[Gpdd] Health: Sick pigs

[robyn ferguson]

Hi Julia,

We all know how agonising it can be to have your little friends get sick. 
Please don't feel you're doing something wrong. From your post I can tell 
you worry about your pigs and take good care of them. I think lumps/abcesses 
are one of those things that "just happen". Some pigs are just more fragile 
than others. My Lucy has had every illness in the book, tooth problems, skin 
problems and recently had all her "female bits" removed due to ovarian cysts 
(actually one cyst and one tumour), but Lexie, who has lived in the same 
hutch as her all their lives is robust and healthy.

Surgery and going under the anaesthetic puts a stress on their body and some 
pigs do not make it through, but sometimes that's the risk we have to take. 
It's important to keep them somewhere warm and soft while they recover. I 
put a towel in a laundry basket for Lucy to snuggle into and hung another 
towel over the top to keep things dark and quiet (it helps if your pig is 
not an escape artist). Sometimes they can be picky about eating after 
surgery and it can help to offer little bits of lots of different treats to 
try to get them eating ASAP.

Perhaps you can talk to your vet about post operative care. Some vets will 
give you pain medication to take home with you. This helps if the pig is in 
pain and doesn't want to eat much.

I hope everything goes well for you and Iolanthe.

Robyn, Lucy and Lexie.

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