Bathing the Pet Pig

Pigs are naturally very clean animals, with a tendency to dry skin. Due to the nature of their dry skin, with less body oils than other pets like cats and dogs, they normally do not have a body odor, even when wet. Smelling an odor from your neutered pet pig can usually be attributed to something in their environment.

Pigs have a natural love of water, but piglets show some concern when the water is running from the kitchen or bathroom tap. Begin familiarizing your piglet with bath time as soon it feels secure in your home. The best method is to place a rubber mat in the bottom of the tub or sink if you pig is still very little. Run a couple of inches of warm water in the tub. Float a few of your piglet’s favorite treats like cheerios, apple pieces or lettuce on the water, and put your piglet into the tub. Allow your piglet time to become acquainted with its new surroundings and at the same time, play or nibble on its floating treats. An alternative to floating treats is smearing some peanut butter on the side of the tub.

Then with a small brush or a round ball type plastic pot scrubber, begin to rub your piglet as it plays in the water. After the pig begins to enjoy the experience, it is time to apply the water and shampoo. Do not use baby shampoo or dog or cat shampoo. These types of shampoos can cause your pig’s skin to become too dry. Ultra Shampoo has excellent cleansing properties, softens the skin and reduces or eliminates dandruff-like scaly dermatitis. Should your pig’s white hair begin to look dingy, Whiter ‘N White will lighten and brighten the white hair as it removes stains and discolorations. Micro-Mist is a revitalizing humectant mist designed to deliver long lasting moisture factors to the hair shafts and skin of your pig and can be applied between shampoos.

Charleigh during her bath with Ultra Shampoo and after. Doesn't she look great?

Be sure to remove the treats prior to applying the shampoo. After a good shampoo lathering and a thorough scrubbing to remove dead skin from your piglet, use a plastic cup to rinse the shampoo from your pet. Should the water become very dirty, let the dirty water out and slowly refill the tub with clean water. Remember, in most cases, the sound of running water is frightening your piglet. As the piglet ages and gains more experience with bath time, it is possible to use a spray device attached to the faucet of your tub to rinse your pig.

Bath time for the older, larger and more experienced pig is done in a very similar fashion. Use a rubber mat in the tub so the pig will not slip, apply shampoo, vigorously rub to get the all the dead skin off, rinse by means of an attached sprayer and apply Micro Conditioner, a moisture intensified crème rinse, formulated for normal, dry or sensitive skin. This product leaves your pig’s hair coat silky and lustrous.

Your concern for the older pig is exactly how the pig gets in and out of the bathtub. If your pig is too large to be picked up, help your pig in by placing its front legs on the tub’s edge and then lift your pig’s back legs up and over. You can use the same procedure when helping your pet out. An excellent alternative to the bathtub for the larger, mature potbellied pig is a walk-in shower or an outdoor sun heated child’s wading pool. There is another alternative to the wet shampoo, Fresh N Clean Dry Shampoo and Deodorizer. This is product provides you an all season method for making your pig fresh and clean without a perfume smell.

Remember, wash your pig with soap based on the condition of its skin. Over bathing with soap can contribute to your pig’s naturally dry skin. Do not apply external oils to your pig. Oils will contribute to your pig’s skin retaining unwanted dirt and will promote the growth of more bacteria, which can cause your pig to smell and to have the need for more frequent bathing and more dry skin problems.    
     
by Kathleen Myers for Healthy Pigs

Does Your Pig Hibernate? Behavioral patterns during the winter.

Strange as it sounds it sometimes appears to be the case around here, we notice a definite change in temperament and response in the pigs during the winter months, or when it has been nice and temps drop again. Even the house pigs are affected to a certain degree.

This year we have heard from numerous folks with indoor pigs that seem to be filling the affects. We know it affects the outdoor pigs as we have watched them for the last seven or eight winters. There is very little activity, a little more arguing and growling among themselves and a tendency to not even particularly like people.

This is not too hard to understand as some of us are cranky and crabby during the winter months also, or at least I am. A week without sunshine and I am hard to live with.

Harley Hog trying to decide if he wants to come outside or not.

With these pigs however, it is almost like a semi-hibernation. They sleep most of the time, are less interested in anything going on around them, and only seem to come alive at feed time and even then it is not to the same degree as the rest of the year. They do not do the walking around the feed pans, the butting each other, and it sometimes seems to be an aggravation to them for us to bother them at all.

During the rest of the year we are met with squeals of delight and happy happy sounds. during the winter they grumble at us, make low throaty noises and really don't care to be bothered with a belly rub or pat on the side. Pigs that have never swiped at us before will do it in the winter months and pigs that already have a reputation for it do it more often than I care to remember during the winter months.

Whether they are in a heated house or one full of straw they still show signs of winter depression. They are crabby and irritable and generally hard to get along with. They seem to want nothing from us other than their dinner and their blankets to lay in and cover up with.

Making them go out to do their business becomes a real battle of wills and one that we don't always win. You would think that they would appreciate the fact that we shovel their walk out and "business areas" and keep it clean of snow before we ask them to make the dreaded trip outdoors, but that does not seem to be the case.

They also appear to not care as much about attention and fun things that they may have enjoyed the rest of the year. All in all it makes for a real strange relationship for a few months.

Maybe the answer is for us to semi-hibernate with them, but then who would shovel the snow? How many times can we apologize for it being winter again? Oh well, we have the consolation of knowing that is won't last forever, even if it seems like it when it is happening.

Nothing, but putting up with a whole bunch of crabby, complaining, grouchy pigs for a few months could make us people appreciate Spring, RIGHT?

The Importance of Your Pig Chow

Once again we are seeing posts and receiving emails about what veggies to give your pig(s). This veggie vs, that veggie. So once again we thought it might be time to reiterate that these pigs are Omnivore not Herbivore. While vegetables and fruits make great treats they are not nutritionally sound for complete diet or even half a diet.

Vegetables and fruits do not contain the protein that your pig needs nor do they contain all the other things incorporated into a well-made pig chow that keeps your pig healthy.

Part of this idea of feeding veggies and fruits seems to be based on what we would like to think they eat on their own. Left to fend for themselves they would be eating worms, small animals and even dead animals along with the grass and seeds and nuts that they find.

In this manner they adjust their own protein needs with the roughage and fiber that they know is important to them.

Well, great news folks! That's why we have good pig chows! Many years of development, millions of dollars in research facilities, many years of testing have gone in to what it takes to keep a pig happy and healthy.

There is NO substitute for a well-made pig chow in your pigs diet. This is what the chow was developed for...as a complete diet for the pig!

Flower cleaning her bowl.

When a pig is getting too heavy here, we cut back on his feed, but we NEVER completely cut out the pig chow. That pig chow is and should always be the foremost and most important part of the pigs diet.

There are 8 pigs here that came from a sanctuary that never had anything but a well balanced pig chow for their main diet. Two of those pigs are now 17 and 2 are 16, the others 11 & 12 years of age. While, we do give a few fruits and veggies now when available, they are not necessary to keep them healthy...they are a treat.

Another humorous thought is how long would it take us to cut up enough veggies and fruits to feed ten pigs daily? We would have to start the day even earlier than we do now and even if we felt like digging up a bunch of grub worms to throw in, it still wouldn't be a balanced diet like the pig chow.

While my opinion on using veggies as a food source is a negative thing there isn't any reason that it can't be used for a treat or when it's available and you want to give them a bite.

Our house pigs have seen veggies  when we are cleaning them for us, but it is in moderation. What we are saying is that a pig that is on a well-balanced, well made pig chow can live it's whole life without ever having a veggie or fruit an still be a healthy happy animal. With that in mind it would stand to reason that the veggies and fruits should be considered as a treat and not as a food.

We receive lots of e-mail's on what veggies and fruits are good for pigs. Not that you are aware of how we feel about feeding veggies and fruits it will come as no surprise that as far as we can tell, it makes no difference.

Some veggies cause more gas than others like broccoli tends to do. You are the one that has to live in the house with your pig so if that doesn't concern you, then no problem.

Personally we feel that too much gas is not good for the pig so we don't feed it at all. Cucumbers are another one that we stay away from for that reason.

There is much discussion over types of lettuce fed to the pigs. Who cares if one is deemed more nutritious than the other? If our pig is on a good complete pig chow then it really doesn't matter what type lettuce you give them in moderation as a treat.

It is our opinion that we can not second guess all the years of research and testing done by professionals and scientists that go into making a well balanced complete pig chow. They did the work and we reap the benefits. That's as it should be.

Sounds - Which Ones Does Your Pig Recognize?

I'm not talking about the sounds that your pig makes, but the sounds that you make on a daily basis that they seem to respond to. We all know that they know the sound of a bag of chips, or food in their bowl, but what about other sounds that we make in our daily routine.

It was several years ago when living in NV that I noticed Chelie's reaction when I put on my winter coat. She had figured out the sound that it made when I put it on and knew that we were going outside. 

Lately I've been watching Porky and some of the other pigs to see which sounds they recognize. They seem to know the sound of the screen door opening, but only react when it is close to feeding time.
They do always seem to know when it's feeding time don't they?  Porky along with Rudy and Gracie seem to recognize the sound of the backdoor now and get all excited hoping that I will come over and let them out.

Most recently Porky has come to recognize the sound of the garage door going up/down. This isn't so bad most times when I'm leaving as he is usually still in his pen or far enough out in the yard, but I find myself racing to get the car into the garage and door closed before Porky when he is anywhere close by. You see he knows that is where the food is kept.

Porky guarding the garage.

Does anyone else have a similar experience?

Changing Temperatures and Your Pet Pig

Here we go into the blahs of cold weather once again. It is a time for fluctuating temperatures that go from one extreme to another, and that is not good news for the precious porkers that live with us.

Our porcine friends do not like change in anything and the weather is no exception. Pigs are prone to respiratory problems and drastic change in temperatures can cause them even more problems. How much is too much for a pig? It depends on the pig. Even house pigs have a problem sometimes going from the heated house to the outdoors for potty time.

Around here we start watching close anytime there is a twenty degree difference in temperature up or down. The outside pigs are not immune just because they live outside and the house pigs just because they live in the house. What can we do about it? Keep a close eye on the pig and its actions.

We don't leave our house pets out for any extended length of time to do their business when there has been a sudden change and we bed outside pigs very well when the forecast calls for a sharp change. This is the time of year when I urge people to make sure that they have some kind of antibiotic on hand for those weekends and late nights when a vet may not be available. A few hours can make a difference.

As always prevention beats a cure but we cannot always control the environment of the pig. We want to watch for any change in a pigs eating habits. These guys are not like dogs and cats that may just have an off day over food. When a pig does not eat at all, the pig has a serious problem. NEVER ignore the fact that a pig turned down a meal! If this should happen then take his temperature. As a rule a pig with respiratory problems will run a fever.

Call your vet and explain that your pig is not eating and has a temperature and tell the vet that you know that these guys are prone to respiratory problems. ASK for an antibiotic. If it's a time when you can not get your vet then use what you have hopefully gotten from him to keep on hand for emergencies. There are a lot of safe antibiotics that are tasteless that you can put in some kind of treat. We keep 500 mg. Ampicillin here for emergency situations.

If you catch it before it gets too bad the pig will usually take it in a favorite treat. If it is beyond that, then the only other solution is an injectable antibiotic or you go the hard route and put the powder from the pill, or crushed pill in a syringe without the needle on it, mixed with a little water and give it to them by mouth.

If treated early the pig should respond within twelve hours and they have been known to get up and eat a meal after four or five hours. If is so very important to catch this at the beginning and save yourself and your pig a lot of stress.

These little critters seem to be very hale and hearty most of the time, but it is amazing how fast this problem can come on. We have seen it happen from the morning feed where the pig eats normally to the evening feeding when he is uninterested, lethargic and almost down. It is far better to be prepared then to be on the phone at 2 am looking for a Dr. and or making a long trip to pick something up from him for the pig. Most vets won't have a problem with giving you a mild antibiotic for this purpose.

I do not advocate treatment of your pig without a veterinarians advice. What I do advocate is something to help the pig until the time that he might be taken into the vet for treatment. This is what this is all about, a way to get something in the pig in a time frame that might make the difference for the pig until he can be seen by a veterinarian. It is far better to be prepared and never need it then to be stuck in a situation where you do need it and it is not there.

So as the seasons change get prepared and keep one eye on the sky, and the other on your piggy friend.

New Year's Resolutions for Your Pig | 2019 The Year Of The Pig

It's 2019 and like most of us you have made some kind of resolution(s) for the new year. The most common are to get more exercise, eat healthier and save money. Here are just a few suggestions that might help you and your piggy succeed in 2019.

Eat Healthier: Since we control what our pigs eat, it is generally our fault if they are over or underweight. Though most pigs tend to be overweight there are those that are underweight as either the breeder or vet has told you to only feed 1/4 - 1/2 of chow a day. This is NOT enough for a pig, especially a growing pig during their first year of life when they need that feed to build a strong immune system and bones.

Flower getting every last bite of food.

We all love giving our pigs treats as we know how cute they can be and will do almost anything for one. Remember that a treat is just that "a treat". It must be earned, and not part of their daily meals. For those pigs that tend to "pig out" you might want to try our Busy Ball which is meant to slow our pigs down and the meal last longer. They are also getting some exercise at the same time.

More Exercise: Not to worry, I'm not talking about lifting weights or jogging, but making sure that your pig gets up and out at least twice a day. A nice walk around the yard or in the house on those rain/snow days will work just as well. This also helps with the pig that gets constipated. 

Oshay's version of working out!

Learn a New Trick: Our pigs love to learn new things so why not teach a new trick or take a behavior that they are doing naturally and turn it into a trick. Remember that when teaching new behaviors to keep the training sessions short and always end with a win for your pig even if it means doing a behavior that he already knows like sit. Lots of small treats work in the beginning, but remember to show lots of enthusiasm and praise. As the sessions go on; less treats and more praise and enthusiasm.

Mini obstacle course at the 2006 Pignic.

Save More Money: Our goal has always been and will continue to be to offer the highest quality products for your pet pig at affordable prices. Did you know that we now offer free shipping on most of our light weight products? Did you know that we offer monthly specials on our most popular products? Be sure to check back monthly to see if your favorite product is on special.

Happy New Year from all of us at Pigs4Ever!

The Aging Pot Bellied Pig

Life Span: I still feel that the average age for these pigs 12-15 years of age. There are cases of pigs living into their late teens or early twenty's, but I feel that the life span of these pigs is not what we assumed in the beginning (25-30). It is closer to the truth that they will have a productive life that equals the life span of the well cared for dog. This would make it between twelve and fifteen years.

Eyesight: Eyesight on the normal pig is considered very poor, and as the pig ages it appears to become even more poor. Due to the wonderful sense of smell this should not cause a problem with our pigs unless we change their environment or surroundings without using time and supervision during the acclimation period.

Body Functions: The geriatric pig may have more problems with urination and bowel movement. It is not unusual to have problems with constipation on the older pig. The older the pig, the more of a problem it can become. In severe cases the pig will refuse to eat and appears to be in pain showing a tenderness in the stomach area, crabby and irritable, much like a human with these problems.

I know that some of you count every little calorie that goes in, but for this problem I suggest a teaspoon of low fat oil put on the food three items a week for prevention. Or something like Piggy Lax that is sold for this specific purpose. We also wet all feed for our older pigs.

Water intake is a very important part of this prevention on older pigs and should be encouraged as much as possible. We use a 50/50 mixture of cranberry juice added to the water. You can also use Pedialyte®, Ensure, apple juice or even kool-aid powder if it makes the pig drink more water. It is very important that older pigs have unlimited access to water at all times.

If you have one of the pigs that takes a bite of food and then a drink of water, this is sometimes a habit. It will work to simply move the water bowl across the room if you object to the pig doing this, and by wetting his food he will continue to eat well.

Exercise is another important part of keeping your porcine friend on schedule. Not only is exercise good for the pig in general, but it also encourages the pigs body to lose the waste material. Just as older humans tend to lead a more sedentary life style, our pigs are no different. Sometimes we have to push them to get them to do what we know is best. In the older pig the more frequently that they can go the better off they are.

For those pigs kept outside this is not a problem, as they have free access to potty time. For the house pigs however, this is not always the case. These guys tend to have absolutely wonderful house habits, and are generally creatures of habit, period. Meaning that they are used to going at certain times during the day. Heaven forbid that we should ask them to get up from a nap to go out and do their business when it's not on their internal schedule!

Pigs that have been going out three times a day are in the habit of going three times a day. Just as in humans, when they get a little older they may really need to go more often. Since it's not their habit to do so, they just don't and they don't ask, nor do they really think they should make this break with routine.

We really need to push this issue with them when they get older for their own good. The more time that they are given the chance to do their business, the less problem we are going to have with the pig in respect to the bowels and urinary tract.

The idea behind all this is to prevent any problem rather than trying to cure the problem once it exists. For pigs that show they do have a problem, we use the age old remedy of buying cans of stewed prunes and feeding them a few spread out over the day. Encourage more water consumption and less feed until (no pun intended) this problem passes.

Exercise: Along with what was talked about above, the benefits of moderate exercise cannot be stressed enough. It makes the blood flow, gives the heart a boost, supplies oxygen to the lungs, and is imperative to the older pigs health and well being. (Not to mention your own health if you are the one supplying the exercise for the pig.)

This does not mean that your pig has to run a marathon daily to be healthy, but by giving him the incentive to do as much walking as possible (in between his naps) you are giving his whole system a chance to wake up. If the snow, rain and mud prevent you from taking him outside for walks then make him follow you around the house for ten or fifteen minutes at a time.

This is not as easy as it sounds. I know from our experience with older house pigs, that these guys seem to almost go into a hibernation mode in the winter. They really don't want to do much of anything, and are crabby and irritable most of the time. This means it is up to you to find some creative way of making them want to stay up and do some walking.

Teeth: As the pig gains years he also has the potential to lose teeth and to develop sores on the gum line. While this problems isn't necessarily an age related one, the potential for problems increases with the age of the pig.

Weight: As a rule around here we keep a close eye on the weight of the older pig. If they look like they are losing weight then we up the feed. This is one of those things where you will be the best judge on their looks.

Vaccination Schedule: This is a controversial one that can be seen more than one way. My vet personally sees no reason to vaccinate pigs over the age of seven. (Not a stand that would be very popular with some vets.) The thinking behind this is that if the pig has had the vaccinations every year for most of his life, that the immunity is there and has been built up over a period of time, so to continue after this age is not a necessary thing.

This is a personal decision to be made by the individual and their vet. We do not vaccinate after the age of seven here (pigs or dogs) if we know the history of the animal. We just feel that this is one less stressful situation for the older pig to have to go through.

One has to remember that pigs at a sanctuary do not go to shows, are not around other pigs, and older pigs are not adopted out. Therefore these pigs are at low risk to begin with. This is a question that you may want to discuss with your own vet and then make a decision.

Anesthetic and the Older Pig: One can only assume that we all know that Isoflurane gas is the choice when it comes to our pigs having surgery or any of the other pig related things done that require them to be asleep. This is by far the safest method but even that method, on older pigs may alter. It may take less to knock down an older pig as time goes on. It is a good idea to remind your vet that the pig is getting up there in years.

We never give an older pig a tranquilizer by injection prior to the use of the gas. I know that most people here have the type of pig that can be taken in for the gas, but for those who may have the rescue pigs or pigs that may be too large or not dispositionaly inclined to this there must be an alternative.

We have used an injectable for the last two years on a multitude of pigs needing vet care without any problems. Following is the dosage and drugs that we use on these pigs. It may be something that you want your vet to have on record just in case it is ever needed by you or someone you know. My vet was very impressed with the way it works, and as I said we have used in many occasions at the sanctuary.

Also, please remember that we are saying that the Isoflurane gas is the BEST but, if you can't get the pig there or the pig is one that has not been handled this is the next best bet. This may enable pigs to get vet care that otherwise may not get the care needed and this is the only reason we included it.

Rough Formula:
For Larger Pets (50+ pounds)
1cc for every 50 pounds of body weight of Telazol
1cc for every 100 pounds of body weight of Rompun

Put both drugs in the same syringe and give in the neck muscle. Wait five minutes, pig will go down and be asleep.

GIVE NO OTHER DRUGS OR TRANQUILIZERS AND DO NOT GIVE ANY MORE THEN THE DOSAGE PER BODY WEIGHT. (By no other drugs we do not mean antibiotics. Antibiotics can be safely given following the procedure.)

More Detailed Formula:
For Smaller Pets (40-50 pounds)
2 mg for every pound of body weight of Telazol
1 mg for every pound of body weight of Rompun

Put both drugs in the same syringe and give in the neck muscle. Wait five minutes, pig will go down and be asleep.

GIVE NO OTHER DRUGS OR TRANQUILIZERS AND DO NOT GIVE ANY MORE THEN THE DOSAGE PER BODY WEIGHT. (By no other drugs we do not mean antibiotics. Antibiotics can be safely given following the procedure.)

After Care: Put sleeping pig in a quiet place. We use a carrier for this part with blankets and leave them alone other than checking quietly on them for the next 12 hours. No food or water until the pig can walk out of the carrier on his own, and no food or water for 8 hours PRIOR to giving the injection.

The Last Hoorah: For that time that we never want to think about but is as much a part of life as anything else. What is the most humane way of putting a pig down? The less stress the better for all concerned. When this time comes (and only you can decide this very personal issue) the thing we all want most for our porcine friends is to have them go peacefully to the Rainbow Bridge.

We use the above formula and after the pig is asleep we use the Jugular, the same place most of you use for blood testing, and administer the pheno barb solution. The pig is already asleep and this can be done easily. Needless to say that you need not be as careful with the dosage of the first injection of Telazol and Rompun when it is used for this purpose.

I only bring this unwanted subject up because there are people I here from all the time telling horror stories of what has happened. There have been many cases of giving the pig the injection directly into the heart without the pig being asleep first. While this method is fast, I have trouble going along with it if there is a way to do it that I feel is more humane. This is something that you need to discuss with your vet before the time comes when you may not be thinking as clearly

One last note here would be to ask if it's okay for you to stay with your friend until it is over. A hard thing to do for us, but a good thing for the pet that has given so much to us. In twenty years there has never been an animal here that went to the final sleep without the touch of many hands on their heads and the sound of my voice in their ear. A hard thing for us to do but so little compared to what they have given in the short time we are allowed to have them with us.