over grown toe

Question
i have recently got this pig from a friend. Hes very nice but when they gave hom to me his toe are very over grown. i dont think they were eer trimed his whole life. They are life at least half a foot long. what do i do

Answer
There's several ways to deal with pot-bellied pig feet. You can have a veterinarian trim the hooves, either at their office or your home, or you can have a farrier (they do horse hooves & shoes) come to your home, or you can do them yourself.

Farriers are available only in areas where people have horses. And if there is a local farrier, he or she may not feel comfortable doing pig feet. But, farriers often charge less than veterinarians.

Finding a veterinarian to treat pot-bellied pigs isn't always easy. There's a list of vets here
http://www.farec.org/us-vets.htm  Most vets prefer to put the pig under and work on the hooves while the pig is unconscious. The problem here is that any time a pig is put under anesthesia there is a risk of death. On the other hand, when the pig is out, it's easy to trim the hooves, check the teeth, etc.

Finally, there's the do-it-yourself method (a few vets use this method too). If the pig is cooperative, get him down for a belly rub. While one person is rubbing, the other can trim or cut the feet. But, most pigs don't care for this. In that case, you'll need several people to hold the pig still, while one person does the trimming. The pig will be VERY unhappy and will scream VERY loudly, and that's why some people feel this method is too stressful for the pig. However, no pig has ever died from being held during a hoof trim, while many pigs have died from being under anesthesia.

If the hooves are very long and thick, it might be easier to cut them back dramatically first with a cutting wire, then trimmed to shape with clippers or sanded with a dremel or wood file.

There's more information and a link to a hoof trimming video here http://www.cppa4pigs.org/Health_Maintenance_-_Genera.html  more information on hooves, and photos here http://www.piggyhooftrimming.com/ and another video here http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=61243803

Dremel tools are available at most stores that sell other power tools. Pig hoof clippers are available from www.pigstuff.com and www.pigs4ever.com and www.rossmillfarm.com  For cutting wire, try jeffers.com or valleyvet.com