Orphan piglet

Question
QUESTION: I also sent this to the other experts in this category...I hope this is ok!

Hi, On Nov. 15th I got a 4 day old piglet (the mother had allegedly killed 4 piglets leaving 3 alive so the people pulled them out to bottle feed).  I asked about colostrum and the lady gave some vague answer that basically said to me that she didn't know.  I realize that unlike puppies/kittens the piglets must have colostrum but I decided to take a chance and bring her home.  I have already bottle raised one piglet this year and I have a mature pot bellied pig as well.  We have a farm and seems like we're always bottle feeding something (goats, calves, etc).  At any rate she has been doing extremely well until last night (Dec 2) when she did not want to eat all of her late night bottle.  She had been up to 2 oz 4x a day.  I am feeding goat's milk.  She has a heating pad and is inside the house and has been very alert and eager to drink her bottle.  Then all day today she would act like she wanted the bottle but would latch on for a couple of seconds and then just start screeching.  Also during the wee hours of the morning today she woke me up making a strange noise.  Almost like she was panting but she was not too hot and I think this is a little cough.  I have an appointment at the vet for tomorrow afternoon but she's admittedly not a pig specialist.  I'm mostly concerned that it could be one of 2 things - aspiration pneumonia or something resulting from her not getting enough colostrum (in horses it's failure of passive transfer but I don't know what it is termed in pigs).  She has been urinating normally and her poop is normal as well.  At any rate any advice you have is greatly appreciated.  This little girl is so cute and I want to do everything I can to help her!  Thank you!

ANSWER:  Welcome to the world of Pigs!
Farm and feral  pigs "must" have colostrum, potbellied pigs don't.
Which is this?
The more details you can provide, the better.
Goat's milk is the best, good for you.
Pigs must be pan fed, not bottle fed, because aspiration pneumonia is the #1 cause of death in bottle fed pigs. If milk comes out her nose or the bottle is held upright, she probably has AP.
She needs to be on injections of antibiotics and films of her lungs. Lasck of colostrum would not cause this, to my knowledge.
BLESS you for rescuing this poor pig !
Hugs, and good luck,
Pris  valentinesperformingpigs.com

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PJ Piglet   QUESTION: PJ is a pot bellied piglet. I was wrong about when I got her.  I got her on Nov 22 not Nov 15 so she was born on Nov 18 which makes her 16 days old today.   I got her vet appt moved up to this morning b/c she was breathing very shallow and fast.  The vet said she does have pneumonia but he did not think it was related to the bottle.  She has been fed the bottle in the proper position and never had milk come out of her nose.  She got an injection of antibiotic and meds to go home with.  She drank an ounce of milk just a minute ago so hopefully it's early enough that she will recover quickly with the antibiotics.  Thank you for your response! I'm attaching a pic of her.

ANSWER:  SHE IS ADORABLE!
I can tell she is ill because either she is cold or sick because her hair is standing on end. That is a sign all is not well.
Since  aspiration pneumonia is so common, I would bet our house (with the cars thrown in) that she aspirated milk.
Virtually all bottle babies tend to because they are so hungry! And their anatomy lends itself to that, also.
We have raised dozens of healthy babies who got no colostrum. It is a HUGE issue in farm pigs because they do not have immunity, but potbellied pigs seem to not need it as much....
We are delighted if she has her appetite back.
My guess is that she will either get better or not in a short time.
Piglets don't have a lot of reserves to draw on. But keep in mind, if she even got one single sip of mom's milk, she may have gotten adequate colostrum to benefit her.
I will say a prayer for her, wish she was mine!
Too cute,
Pris


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QUESTION: I snapped that pic just after we got home from the vet and she was chilled.  She is already better after her shot this morning and has taken 3oz of milk which isn't as much as she needs but I'm happy and relived that she's eating some.  As soon as she's better I'll try to get her eating out of a little dish.  I just hate to try to change up on her now.  I have 2 other piggies.  Pink Pig http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/vetgirl09/pinkpig212-3-1.gif and Pig Pig http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v227/vetgirl09/pigpig12-3.jpg  LOVE THESE PIGS!  Also I have to say that I have seen you on TV many times and I always love your performing pigs!  :D

Answer
We suggest changing her over to pan feeding immediately.
Again, aspiration is the main cause of death in bottle fed pigs.
With every feeding, you are taking a chance.
Thank you for the kind words!
We love bottle feeding animals, but with pigs, they aspirate or get aggressive.
We hear the complaints and sorrow. It is best for your pig to switch her over. I don't blame you for bottle feeding, it makes ya feel great!
But you are putting her future in jeoprody.
Good luck,
Pris