# What a wild boar can do to a horse. Very graphic pics.



## aoconnor1

So, on February 12th one of my mares who is usually first in for every meal had not shown up yet, after everyone else was already caught or stalled. I looked out behind my feed room (separate from my barn), and the mare in question was down a ways in the pasture just standing there. She saw me and immediately started hollering and trying to walk to me, but she was moving sideways in a very odd gait. My first thought was EPM, until I saw her left shoulder and side...










I took off at a run to her, vet on the phone before I even got to her. The wound was very fresh. I had her loaded and headed to the clinic as fast as I could. It took a while to clean and cut out all of the "debris" from sharp tusks that ripped muscle and surrounding tissues, veins, etc. out. 










It took 3 hours and 20 minutes to stitch the varying layers of the wound up.










She finally came home yesterday after a little over a month at the vets. She is glad to be home, and I am delighted to have her back...here is the wound yesterday...we did have to remove a large portion of the impact area skin as the underlying tissue had been hit so hard it died off...


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## cfuhrer

Oh goodness! Looks like she is healing well, I hope that continues.

Let me know when the hog roast is, I'll bring potato salad.


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## Lisa in WA

Good grief! That poor thing. Those hogs need to be eradicated.


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## ShannonR

This might be a stupid question, but how do you know for sure it was a hog? Unless you saw the incident of course.


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## barnbilder

ShannonR said:


> This might be a stupid question, but how do you know for sure it was a hog? Unless you saw the incident of course.


I was wondering that same thing. Looks like a classic chupacabra bite to me.


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## aoconnor1

ShannonR said:


> This might be a stupid question, but how do you know for sure it was a hog? Unless you saw the incident of course.


My husband found the site of impact, in a hog rut, with hogs running away from the area, including several huge boars. He went straight out to the pasture the horses had come in from while I was heading to the horse trailer. The is no other possible explanation, and from the existing evidence at the site, we know what it was. The game warden came out the next day and agreed, as did our vets who were on hand to tend the wound.


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## aoconnor1

basketti said:


> Good grief! That poor thing. Those hogs need to be eradicated.


We have such a huge hog problem here. We have shot, trapped, and tried everything else in between to get them off our ranch, but so far it hasn't happened. Our next endeavor is to cut out all of our woods except old grow trees for some cover for the horses. We will take out all underbrush, and raise all branches on remaining trees to 10 feet up and higher.


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## Lisa in WA

aoconnor1 said:


> We have such a huge hog problem here. We have shot, trapped, and tried everything else in between to get them off our ranch, but so far it hasn't happened. Our next endeavor is to cut out all of our woods except old grow trees for some cover for the horses. We will take out all underbrush, and raise all branches on remaining trees to 10 feet up and higher.


I'll bet you just want to smack the jerks who introduced them. Thankful they aren't here. Grizzly bears and wolves are far less destructive.


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## Lisa in WA

ShannonR said:


> This might be a stupid question, but how do you know for sure it was a hog? Unless you saw the incident of course.


Vets and game wardens can generally tell. Our cat was attacked and nearly killed by a raccoon last summer. One had been hanging around which was strange but the vet could tell from the wounds. He's a happy indoor cat now after 6 weeks at the vet and the wounds sloughing the flesh off to the bone. Raccoons also apparently have filthy mouths.


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## aoconnor1

basketti said:


> Vets and game wardens can generally tell. Our cat was attacked and nearly killed by a raccoon last summer. One had been hanging around which was strange but the vet could tell from the wounds. He's a happy indoor cat now after 6 weeks at the vet and the wounds sloughing the flesh off to the bone. Raccoons also apparently have filthy mouths.


I'm so glad your kitty survived that attack. Yes, vets and game wardens have a better idea about specific wounds than most of us, and I am very grateful for their immediate help when Shar was hurt....


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## RideBarefoot

The vets did a great job. Might I suggest putting http://www.equaide.com/ on it to close up the area. I've used that stuff with amazing results.

Had a horse with a similar injury (not a boar, fell and broke a post and ran it up in his shoulder), had a big hanging flap like that. The stitching was very similar, just a lot smaller, think about 30 stitches total. The equiade healed it so well I had to look hard to see the scar sometimes.

Hope your girl has an uneventful rest of recovery.


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## Teej

Oh my! Glad she is doing so well. That wound really looks good considering how it started out. Will she have to have skin grafts or do they think her skin will eventually cover it up? 

We had a guy across the river that got the bright idea of having wild boar hunts on his property so he got a bunch from somewhere. After he found out about all the licensing, insurance, etc... that was required he turned them loose. So now we have wild hogs populating an area they were not in before. Supposedly the game wardens are going to start setting traps for them around here. I think the idiot that turned them loose should be responsible for all costs involved in their removal plus damages caused to land and crops.


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## barnbilder

Either you have very tall hogs or your horse is a sound sleeper. I still say chupacabra.


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## LuLuToo

Oh, my word! Where do you live? I've never even heard of anything like that!

LuLu


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## wr

It was an ugly mess but looks to be healing well. 

I have to agree with basketti. I've dealt with wolves, bear and big cats and didn't find them to be anywhere near the problem that folks are having in areas that have hog problems and those that do are strongly encourage to kill them on sight.


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## Agriculture

barnbilder said:


> Either you have very tall hogs or your horse is a sound sleeper.


I agree. It looks more like the horse simply ran into something. That hook on the wall at the vet's office is screaming for another fractious horse to jump up and cause a similar wound to the other side.

Sorry folks, but vets and game wardens almost never can tell what kind of animal caused a wound for sure. Often they'll humor people by going along with their already preconceived notions, which usually involve a heightened emotional state of anger or revenge against the complainant's particular animal villan of choice, but since there is little to be gained by knowing, and the vet has more pressing issues to attend to at the moment (duh), often he'll just nod or "uh uh" in agreement so he can get along with his work. Many clients love a story, and how much more exciting to say that your horse got ravaged by wild hogs than he just ran into a tree. I've seen some astute veterinarians cultivate that need and give them what they want, letting them leave happy to be madder at the imaginary culprit than at the bill. Really the only people who can tell for sure what kind of animal caused a wound are forensic pathologists, and there aren't many of those on staff in many veterinary hospitals that I've seen. If one does come out and make a claim about which species caused a wound, in most cases it would be pure speculation. I would be very cautious about any professional who resorts to that kind of thinking.


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## Bret

Will she need further surgery for the open area?

All the best.


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## Lisa in WA

Agriculture said:


> I agree. It looks more like the horse simply ran into something. That hook on the wall at the vet's office is screaming for another fractious horse to jump up and cause a similar wound to the other side.
> 
> Sorry folks, but vets and game wardens almost never can tell what kind of animal caused a wound for sure. Often they'll humor people by going along with their already preconceived notions, which usually involve a heightened emotional state of anger or revenge against the complainant's particular animal villan of choice, but since there is little to be gained by knowing, and the vet has more pressing issues to attend to at the moment (duh), often he'll just nod or "uh uh" in agreement so he can get along with his work. Many clients love a story, and how much more exciting to say that your horse got ravaged by wild hogs than he just ran into a tree. I've seen some astute veterinarians cultivate that need and give them what they want, letting them leave happy to be madder at the imaginary culprit than at the bill. Really the only people who can tell for sure what kind of animal caused a wound are forensic pathologists, and there aren't many of those on staff in many veterinary hospitals that I've seen. If one does come out and make a claim about which species caused a wound, in most cases it would be pure speculation. I would be very cautious about any professional who resorts to that kind of thinking.


Sorry, but I'm going with the vets and game wardens opinion over yours. I know some of them and have reason to believe them. Don't know much about you and your level of expertise, but you do enjoy posting like an expert. With a lot of preconceived notions of your own.


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## Allen W

Teej said:


> Oh my! Glad she is doing so well. That wound really looks good considering how it started out. Will she have to have skin grafts or do they think her skin will eventually cover it up?
> 
> We had a guy across the river that got the bright idea of having wild boar hunts on his property so he got a bunch from somewhere. After he found out about all the licensing, insurance, etc... that was required he turned them loose. So now we have wild hogs populating an area they were not in before. Supposedly the game wardens are going to start setting traps for them around here. I think the idiot that turned them loose should be responsible for all costs involved in their removal plus damages caused to land and crops.


This is how feral hogs have spread so fast. Some idiots decides they want to hunt feral hogs and go buy a trailer load and turn them loose.

Aoconor1 Glad your horse is doing better.


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## wr

Agriculture said:


> I agree. It looks more like the horse simply ran into something. That hook on the wall at the vet's office is screaming for another fractious horse to jump up and cause a similar wound to the other side.
> 
> Sorry folks, but vets and game wardens almost never can tell what kind of animal caused a wound for sure. Often they'll humor people by going along with their already preconceived notions, which usually involve a heightened emotional state of anger or revenge against the complainant's particular animal villan of choice, but since there is little to be gained by knowing, and the vet has more pressing issues to attend to at the moment (duh), often he'll just nod or "uh uh" in agreement so he can get along with his work. Many clients love a story, and how much more exciting to say that your horse got ravaged by wild hogs than he just ran into a tree. I've seen some astute veterinarians cultivate that need and give them what they want, letting them leave happy to be madder at the imaginary culprit than at the bill. Really the only people who can tell for sure what kind of animal caused a wound are forensic pathologists, and there aren't many of those on staff in many veterinary hospitals that I've seen. If one does come out and make a claim about which species caused a wound, in most cases it would be pure speculation. I would be very cautious about any professional who resorts to that kind of thinking.


I agree with you to a point but there are cases where I'm pretty confident in drawing conclusions based on experience and type of injury.

I have no experience with hogs but the same sort of injury in my specific location would lead me to fairly confidently conclude I had a cat problem, simply by process of elimination. Since there is no mention of injury to the lower body, I'd be pretty confident in believing that the attack came from above and the only predator in my area that attacks in that manner is cats. 

Perhaps you feel this is foolish but it is my responsibility to protect my livestock even if that means I need to draw conclusions and do a bit of research.


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## RideBarefoot

I lived in Florida for 14 years. When I was out riding in the woods, the possible lunatics out there didn't scare me, the wild hogs did.

They will attack anything, and they are vicious. That wasn't a run-in with a tree.


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## Alder

That must be really painful right over the withers. Every step a big ouch, poor girl.

I wonder if the hogs knocked her down and she got ripped before she could get up and run. I've been knocked over by both sheep and (domestic) hogs, and they hit you like a bowling ball to the knees.


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## aoconnor1

For those who doubt the origin of the injury, I am the owner and know what happened to her. There is NO object in or on that pasture that could have caused the injury. it is a tree bare 40 acre grazing pasture. We have a huge hog problem, and they are everywhere day and night. The hogs had made ruts and were laying in them where my MARE WAS LAYING down, unbeknownst to us. A boar attacked her, he had females with him and will protect his females against any conceived threat. My husband saw the hogs running from the place my mare was laying down, and we found the blood spatter evidence of the attack location. 

I don't know what those of you who are questioning me about what happened to her have in mind, but you are out of line and way off course. I investigated the wound cause as did my husband and the game warden. Our vet agreed with that conclusion due to the furrows the tusks made in the flesh which was rolled up and back with the tusks, and underlying muscle and tissue damage caused by tusks ripping through it. The boar hit her and bore down once, then up once. Have you never seen a boar or a bull when it gores? It shoves down with the horns, then up with the horns, or up and then turned down in a head shake gesture. She was able to get up pretty quickly but was in shock and hadn't come far from where she got injured when I got to her. It had just happened, we weren't trying to piece together a days old injury location, it had JUST HAPPENED. I'll stick to the professional opinion given as well as our own findings. 

To those who wish her a good recovery, thank you guys! It looks better each day.


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## aoconnor1

Alder said:


> That must be really painful right over the withers. Every step a big ouch, poor girl.
> 
> I wonder if the hogs knocked her down and she got ripped before she could get up and run. I've been knocked over by both sheep and (domestic) hogs, and they hit you like a bowling ball to the knees.


Hi Alder. Our mare was already laying down, I believe she had just gotten down when she got hit. 

The hogs are a HUGE problem here in north central Texas. We got ours because about 3 years ago, a hog hunting group had dogs on a herd and they ran them across our small county road and right into our woods. The hunters offered to go get them back out, but they never returned to do so. One female hog can produce up to 90 piglets a season, so it's easy to get a huge population in a very short period of time from even a small herd. We have so far trapped two HUGE boars in our hog trap, but once the hogs figure it out they won't go in it. We have to actually shoot them now, trapping will have to wait again for a month or two.


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## Annsni

Oh my stars! That looks SO awful and I'm so glad she is healing well!!! I think this would be a great time to ask what you are doing for the care of the wound and what kind of care the vet gave her? I find it fascinating to go through wound care posts to see what sorts of things people do to get their horses back to full health. That one looks like it's healing exceptionally well so I'd love to know what has been done and what still needs to be done.


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## wr

RideBarefoot said:


> I lived in Florida for 14 years. When I was out riding in the woods, the possible lunatics out there didn't scare me, the wild hogs did.
> 
> They will attack anything, and they are vicious. That wasn't a run-in with a tree.


I have no ability to judge what a hog attack would look like but I have seen a few horses torn up by trees but I haven't seen one like the injury presented. 

Typically, you see puncture wounds from dead branches but even the larger gaping wounds tend to leave twigs, bark or general debris within the wound area. 

While I did comment that injuries from above would make me think big cats in my country, I would still have expected to see claw marks as well as puncture type injuries on the neck but I was only speaking to the concept that one can draw conclusions based on certain evidence presented.


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## aoconnor1

wr said:


> I have no ability to judge what a hog attack would look like but I have seen a few horses torn up by trees but I haven't seen one like the injury presented.
> 
> Typically, you see puncture wounds from dead branches but even the larger gaping wounds tend to leave twigs, bark or general debris within the wound area.
> 
> While I did comment that injuries from above would make me think big cats in my country, I would still have expected to see claw marks as well as puncture type injuries on the neck but I was only speaking to the concept that one can draw conclusions based on certain evidence presented.


Hi wr, I should have posted who I was talking about. You weren't one I thought was refuting my account of the injury. Yes, I would have thought big cat as well, but we don't have that issue right where we are here, plus we saw the guilty culprit as it ran off


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## barnbilder

I don't guess there were any other horses in there, must have been the boars.


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## wr

barnbilder said:


> I don't guess there were any other horses in there, must have been the boars.


Horses don't usually cause that kind of damage or at least it's not something I've seen in my 50+ years experience. 

They may nip or bite but their teeth won't tear hide like that and even a sharp kick won't peel the hide off a horse and if they were in that kind of mood, there would be additional marks on the horse indicating they had been in a battle.


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## Lisa in WA

I've been googling wild hogs/boars and wow...while some of the pics are clearly photoshopped (like a lot of the western wolf pics) there are documented accounts of boars weighing around a thousand pounds. I read they can run up to 30 mph and jump over three foot fences. Very scary critters to let get a foothold.


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## wr

aoconnor1 said:


> Hi wr, I should have posted who I was talking about. You weren't one I thought was refuting my account of the injury. Yes, I would have thought big cat as well, but we don't have that issue right where we are here, plus we saw the guilty culprit as it ran off


In my opinion, how it happened is not nearly as relevant as the fact that the horse has sustained a significant injury and there's something to be said for being supportive. 

Later on, when that's closer to fully healed, feel free to contact me and I'll give you a recipe for the final healing stage that minimizes scarring and prevents proud flesh. 

My family has used it many times for generations with great success.


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## aoconnor1

barnbuilder, I don't know who you are or what you think you are accomplishing with your posts, but feel free to stop responding on my thread about my badly injured mare that has had a remarkable recovery given her age and past history. Yes, I have more horses on that pasture, 27 to be exact, they have all run pastured together, some longer, some less, but none are ever aggressive to each other in a manner that would cause an injury of this caliber. I am incredibly careful and observant of my entire herd, and if there is ever an issue it is resolved immediately. I cannot tolerate an unruly horse in this size of herd. The type of cuts that they give each other are teeth marks on the rump for overstepping herd position, or a nip on the neck high up, but since this mare is one of my oldest in age, none have ever, not one time, challenged her in any manner that was more than a flip of the head or a fast charge over 3-4 steps to back her off a younger horse if she got too close while the dam was nearby. 

I have owned and ridden my own horses for 47 years, I dare say you are on the wrong track trying to discredit my own personal account as well as the evidence we found and that my husband himself witnessed, of what happened to one of my horses. Should you have more comment, post it elsewhere please, your ridicule is not appreciated.


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## aoconnor1

Annsni said:


> Oh my stars! That looks SO awful and I'm so glad she is healing well!!! I think this would be a great time to ask what you are doing for the care of the wound and what kind of care the vet gave her? I find it fascinating to go through wound care posts to see what sorts of things people do to get their horses back to full health. That one looks like it's healing exceptionally well so I'd love to know what has been done and what still needs to be done.


Annsni, she was at first well sewn up and the wound fully closed and she was given oral antibiotics as well as bute for swelling. When the dead skin had to be debrided, they again put her on the oral antibiotic, which was Uniprim. They flushed the surface daily with a mixture of Chlorhexidine and water dilute. Then they plastered Thuja-Zinc Oxide ointment on it and covered it with a sterile pad sewed on with loops on the outer edge of the wound. Last Saturday they stopped covering it, but I still am dressing it twice daily. Int he morning I clean the wound, dry it fully, then smear with the Thuja ointment. In the evening I clean it again and cover it with a smear of Betadine with some sort of petroleum base and something else, I can't remember!! 

I do not touch the wound surface without gloved hands. I wish I had something that I could spray on that would stick and could fight the proud flesh as well as bacteria. I like the Thuja, but it is hard to get it to stick, it tends to warm up and slip off.


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## aoconnor1

wr said:


> In my opinion, how it happened is not nearly as relevant as the fact that the horse has sustained a significant injury and there's something to be said for being supportive.
> 
> Later on, when that's closer to fully healed, feel free to contact me and I'll give you a recipe for the final healing stage that minimizes scarring and prevents proud flesh.
> 
> My family has used it many times for generations with great success.


Please pm me with the info, I am ready to use it! I also have a gelding with a leg would that I am healing up for the sheriffs department so he can be placed in a permanent home, but it's taking forever. I'd love something that would speed his recovery along!


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## aoconnor1

Agriculture said:


> I agree. It looks more like the horse simply ran into something. That hook on the wall at the vet's office is screaming for another fractious horse to jump up and cause a similar wound to the other side.
> 
> Sorry folks, but vets and game wardens almost never can tell what kind of animal caused a wound for sure. Often they'll humor people by going along with their already preconceived notions, which usually involve a heightened emotional state of anger or revenge against the complainant's particular animal villan of choice, but since there is little to be gained by knowing, and the vet has more pressing issues to attend to at the moment (duh), often he'll just nod or "uh uh" in agreement so he can get along with his work. Many clients love a story, and how much more exciting to say that your horse got ravaged by wild hogs than he just ran into a tree. I've seen some astute veterinarians cultivate that need and give them what they want, letting them leave happy to be madder at the imaginary culprit than at the bill. Really the only people who can tell for sure what kind of animal caused a wound are forensic pathologists, and there aren't many of those on staff in many veterinary hospitals that I've seen. If one does come out and make a claim about which species caused a wound, in most cases it would be pure speculation. I would be very cautious about any professional who resorts to that kind of thinking.


Responding to the hook on the wall, it was 4 feet away form the horse and two sections of stanchion between the horse and the wall. It is a pull down rope for IV fluid drips, it instantly pulls down when pulled on, so even if by some outlandish miracle a horse caught on it, it would come down with the horse rather than staying put and causing injury.

As far as how the horse was injured, my vet told me nothing other than our own observation of what transpired was plausible. We saw the initial impact location in our pasture, husband saw hogs running away form the area immediately after the injury, and there are no trees on that pasture. No fences, gates, or other objects that could have produced the injury. And we live on a large ranch that right now is over run with hogs, of which many are huge boars of which we have photos. You really try to sound like some expert yourself, but really, I trust what my husband and I saw and believe, what the game warden saw and believes, and what our vets were able to determine from the actual damage done and in what manner it occurred than anything you may say.


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## Annsni

aoconnor1 said:


> Annsni, she was at first well sewn up and the wound fully closed and she was given oral antibiotics as well as bute for swelling. When the dead skin had to be debrided, they again put her on the oral antibiotic, which was Uniprim. They flushed the surface daily with a mixture of Chlorhexidine and water dilute. Then they plastered Thuja-Zinc Oxide ointment on it and covered it with a sterile pad sewed on with loops on the outer edge of the wound. Last Saturday they stopped covering it, but I still am dressing it twice daily. Int he morning I clean the wound, dry it fully, then smear with the Thuja ointment. In the evening I clean it again and cover it with a smear of Betadine with some sort of petroleum base and something else, I can't remember!!
> 
> I do not touch the wound surface without gloved hands. I wish I had something that I could spray on that would stick and could fight the proud flesh as well as bacteria. I like the Thuja, but it is hard to get it to stick, it tends to warm up and slip off.



Wow - Interesting! Thanks!! They actually stitched the sterile pad onto her? Crazy! 

I've heard good things about these different medications for massive wounds. Maybe you can ask your vet about them to see if these would be useful for this?

Sugardine (mix of Betadine and sugar)
Tuffrock (but I think this is an Aussie thing)
Woundaid
Equiade
unpasturized raw honey


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## aoconnor1

I've tried the raw honey, my vet asked me to try it on a leg wound a few years ago. While,it did ok, it's such a sticky mess that it wasn't worth what the result was! I can get the same thing from Cortizone10.

I am going to try the Equiaide, I found it at a local feed store. Will let you know how it does!


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## CountryMom22

Oh my goodness! That poor mare! So glad to hear she's healing, though it will obviously be a long road. Those hogs are a real problem, as from what I understand it is extremely dangerous to go hunt them. I'm thankful her injuries weren't worse. Those hogs could have killed her! I'm sure that your being there immediately after the attack contributed to her making it this far.

Good luck with the rest of her recovery, I hope everything goes smoothly. Please keep us posted as to how she's doing!


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## mulemom

So sorry about your mare Aoconnor. I don't know how you'd use this on your mare but I've had a couple horses others gave up on with bad leg wounds. One had completely severed the tendon that runs up the front of the hind cannon bone, the one that brings the hoof forward and down flat, and had already started growing proud flesh. My vet had me mix DMSO with Nitrofurazone (sp), apply it thickly to gauze pad, plastic over the outside and thick cotton and bandage over that. Make sure the plastic is only over the gauze, not touching the skin. We added an extra bandage to keep her pastern straight and her foot level which also helped keep the cannon bandage in place. Leave it on for as long as it will stay-up to a week-then remove, clean area and repeat. Once the proud flesh was gone and it started to heal well we left the bandage off and used Wonder Dust. It took a couple of months but she gained complete control of her foot and had nothing but a hairline scar on her cannon bone. I'd use an old jar to mix the two together and a putty knife to put it on the gauze. I've used it repeatedly over the last thirty years and it has never failed. Just be sure the DMSO is fresh (has shelflife)and keep it above 50degrees or it will freeze. I wish you a complete recovery for your girl, the one good thing is that horses are amazingly resilient.


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## farmrbrown

That was one nasty wound!
I hope she recovers quickly and fully. People that haven't seen wild boars in action have no idea.
Looking at the first post, I wondered how she got a single gash so high on her shoulder from a hog, but even if she wasn't laying down, a charging boar(s) could easily knock her off her feet and then do the same damage before she could get back on her feet.

You probably already considered this, but would a few donkeys be accepted in your herd, or would that be more headaches?
That might not be as good protection as a good rifle, but at maybe an early warning would make it a little safer.


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## ShannonR

aoconnor1 said:


> My husband found the site of impact, in a hog rut, with hogs running away from the area, including several huge boars. He went straight out to the pasture the horses had come in from while I was heading to the horse trailer. The is no other possible explanation, and from the existing evidence at the site, we know what it was. The game warden came out the next day and agreed, as did our vets who were on hand to tend the wound.


The only reason I asked is because this injury pattern looked like perhaps a large cat had done it.


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## farmrbrown

Not really, if you look at the puncture and tear pattern of the wound.
Only the location, specifically the height, implies that, which was easily explained.

The obvious sign is no claw marks anywhere.


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## aoconnor1

ShannonR said:


> The only reason I asked is because this injury pattern looked like perhaps a large cat had done it.


I completely understand that thought, and at the very first I thought that possibly as well. The immediate evidence and findings were not a cat though, and so we didn't entertain that thought 

But the height of the injury, yes, a cat would have been that high up, but with a different wound pattern and it would have been on both sides more than likely.


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## rural dreams

These may be disturbing pictures for some,but I find them really educational.I think many people would look at that injury and feel hopeless.I know I certainly said a very bad thing when I saw it.Then I realized that of course,you would move mountains to help this horse,just as you did the one with the leg injury.You are an amazing owner,and obviously have access to world class large animal vets.
I can say I've seen excellent results from using a Sugar/Betadine solution in 2 cases-the first time on a very deep human bedsore,used as a last resort when a skin graft was not an option.Slow,but complete healing after daily applications for a month or so.Seeing this result,I later used it on a cat that had a huge abscess,which healed completely within 2 months.While the area was only about 2x2,there was no skin left at all,and yet we were unable to see where it had been afterward.
I hope you will continue to post updates as your horse heals,after all,knowledge is power,and seeing is believing.
P.S. There were some wild hogs in this province,briefly,but the government declared no season,no bag limit before they spread too far....smartest move they've made in years,lol.


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## aoconnor1

rural dreams said:


> These may be disturbing pictures for some,but I find them really educational.I think many people would look at that injury and feel hopeless.I know I certainly said a very bad thing when I saw it.Then I realized that of course,you would move mountains to help this horse,just as you did the one with the leg injury.You are an amazing owner,and obviously have access to world class large animal vets.
> I can say I've seen excellent results from using a Sugar/Betadine solution in 2 cases-the first time on a very deep human bedsore,used as a last resort when a skin graft was not an option.Slow,but complete healing after daily applications for a month or so.Seeing this result,I later used it on a cat that had a huge abscess,which healed completely within 2 months.While the area was only about 2x2,there was no skin left at all,and yet we were unable to see where it had been afterward.
> I hope you will continue to post updates as your horse heals,after all,knowledge is power,and seeing is believing.
> P.S. There were some wild hogs in this province,briefly,but the government declared no season,no bag limit before they spread too far....smartest move they've made in years,lol.


Thank you for all of the kind words, I appreciate it very much. 

My brain goes into a different drive when an animal comes to me injured, or gets injured here. I can't describe it, but it is electrifying and scary but confident. I'm weird. On my mare, my first thought was OMG CALL VET NOW. Then I worried about how bad the wound was, what caused it, how fast I could get her to the clinic, and if she would heal well or not. 

Yes, my vets really are world class veterinarians. They are some of the top innovators in the veterinarian world, coming up with new treatments and life saving techniques frequently. One of them developed the standard for treating West Nile in equine and has never lost a West Nile horse. One of them has figured out how to stop almost all scar tissue on fresh tendon and ligament injuries, allowing the horse to be active and back in the show/working world after catastrophic injury. She also discovered that by using the same treatment she can stop eye injuries from becoming eye removals by injecting a drug directly into the eye that stops scarring and ulceration of the eye, leaving a good, clear eye intact. Amazing! Another at that clinic is a reproduction specialist, who has helped even the most infertile mares conceive and carry a foal to term. He is also an equine chiropractor that has helped many a horse become sound again through adjustments and skeletal care. He was featured in Western Horseman magazine recently for his work in that field. This same vet has created a wound coating that heals wounds fully and fast, and proud flesh doesn't have a chance to erupt with his salve. We used it at the onset of the skin debriding after the first week, and that helped Shar come as far as she has in a short amount of time. The third vet at my clinic is a lameness expert of some renown, as well as a fertility specialist. He is pretty amazing. They, collectively, are rated as one of the top 5 equine clinics in the country, and I can't tell you how fantastic it is that I have access to them To top is all off, two of the three are very into rescue, and work tirelessly to help those of us who help the horses in the most need.


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## diffident3

Cat attack is the best guess.


Would you share the treatment that is going on now for the wound .


Looks nice and clean.


I can help you heal the wound and close the wound with complete skin up,covering the wound and not leaving a scar.


I have treated many thoroughbred horses with total success.


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## diffident3

I just read the note about your Vets.


They too can help heal the wound and are a very talented lot.


I too have helped yearlings with wounds on the legs and a flap torn out.Helped to heal without a speck of a scar and sell the yearlings at the price they were worth.


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## aoconnor1

diffident3 said:


> Cat attack is the best guess.
> 
> 
> Would you share the treatment that is going on now for the wound .
> 
> 
> Looks nice and clean.
> 
> 
> I can help you heal the wound and close the wound with complete skin up,covering the wound and not leaving a scar.
> 
> 
> I have treated many thoroughbred horses with total success.


You need to go read the whole thread. This wasn't a cat, it was a feral boar. It is healing very well under the care of myself and my vets. Go aback and read about the treatments she has gotten so far and is currently receiving.


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## Lady89

How in the world could a hog hit so high up on the horse? I bet she will never lay down near a hog trench again.


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## diffident3

A ripoff may not have left any bite marks,resulting in a tear.
Hopefully the owner shows us the pictures after healing,without a scar.
Now this healing is important.Who did it how should take the back burner.


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## aoconnor1

Pic from this morning after cleaning, before putting the meds on it. The skin in the center at the point of impact died and was removed. The wound is looking a whole lot better, and is closing in pretty well. She's such a good girl about all of this.


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## diffident3

Very good healing.Thanks for the update.


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## GrannyCarol

It does look good, best wishes for her recovery.


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## Maura

I&#8217;ll agree with the game warden also. Had a lamb killed one day. Someone from DNR came out. We have coyotes in the area so I thought it was a coyote. Got the lamb, then run off by the donkeys. DNR guy said it was a dog. He told me how they could tell by the type of attack. A cat will put it&#8217;s claws into the hindquarters. The bite marks weren&#8217;t correct for a coyote (too close together?). Dogs are worse for a donkey to run off because a dog thinks it&#8217;s a game and they just keep coming back, they are sometimes not frightened by the donkey braying donkey rearing up, especially a terrier.

So, yes, there are ways they can tell what animal attacked. If claws were used, where the bite is, etc.


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## diffident3

Quite a good reasonable guess.


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## mulemom

Looks really good, especially for such a short time. Hope it continues to heal so well.


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## stillhere

Great job this looks really good.
What is your vet group moving to East Texas near Lake Fork. I have a mare who has Cushings that's under regular vet care every 4 months right now. I am looking for a good group. Thanks


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## aoconnor1

stillhere said:


> Great job this looks really good.
> What is your vet group moving to East Texas near Lake Fork. I have a mare who has Cushings that's under regular vet care every 4 months right now. I am looking for a good group. Thanks


I am in North Central Texas, my vets are in Weatherford. If you would like to get there info, pm me and I will be glad to pass it along I had a cushiness mate they cared for, but she had a lot of other things going on as well and she passed away last spring.


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## Maura

A bit off topic. Vet gave me honey for a cut on my dog&#8217;s leg. I didn&#8217;t smear it on the wound, but placed a line of honey on the bandage, then taped the bandage on. Did this every day. Honey is also wonderful for burns.


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## diffident3

Please update with recent photos.Thanks.


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## CJBegins

I had a domestic boar attack two ponies. The wounds were in the flank and gut. He actually gutted one mare. The other mare had deep muscle and skin trauma. After about 6 hours of cleaning and suturing and lots of antibiotics she did heal. 

Never did understand why he did it. He made a lot of sausage 5 days after the attack.


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## aoconnor1

diffident3 said:


> Please update with recent photos.Thanks.


I will when I get a chance to take some. It has been crazy around here the last two weeks...


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## diffident3

Before the wound heals completely and scar tissue sets in I had a suggestion.


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## diffident3

You could do the procedure at home.


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## aoconnor1

I'm not worried a lot about scar tissue or doing procedures. This is a 20 year old pastured mare, not a young show horse that needs eye appeal. But thank you for the thought Besides, I have been doing catastrophic wound care for many years now, I've got a good grip on wound care.


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## diffident3

Ok 
I thought I could pass on some very very simple hint that does not need a blade or a needle.Just an earbud and freshen up the edges of the wound .

Anyway thanks for your reply.


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## aoconnor1

diffident3 said:


> Ok
> I thought I could pass on some very very simple hint that does not need a blade or a needle.Just an earbud and freshen up the edges of the wound .
> 
> Anyway thanks for your reply.


I'll keep you in mind if one of my young competition horses gets a bad wound. Thanks


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## diffident3

Better to do on a 20 yr old You will like it and can do it on a younger hor


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## diffident3

Horse.
Take a earbud.Freshen the wound edges till the edge becomes fresh.
Then the edge will progress to grow inwards from all sides and keep freshening up.. do not let the edges heal.
When scar forms the inward progression stops.
Scar is unsightly and loses elasticity hence will hinder pliability of that portion of skin
Finally the wound will close all hair will remain intact and Nobody would see even a dot of a scar
Please try,nothing to loose.Humble request.


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## aoconnor1

diffident3 said:


> Horse.
> Take a earbud.Freshen the wound edges till the edge becomes fresh.
> Then the edge will progress to grow inwards from all sides and keep freshening up.. do not let the edges heal.
> When scar forms the inward progression stops.
> Scar is unsightly and loses elasticity hence will hinder pliability of that portion of skin
> Finally the wound will close all hair will remain intact and Nobody would see even a dot of a scar
> Please try,nothing to loose.Humble request.


I love it, I do the exact same thing. Great minds....


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## diffident3

Ok
Pl.continue to keep the edges fresh.
When the wound is freshened to control any bleeding I use Tr.Arnica oint.
If you like I will tell you how to make it.
This can be used for all bruises .
Minor injuries.There would be no swelling hence no pain.
Swelling causes pain.
Arnica can reduce fatigue and stress and stiffness in exercised horses.


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## aoconnor1

diffident3 said:


> Ok
> Pl.continue to keep the edges fresh.
> When the wound is freshened to control any bleeding I use Tr.Arnica oint.
> If you like I will tell you how to make it.
> This can be used for all bruises .
> Minor injuries.There would be no swelling hence no pain.
> Swelling causes pain.
> Arnica can reduce fatigue and stress and stiffness in exercised horses.


I should have "that is MOSTLY what I do". I don't make the edges bleed, I do a long massage and rub them vigorously with soft cotton make up remover pad squares, bringing fresh blood flow to the edges of the wound. It makes the skin fresh and pink and encourages growth. I do rub briskly to make sure I remove the old layer or scab on the edge of the wound, but I do not cause bleeding. 

I am using Bio Gel on my mares injury. It has worked well, it keeps the wound cool feeling for the mare, proud flesh is gone, and blood to the surface. It is applied twice daily, and sloughs off in layers after about the 3rd day. I just keep adding more, it sloughs off the actual wound on it's own. I do the edges as I said, but leave the rest of the area to be healed by the gel.

I have done this for years, works well and little scarring. 

On this particular wound, there IS going to be scarring because of the rolled edge of one flap of skin that did adhere back to the under flesh, but will not lay back down at this point. So when I said I am not worried about this mare having a scar, that is what I am talking about. Im fine with how this injury os looking.


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## diffident3

Ok Sir


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## diffident3

Got it.
Any way you are doing a great job.
I had come from India.Presently in Cupertino Returning July15


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## GrannyCarol

I'm glad she seems to be doing well, checked back to see how its going. Give your old mare a hug for me too today!


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## aoconnor1

Hi GrannyCarol, thanks for checking in! Shar is doing very well. I haven't gotten any new pics of late, am just so busy I don't think about it when I'm down at the barn. I'll try to get some soon and will post.


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## Lisa in WA

diffident3 said:


> Got it.
> Any way you are doing a great job.
> I had come from India.Presently in Cupertino Returning July15


Just curious, Diffident...are you a vet?

Welcome to the board.


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## diffident3

Yes 
A Resident and Managing Vet 
at a Thoroughbred Farm.

Expertise in youngstock,showing,growth and development problems in Yls.
Nutrition,hoof problems Expert at emergency injuries,treated equine encephalitis and helped the yearling to be sold and win,
Helped layout and build 200 acre Farm.
Produced 15 Derby winners after I joined in 1973.
After Graduating next day I started work till today.1st and last job.
Travelled with horses from India to USA at Arlington and Pasadena and Hollywood Park.
Travelled in cargo plane via Korea Anchorage.
Regularly visited USA Gainsway 3 Chimney's etc Long story .
More some other time....


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## Lisa in WA

diffident3 said:


> Yes
> A Resident and Managing Vet
> at a Thoroughbred Farm.
> 
> Expertise in youngstock,showing,growth and development problems in Yls.
> Nutrition,hoof problems Expert at emergency injuries,treated equine encephalitis and helped the yearling to be sold and win,
> Helped layout and build 200 acre Farm.
> Produced 15 Derby winners after I joined in 1973.
> After Graduating next day I started work till today.1st and last job.
> Travelled with horses from India to USA at Arlington and Pasadena and Hollywood Park.
> Travelled in cargo plane via Korea Anchorage.
> Regularly visited USA Gainsway 3 Chimney's etc Long story .
> More some other time....



Wow...great to have you here!


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## Laura Workman

aoconnor1 said:


> Hi Alder. Our mare was already laying down, I believe she had just gotten down when she got hit.
> 
> The hogs are a HUGE problem here in north central Texas. We got ours because about 3 years ago, a hog hunting group had dogs on a herd and they ran them across our small county road and right into our woods. The hunters offered to go get them back out, but they never returned to do so. One female hog can produce up to 90 piglets a season, so it's easy to get a huge population in a very short period of time from even a small herd. We have so far trapped two HUGE boars in our hog trap, but once the hogs figure it out they won't go in it. We have to actually shoot them now, trapping will have to wait again for a month or two.


 How does a female hog produce 90 piglets in a season? Serious commercial sows will wean around 23 piglets per year.


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## wr

Laura Workman said:


> How does a female hog produce 90 piglets in a season? Serious commercial sows will wean around 23 piglets per year.


Wiki seems to indicate that they can have as many as a dozen piglets per litter and breed twice a year.


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## fluttervale

If they produce 12 piglets a litter, and a gilt can breed at 7 months of age, and half the 12 are gilts, that's 24 piglets for the main sow + 6x12=72 for her offspring for a total of 96 piglets in one year.


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## aoconnor1

Laura Workman said:


> How does a female hog produce 90 piglets in a season? Serious commercial sows will wean around 23 piglets per year.


They can have up to 24 piglets themselves, and then those that are females (I'm not a pig person, forgive my lack of proper pig language!), can breed at 7 months and each of them can them produce up to 24 piglets...and in a year that one single sow could produce nearly a hundred piglets from herself and her babies.


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## aoconnor1

Duh, I just read the post above with nearly the same math used that I just used.


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## reubenT

they are too smart to hunt them, kill a few and the rest get super wary and hide. Have to build a chain link fence enclosure of some size, drop gates on both sides so they don't feel trapped. the drop gates have to be remotely triggered, a camera monitor would be good to see the whole area. feed them corn inside the trap until they get used to eating, period of weeks if needed. See how many come to eat, wait till they're all inside and drop the gates. If any are missed they'll be harder to get. Then shoot em all and pass em out to your country friends who like fresh hog. Get them all in one go or the rest will become very wary and hard to get. Hunting and shooting them will never eradicate them from an area, one at a time taken out and the others breed so fast and replace the lost. I hope we don't get them here but they are getting close, they've been maybe 15 miles away for some years. I'll have to trap them if they show up.


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## aoconnor1

reubenT, you are very right. We still have a hog problem here, we didn't get them all in one batch and now they are wary. We are building chai link enclosure and will start feeding them in the fall, hoping to get as many as possible in one big catch.


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## CountryMom22

Good luck with the pig project. I understand that it's an uphill battle.

How is the mare doing?


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## aoconnor1

CountryMom22 said:


> Good luck with the pig project. I understand that it's an uphill battle.
> 
> How is the mare doing?


She's doing fantastic. Almost closed in fully, I'll post a pic when I get on my computer


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## Bungiex88

I vote hog. Usually from what I've seen if it were bear or cat there's usually claw scraps some where where they were holding on and biting.


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## muleskinner2

How is your mare doing? And are you having any luck trapping the hogs?

Muleskinner2


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## aoconnor1

Hi, thanks for asking about Shar. She is doing fantastic, her wound healed completely and has just a small black scar. She doesn’t graze out much past the barn pasture after that, but that’s ok with me!

We have been clearing woods for a while, just doing that has thinned out the hogs, but there are still a lot out here. We have over a hundred acres of heavy woods, it will be a while before we get it all thinned out and trees raised.


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## TedH71

Hi, saw your posting and tried to send you an email with no luck so I started a convo. Anyway, if you see a feral hog that is over 300 lbs, chances are it's a boar who's survived to age 3 or 4 years old. Very rarely do they get bigger than say 600 lbs unless they have some domestic hog blood blended in somewhere. They tend to become trap savvy very fast. What you can use for bait is soured corn that has been poured in a barrel full of beer and powdered kool aid and allowed to be blended in together to ferment. Hogs love the smell apparently. The really big round traps are pricey...around $7k with an additional $2k in programming (camera off loading photos/film) so the smaller/medium sized traps do work but they simply will trap smaller hogs. I would love to help.


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## big rockpile

I killed a 450 pound Boar 7 years ago. We can no longer legally hunt Hogs on Public Land but I get a shot I'm taking it.

big rockpile


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## altair

big rockpile said:


> I killed a 450 pound Boar 7 years ago. We can no longer legally hunt Hogs on Public Land but I get a shot I'm taking it.
> 
> big rockpile


Good find! I can't believe any state would have regs on public land seeing how these animals are a scourge.


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## barnbilder

Missouri wants the hog population to explode so that their experts can be the solution to a problem they created. It's the new era of wildlife management.


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## aoconnor1

I know our state would love to eradicate the wild hogs, but there are so many they simply can’t. So we hunt them on our ground and so do all of our neighbors on their own ranches.


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## barnbilder

Texas could be hog free, but Texas would have to take some tough stances on some things, and that is not a fun and popular thing to do. "Texas is too big", nonsense. Missouri is sort of on the right track, but for the wrong reasons. 

Hog management. 1. Make it illegal to receive monetary considerations related to the taking of hogs from those seeking to take hogs. 2. Make it illegal to feed wildlife in any manner outside of normal agricultural waste. Including planting crops not involved in taxable revenue generating agricultural endeavors, ie, food plots. 3. Make it legal to sell wild hogs at market. Provide whatever testing necessary to ensure protection from boogey man diseases that shut down the wild hog slaughter market. Develop special markets that ship to countries that need pork and don't care about boogey man diseases if boogey man diseases are too scary for normal livestock markets. 4. Offer bounty money for hogs through a lottery system. Top four wild hog harvesters in each county get a cash payout. 

Number one and number two is why Texas has as many hogs as it does. Canned high fence hunts for big money, probably more corn goes to Texas game feeders than to the cattle feedlots nationwide . Turn off the food, your hog population gets kind of fragmented. Always follow the money, and you will find out why bad game laws exist. Texas would be easy. Most of the state is dry as a bone. After crops are harvested and the irrigation system gets turned off a lot more of it goes dry. Quit dumping a million tons of corn on the ground so rich people can shoot at deer, goats, and zebras (and freshly stocked, relocated and transported wild hogs) while too drunk to stand up, and the hogs will be easy to round up. They would actually get hungry, and maybe even have trouble making milk for their 19 babies.


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## aoconnor1

Barnbuider, Texas has so much unpopulated area that hogs run on, it would be difficult to even number them in the state. Our ranch doesn’t feed out any corn to any wildlife, but the ranch and surrounding areas are over run with feral hogs. Without putting poison out to kill the hogs (and pretty much anything else that gets into it), there isn’t a way to control them without massive hunts, which don’t work out logistically for most areas. 

Unless you live in the state, you can’t even begin to understand the terrain, cost, available hunters, etc. that it would take to eradicate the hog problem. It is massive and uncontrolled, but don’t place all blame on government for this. It is a logistical nightmare to get hunters and hogs in the right place at the right time to either trap or shoot even a small handful at a time. That doesn’t even dent the population. We have year round hunters on our land, they don’t leave without a hog generally, but 20 more hogs show up on our pastures the very next day. They are brazen and fearless and smart. Easier said than done to get rid of them.


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## barnbilder

The reason Texas has hogs is that Texas sells hog hunts. people pay to hunt them, among other things. People that catch hogs sell them to fenced hunting preserves or turn them loose to populate an area where they can perhaps get paid to catch hogs, plus sell them to hunting preserves. The hogs escape the preserves and the cycle repeats itself. It has gone on for so long that hogs are everywhere. If you dried up the supply, made it illegal to have them on a preserve, and made it worthwhile to kill them off a preserve, they wouldn't be much of a problem. Random hunters aren't going to catch enough hogs to make a difference. Hog bounty hunters could make a difference, in places that mattered enough for someone to hire them. As it stands now, it would be pointless to try, as the preserves are going to repopulate hogs as fast as they can be removed.


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## TedH71

Texas has anywhere from 2 MILLION to high as 8 MILLION. Bounties have been done. Just that they're outbreeding everything. It would take 75% of the population to be culled just to keep the population STABLE. Anything over 75% is depleting the population. There are less hunters those days as well. There are landowners who rely on hog hunts to pay property taxes because ranching does not bring in much income those days with the droughts and whatnot.


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## crittermomma

Oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!! That is terrible! Poor girl! I can't even imagine the pain she was in and scared to death they would come back! So glad she is doing better! And yes, off with the little piggy's heads!!


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## kotori

feral pigs are a huge reason of why I started learning to shoot guns and use a bow (Only in treestand since no followup shot). i was telling someone about my half-baked plan of using feral pigs to feed the hungry in America and they asked why i wanted to kill them all. sometimes i wonder myself. then i see pictures like this

Feral pigs do no good, plenty bad....


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## aoconnor1

Feral hogs are a menace. We caught 6 small hogs in our trap a few days ago, now if we could only catch the other 1000 in our area moving back and forth!

There is a huge market for feral hogs in our area, the Asian population buys them en masse. I'm just glad to get rid of them for no money!! Just take them! But getting paid for them is even better


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## Bob M.

I've went down to mexico and texas a few times boar hunting. in mexico, I've done it with a steel boar spear, and was showing some of my friends the various photos I've had with my kills and adventures, and one started to tell me and the rest of us how he'd just wrangle the thing down and yadda yadda yadda....people have absolutely no idea how bad and mean those things are and downright good at battle using their natural weapons and how crazy fast they can be at doing it. I've had my adventure, now they can stay in my tall stories, unless I use a rifle or bow.


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## big rockpile

Our Conservation Department is getting Millions to so call eradicate Feral Hogs in the state but have made it illegal for private individuals to kill them.

big rockpile


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## TedH71

Which state do you live in big rock pile?


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## big rockpile

TedH71 said:


> Which state do you live in big rock pile?


Missouri.

big rockpile


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## 101pigs

big rockpile said:


> Our Conservation Department is getting Millions to so call eradicate Feral Hogs in the state but have made it illegal for private individuals to kill them.
> 
> big rockpile


On government conservation areas it is unlawful for private person to kill them On private lands it is not illegal to kill wild hogs. I have private farm and raise hogs and other stock. A wild boar was in my pig field one morning. I called the game warden he told me to shoot it. I did. I took it to his office and he made a report on it. I don't know what he did with it after that. He asked me if i wanted to process it. I said i don't like wild boar meat. To strong for me. 



big rockpile said:


> Our Conservation Department is getting Millions to so call eradicate Feral Hogs in the state but have made it illegal for private individuals to kill them.
> 
> big rockpile


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## big rockpile

Well around here they charge on Private Land. I use to hunt COE and MDC Lands did well.

Like MTNF Land I ask keep getting the run around. I asked a friend of mine that works for MDC he told me to shoot them.

Yes I counted on the meat.

big rockpile


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## TedH71

Actually boar meat is delicious provided you know how to treat the meat after killing the hog. You have to soak the meat in salt brine and let the liquid flow out of the cooler and add more ice until the water stops having blood color in it then you can clean off the meat and use it after that. Yeah MDC does not allow hog hunting on their owned properties but on private property, it's legal...even with dogs. With that said, lots of people who own private properties have been given bad information by MDC. MDC is under the impression that trapping alone with no hunting of any type will enable their staff who now are highly paid to kill the hogs but the thing is, when they kill the hogs in the dozens in the traps, they drag out the hogs and leave them to rot basically. The hogs will become trap savvy and after that, the only way to get them is with dogs. Yes, there are some farmers/ranchers that allow hog dogs on their properties. You just have to know the right people, that's all. Hog hunting with dogs is way more exciting than gun hunts.


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## G. Seddon

I've heard that a lot of people eat feral hogs. Don't think I would touch it myself. I hope precautions are taken when processing. 

https://www.cdc.gov/brucellosis/pdf/brucellosis_and_hoghunters.pdf


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## aoconnor1

G. Seddon, yes, lots of people eat them over our way. The Hispanic population use the meat for tamales and food on the table. The Asian population buy a lot of the hogs but I don’t know for what purpose. I would be concerned about eating the meat though and stay away from it if offered to me.


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## TedH71

Man, y'all have been reading too much into the brucellosis thing. Not every hog has it. It's more prevalent in certain areas more than others. It's not common though, that's the truth. As for cooking the meat...it is delicious and LEAN meat. You'll almost never find enough fat to make bacon. You'll get pork chops, shredded meat (for tacos, etc), sausages, etc. I mean anything that has pork in it, you can do the same thing with feral hog meat. Just that most people aren't confident in cooking/handling the meat. Wild hog meat is extremely popular in Europe and the meat is imported to Europe. Just don't be afraid to handle the meat. When cutting up a feral hog, wear gloves and you'll be fine. Really. In some states, the government wants the people to be afraid of feral hog meat so they can have their staff be hired to remove the hogs and be paid handsomely for it. It's certainly true in Missouri. Oklahoma and Texas require you to have a permit/license to do the hog hunting. I'm not sure about other states.


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## aoconnor1

An interesting article on the wild hog issue, including the documented attack on our mare. 

https://nri.tamu.edu/blog/2019/june/whats-new-with-nri-s-wild-pig-reporting-system/


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## aoconnor1

TedH71 said:


> Man, y'all have been reading too much into the brucellosis thing. Not every hog has it. It's more prevalent in certain areas more than others. It's not common though, that's the truth. As for cooking the meat...it is delicious and LEAN meat. You'll almost never find enough fat to make bacon. You'll get pork chops, shredded meat (for tacos, etc), sausages, etc. I mean anything that has pork in it, you can do the same thing with feral hog meat. Just that most people aren't confident in cooking/handling the meat. Wild hog meat is extremely popular in Europe and the meat is imported to Europe. Just don't be afraid to handle the meat. When cutting up a feral hog, wear gloves and you'll be fine. Really. In some states, the government wants the people to be afraid of feral hog meat so they can have their staff be hired to remove the hogs and be paid handsomely for it. It's certainly true in Missouri. Oklahoma and Texas require you to have a permit/license to do the hog hunting. I'm not sure about other states.


In Texas where we live, on private land you simply have to have permission from the land owner to hunt the hogs. We have a neighbor who bow hunts on our place as well as trapping and hauling live hogs. I don’t know about public lands, but private is just owner permission to hunt.


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