mini pot bellied pig

Question
QUESTION: my ten month old female mini pot bellied pig has been really sick, the vet has no idea what is wrong with her. She just had surgery yesterday to see if there was any blockage in the intestine or stomach, they didn't find anything and could see anything wrong with her inside.  Her symptoms are fever of 103.6, little appetite, she has been urinating but nothing else for 2 days, losing function of legs or just wont stand we have to hold her up for her to eat and drink, soreness in stomach area, gums are very pale.  she is on and antibiotic, some type of steroid and iron supplements.

ANSWER: My first guess is poisoning, because pigs love to eat just about everything including things they shouldn't. Is there any possibility she had access to antifreeze, rat poison, etc?

Another problem that matches the symptoms you describe is salt poisoning. This happens when the pig is dehydrated, or eats something that's far too salty, like a large quantity of dog, cat, or poultry feed.

The Duchess Fund is an organization that provides medical information about pot-bellied pigs to veterinarians. There's a data base of case histories, and a staff of volunteer veterinarians willing to provide assistance to other vets. I strongly urge your vet to contact them, they may be able to help www.duchessfund.org

I hope your piggy gets better soon.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: if it was poison would you not be able to see things going on with her organs when they opened her up?  she is keep in a kennel, i did  find out that she went without water for a couple days, but wasn't given anything with high salt content.

Answer
It doesn't take long for a pig to suffer from dehydration, just 12 hours without water is long enough to send them into seizures. If your pig went without water for days, then that is, in my opinion, the problem.

Please have your vet contact the Duchess Fund or the North American Pot-Bellied Pig Association   www.petpigs.com   for information on dehydration, the symptoms, and the long term (sometimes permanent) damage.

And, I strongly urge you to contact an attorney. Kennels are supposed to take proper care of the animals. If their lack of care caused your pig to be sick they must be held accountable.