mini-potbelly may have a cold

Question
Hello,
My mini potbelly's name is Sill. He is 9 months old. Recently he has started sneezing. He is also sleeping a bit more. Last night a bit of brownish discharge came from his nose when he sneezed. He has no problem eating, drinking or going to the bathroom. He is 40 lbs. Could this be just a common cold or could it be something worse??? How do you treat a cold in potbelly pigs??
Thanks

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

Colds and flus are caused by germs and virus. Most germs and virus are species specific, that is, they attack only one particular animal (dog, cat) or only humans. They can not jump the barrier between animals, or between people and animals. The "Dog Flu" that is affecting dogs in the United States this year, the H3N8 virus, affects only dogs, not people or other animals.

Unfortunately, some germs and virus can jump that barrier. These are called zoonotic. The "Swine Flu" that's been in the media for a year or so, the H1N1 virus, is zoonotic. It is easily passed from people to pigs. And it poses a big risk to our pot-bellied pigs, because it is far deadlier to pigs than to people.

Pigs stick their noses into lots of things, and so they sometimes get sneezing or coughing fits. These should pass fairly quickly, in a day or so. Sometimes if piggy has inhaled something colored, the discharge from the nostrils will be tinged that color. Again, this should pass quickly.

Usually the danger sign is lack of appetite. A pig that does not eat is seriously ill and needs a vet right away.

But, with the prevalence of H1N1, it's ability to cause pneumonia if left untreated, and the fact that pigs are prone to pneumonia, the risk of a serious illness is much higher than normal. Due to these factors, I would rather err on the side of caution and get a pig to the vet sooner, even in situations where I would normally take a "wait and see" attitude.

In cases where human family members were afflicted with H1N1 and passed it to their pet pigs, the pigs recovered completely in less than a week.

So if your pig has been sick for more than a couple of days, I suggest calling your vet. Your vet can take a blood test to identify any germs or virus, take piggy's temperature to check for fever, listen to piggy's lungs to make sure there's no fluid build up, and might want to prescribe antibiotics or anti-inflamatory drugs.

There's a list of vets that see pot-bellied pigs here http://www.petpigs.com/vet_location.html