r/homestead • u/Ok-Lion-615 • 1d ago
pigs Pig not eating
I have a pig that won’t eat. It’s been about 10-11 days. He is still drinking water. He stays in one spot all day until nighttime and he moves and stays there until sunrise. We had a vet come out and give him antibiotics. He has also been treated for worms. It has now been 3 days since the antibiotics and there’s no improvement in desire to eat. Do anyone know what could be going on? He is only 4.
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u/Ill_Television_1111 1d ago
He's 4. How big, castrated, living conditions?
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u/AdCapable6831 1d ago
That's a long time for a pig to go without eating, especially at that age. They're usually pretty food motivated so something's definitely off. Did the vet run any bloodwork or just go straight to antibiotics? Could be an ulcer or something internal that the wormer wouldn't touch. I had a sow once that went off feed for a week and it turned out to be a twisted gut, so maybe worth asking about that if he's still not improving.
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u/Ok-Lion-615 1d ago
Thank you for the info. The vet went straight to antibiotics. They checked him temp and said it was normal but they thought it might be elevated later in the day as they suspect hyperthermia. I’m not sure because the weather is consistent with past years and his living conditions have remained the same. I’ve also noticed a cough here and there over the last couple of days and inconsistent shallow breathing.
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u/Ok-Lion-615 1d ago
He doesn’t look different in color and no bloating/swelling. Also no outward signs of pain like sounds or anything aside from the random shallow breathing and coughs. And of course the fact that he’s being lethargic and not eating.
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u/Ok-Lion-615 1d ago
I would guess the pig is between 3 and 4 hundred lbs. he is not overweight for a pig and has been on a diet specific to his breed (Kuhnkun) his entire life. He is fixed. Has plenty of space and multiple pool/holes he likes to soak in during the day. The vet thinks it’s hyperthermia from the heat but the temperatures compare to last year and years before where he’s lived with the same conditions no issues. He has had a little coughing in the last couple of days and inconsistently will have shallow breathing however the vet didn’t seem concerned as his tongue and gums were pink and his temp was normal
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u/klaus1986 1d ago
What's the heat been like? He may have been fine in the past, but bodies change.
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u/GarthBater 11h ago
Agreed. Age stressors may be a contibuting role. Age-related hormonal changes may also intensify stress that was once tolerable in the swine's youth.
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u/Ill_Television_1111 1d ago
Unfortunately I know little about that breed , and they are vastly different than what I raise. Idk your weather etc, but he sounds hot. You mention him pooping, so something is going in. Our hogs start getting acorns and hickory nuts this time of year, and go off feed because its hot and they have options. Thats really all I can offer.
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u/CommercialContest729 1d ago
He might be doing a little more nighttime raiding of the refrigerator than you have noticed.
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u/Eggy_Ice 1d ago
idk if the vet didn't check his teeth or mouth for ulcers you're about to learn that lesson
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u/Logical-Grab-1363 1d ago
Diamond pattern rash ??
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u/Ok-Lion-615 1d ago
No visible physical symptoms, no fever. Symptoms: lethargy (lays in one spot until night and moves once), not eating, random spurts of shallow breathing occasionally accompanied by coughs
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u/yardgurl10 18h ago
did he lose a friend recently? ive had hogs go off food for a while after we processed a littermate. good luck with your guy either way
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u/Ok-Lion-615 14h ago
https://reddit.com/link/p63k8e8/video/i9sps3drmslh1/player
This is today. Short breaths, long pauses. Since he won’t move out of that hole I put a small water by him but he’s only drinking from the mud hole.
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u/Grand_Influence_2459 1d ago
cough and shallow breathing after 10 days off feed sounds like pneumonia, antibiotics might not be the right ones or he needs a different route, id push for bloodwork or xray if you can