flu

Question
QUESTION: We took our pig in today to be spayed, they cut her just in front of her hip and couldn't finish the job as they said she is too fat. We don't believe she is fat, she is 8 months old. Our question is, are PBP's spayed through the underside of the belly or through the side ,just forward of the back leg. We are a bit upset that she has been cut open for nothing. The vet has spayed about thirty pigs, but not PBP's. Thank you Ron & Michele

ANSWER: Pot-bellied pigs are normally spayed thru the belly, but the side incision method does work. The book Vererinary Care of Pot-Bellied Pigs by Lorrie Boldrick (Blackburn) DVM includes a photo of a normal spay incision (pg 116) and a brief description of the procedure. It's available from Amazon.

The Duchess Fund www.duchessfund.org provides information about pot-bellied pigs to veterinarians.

I'm sorry that your pig had to endure this. I don't know why your vet chose the side incision method. I do know that it's hard for pigs to breathe when they are on their backs, perhaps that was his concern?

Would your vet be willing to look at the material in the book or link above, or talk to a vet who has lots of pbp experience (there's a list on the duchess fund site)? I hope you and your vet can talk this through and it all works out.



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QUESTION: Can PBP's get colds and flu from humans. Thank you.

Answer
PBP can catch some illnesses from humans. Colds and flus are caused by viruses. Some viruses are species specific, that is, they affect one species only (or humans only) and have no effect on any other species. Others are zoonotic, which means they can jump from one species to another, or be passed from people to animals.

Most viruses are species specific. But the current flu virus, H1N1, can be transmitted from people to pigs. Also, common bacteria, like e. coli, can be passed between people and pigs, and causes a flu-like illness in both.