[Gpdd] HEALTH. Zephyr's impaction.

[Penny Charlesworth]

Hi Laura,

Tell Zephyr not to be embarrassed!

Piggies produce two kinds of "poos". The ones we see all over the place and another softer type,called caecal faeces, which contain the B vitamins which did not get extracted by the digestive system the first time. These are the ones that piggies eat to get at those essential vitamins and which get impacted. Being softer, they form a lump in the perianal sac. The normal "poos" can pass through.

My dear old Truffle is just like your Zephyr. There is a huge pile of poos in the corner of his pen every morning but he needs a helping hand to expel the others. To avoid him losing the essential poos, I leave a bit of the lump in his pen for a while in case he needs to ingest it ( and leave the room while he does so - anyone who has experienced this will know about the aroma ).

When a boar first becomes impacted it is a good idea to give him a crushed Brewer's Yeast tablet each day for a few weeks as this has the B vitamin that he will lack. After a while, they usually eat more of the dry food and this seems to compensate.

Some boars will need checking every day.

I'm glad that you have your husband to help you as it is much easier with two pairs of hands. Imagine having to do this by yourself!!

Penny and the (mostly) fragrant Piggyfriends.