Piglets

Question
QUESTION: 1 of our sows was a first time mother and didn't really do a good job of NOT stepping or laying on her babies, 6 of them died and I have one that's hanging in there she's about 1 1/2 weeks old, She has gained alot of weight, she is looking great in my eyes, But she has this dry flaky skin, and she is iching alot, We have her in a box w/ a heating lamp, and she's right next to the wood stove in our home, Is this too much heat for her skin??? she's also going bald where the dry flaky spots are too... Any Suggestions on what I could do???

ANSWER: Piglets need a lot of warmth so as long as she can move away from the heat if she wishes, it's best to let her have the heat.

Pig skin and human skin is so much alike that pig skin is grafted on to human burn victims. Also, pigs do not lick themselves the way dogs and cats do, so there is no danger of a pig ingesting a lotion off the skin. So it's Ok to use any non-greasy human lotion on piggy. Corn Huskers Lotion, Udder Cream, Avon Skin so Soft are all nationally available and work great.

Choose an unscented one if you can. Some pigs are overly sensitive to the fragrances used in cosmetics, and will drop and roll or shake their head at the smell.

She may have mange. If so, she'll need to see a vet for treatment. The drugs used to treat mange are available over the counter, but are not recommended for babies, and using them could be fatal.

Goats milk and sow replacement formulas are the best things for her to be eating, and now is a good time to start adding a few piglet starter pellets to every meal. Let them get good and squishy! She is old enough to eat out of a pan, too. It's a messy business, but better for the piglet. Pigs tend to aspirate easily, and bottle feeding can push the liquid down into the lungs.

Enjoy your baby!


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QUESTION: I'm actually using a recips i found on the internet because i do not have access to goats milk... I use 1 cup Raw Cows milk, 1 egg yolk, and fish oil plus citric acid, which the citric acid is already in the fish oil, but she was doing great swallowing her food, but now when she trys to swallow, it just runs out of her mouth. I'm actually really concerned if she is getting enough... I'm feeding her with a seringe because i do not have any bottles on hand... I also tried feeding her out of a dish and she just steps in it and snorts it up her nose, and then she sneezes alot... Her equalibrium isn't just quite right yet... Is there anymore suggestions that you could give... Thanks so much

Answer
Sow replacement formula is available over the internet from Valley Vet Supply www.valleyvet.com and Jeffers Supply http://www.jefferspet.com/department/swine-1593.cfm .

She may need extra iron, selenium, or vitamin E. Your vet can give her a Bo-Se (E & Selenium) shot, and, after a simple blood test, iron. Vitamin E deficiencies make piglets very susceptible to iron toxicity (iron overdose), so even tho extra may be essential, it's easy to overdose.

A baby this size should be eating 25% - 30% of her body weight daily. In other words, if she's 1 lb, she should be eating at least 4 - 5 oz daily.

Also, don't give her chilly food, make sure it's slightly warm. If you're heating in a microwave, stir it up really well after warming, then let it sit for a minute.