Does anyone have a list of antibiotics and meds I need to keep on hand in case my pig gets sick? Do pigs get sick often? Has anyone ever lost a pig to sickness?
A pig is no different the any other farm animal. Keep the pens/lots as clean as you can, fresh water and good feed ... can go a long way. Then I think about my husbands horse... We have had the vet out here three times for him... That horse is lacking dexterity, nimbleness, or grace.
The day we went to pick him up he tried to jump out of his stall and got a rather nasty gash on his back left leg. A year later he some how scratched his eye. This past summer he wanted in with the tractor...and made it. Only to get cut on his back right leg. (tore the ligament. ) Like I said, he lacks grace. If you have ever watched Santa Clause 3 ... he would be Chad or was that Chat ???
Aren't pigs the most like humans? So can you use human medicines for cuts and the like on them? And that horse of yours sure sounds interesting Andi.
My vet suggested we keep a good broad spectrum anti-biotic (LA200) or something like that on hand, just to save him a trip and me the expense. Also we keep wormer (Ivermectin) , pre-breeding and pre-farrowing vaccinations around. For the piglets we keep iron and some immunizations as preventative, a quick read thermometer, syringes and needles. Our vet is great, he has talked us through a lot, he eats pork too. When it comes to steroids, hormones and the such when needed, he has to come out or we take him the hog (easier said then done). Farrowed once and the sow got a serious infection from a mummy, (109 degree fever) went from great to almost dead in a few hours, thank God for our vet... had her on her feet and nursing in about 6 hours. Almost lost a 40lb due to severe sunburn, resulting in dipody pig syndrome, then worked into paralysis, the vet saver her as well, turned out to be one of the best we raised.... I always seek his advice before administering any meds. Just be very observant, spend time with the hogs, watch and listen, and be specific with the vet... the more info they have the better for everyone. Find a good vet that will work with you, not all of them are in it for the money... We are not vets, but a good vet can talk you through a lot.
I would suggest having iodine, garlic powder, ivermec or fenbendazole and mud on hand. If they get a wound or skin infection wash them down with a water-iodine mix. It doesn't take much iodine, just a few tablespoons per bucket. You should be able to smell it strongly but not have your eyes water. The garlic makes a good dewormer for normal feeding. The ivermec is a backup incase of a strong infection (sign of a weak pig) or when getting new stock (quarantine for a month). Observer withdrawal times if you use commercial drugs. The mud is a wallow in the warm season for the pigs. Cools them, protects their skin, keeps off UV, insects, etc. I don't suggest mud bathing with the pigs as they defecate and pee in their mud to improve it's quality. It's a pig thing. Antibiotics are almost never needed. We have 400 pigs on our pastures which translates to many thousands of pigs over the past decade and haven't given antibiotics to pigs in years. Had a sow with a bad infection about a decade ago but otherwise the above does the job. Unfortunately antibiotics get used for a lot of things that they don't do any good such as viral. There are new laws / regulations going in about antibiotic use in livestock. We'll see how that settles out. Pigs are very robust. The key is to breed for hardy stock and provide good conditions with plenty of space. Don't close them in. Bad air is bad for you and bad for the livestock.
I keep penicillin on hand, I was told by an old pig farmer that he had good luck with penicillin as a go too. I think the antibiotics come into play with confinements, I know a guy who put a confinement shed up in the 70s, he said the very next thing they did is put in a fridge to keep medications in, 35 years later the shed sits empty. Something don't seem right about having to pump every day pigs full of chemicals just so they can exist. I believe antibiotics are for a life or death situation here at my place. I have penicillin and ivermectin on hand, that it.
He has healed from the tractor but now has done something to his back right leg ... We thought it was due to the cold weather and the ligament but our farrier thinks it was something about his hip. (sigh) The vet said give him some time... so we are doing that. One day he walks, runs and plays fine and the next day he is back to the limp. I told my husband to stop talking about putting a saddle on him at least around the horse... For that is when it happens. lol
Andi - he sounds like a Mr. Ed type of horse. Understanding that he's going to have someone and the saddle get on him. He must be very smart!
