine ) not sure if this was caused by the iron or if when she knocked my lamp over that it may have got her in some way. she is having problems with her back legs as well with getting up and such. when this happens she squeals like she is in bad pain. what would you suggest both for the iron overdose and the back legs prob. she is about 6 months old. can we give anything for the pain? I appreciate any info you can give me.

Answer
I am not a veterinarian and can not make a medical diagnosis over the internet.

In my opinion, this sounds like a combination of two or three different things. Iron overdose, Dippity Pig, and possible injury.

Iron is toxic and symptoms of overdose appear within hours. These include apathy, drowsiness, dyspnea or shortness of breath, incoordination, rear paralysis and diarrhea. I can not prescribe medicine over the internet, you'll need to contact a veterinarian or an Animal Poison Control hotline.

Dippity Pig is an odd skin condition that comes and goes quickly. The symptoms are blisters, welts, or open sores on the back that appear within hours. These must be very painful, because the pig "dips" or "drops" his rear to try to get away from the welts. Dippity disappears as quickly as it comes, often within 24 hours and it never lasts longer than 72 hours.

Finally, I can't be sure what happened with the lamp or what kind of lamp it was, but some lamps have parts that get very hot. A broken piece or light bulb could cause a cut or wound. So, it's possible that's the cause of the bleeding on the back.

There's a list of veterinarians that treat piggies here www.farec.org

Animal Poison Control Hotlines
National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPPC) of the University of Illinois 1-900-680-0000 or 1- 800-548-2423
Pet Poison Helpline 1-800-213-6680
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Hotline (888) 426-4435
Angell Animal Poison Control Hotline 1-877-2ANGELL