# Coughing pig?



## Fredster (Sep 14, 2006)

One of my two feeder pigs seems to have a coughing problem. He appears normal, is perfectly active (big yard), and eats like a, well, you know.

The other one doesn't have a cough, so it doesn't appear to be contagious. He doesn't cough a lot; I've heard him do it maybe 5 times over the last couple of weeks. It _seems_ like running around might be a pre-cursor for a round of coughing.

I've been taking a wait-and-see attitude, but I figured you guys knew a lot more about it than I do. Should I be worried about it? Might he be sick? When he coughs, it's maybe 5-10 coughs, ending almost with a gagging sound, like he's maybe coughed something up, then he's completely normal. On one occasion he coughed about 20 times, but only once.

Thanks in advance.


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## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

Maybe you could wet down his food before eating? I do not know a whole lot about pigs but I had one that coughed for awhile when I first went to powdery feed from the pellets. Took a bit to get rid of the cough and since then i water down feed and no more problems


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## Fredster (Sep 14, 2006)

Thanks, LRH --- I already do that.


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## MN Homegrown (Jun 22, 2006)

One of our gilts used to cough once in a while also. We have 4 of them together and did not spread to the other pigs. She was that way maybe for a week. I just kept a eye on her to make sure she was doing the same old thing,and she ate and drank the same. I think the cough sounds worse than what it is. It gave me a scare at first to. If you notice a decrease in activity,eating,drinking then be worried.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

Might need deworming.

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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

Going on your description, I would think you pig has lungworm which is why he coughs after activity and makes that gagging sound as though he's brought something up.

Yes, you should be concerned about it and worm BOTH pigs with an appropriate wormer.

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## Fredster (Sep 14, 2006)

After I made my original post, I heard the little one cough a couple of times. I've wormed them both (this past Monday), and the big one isn't coughing any more, but the little one coughed a couple of times (at once, not in two incidents) yesterday.

I'll hit them with the wormer feed again in a week to see if that helps.


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## RedHogs (Jul 7, 2006)

Is it dry and kind of dusty where you are at???? Did they come out of a barn???? 

Is it mainly when they get going, start moving around after napping?


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

What wormer did you use? You definitely need a broad spectrum wormer (ivermectin type) and preferably an injectable.


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## Fredster (Sep 14, 2006)

agmantoo, I used the generic wormer-in-the-feed from the co-op, which they said was broad spectrum. 

RedHogs, it's been a pretty wet spring here. The pigs sleep in straw in a covered shelter. It's hard to say exactly when they do it, because they don't do it often. Matter of fact, all I ever hear now is a single sound that's like (to me, anyway) something between a cough and a gag. Usually it's when they've run over to the gate because I'm near and they think I have food. They grunt and squeal, and then (and only maybe) one might make the noise.

It's entirely possible that it's a normal pig noise and it's just my complete lack of knowledge showing through. 

There's definitely no streams of coughing now like there were back when I first started the thread.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Fredster, get the injectable generic ivermectin and give the pig the wormer by injecting in the neck. Repeat the process around 3 weeks later to get the eggs that hatch. Obviously I have no confidence in the included wormer which is probably piperzine or a rename version.


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