# Pregnant pig has been panting for about 24 hours...



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

She's still strong. We made her get up and walk around, because all she wants to do is lay there, although she's ornery enough to take a snap at my husband (he did all the muscle work unloading her and moving her, so she hates him, apparently). She eats a little corn mush with some sweet syrup or honey in it, but otherwise just picks at food. She has exhibited a little bit of nesting behavior, chewing on the wood boards of her little hut. She's restless. She's panting. Once in a while her panting gets pretty intense, like a huge, dry hack, repetive cough. She farts and arches her back at the same time. Then she's calm for alittle bit. Then the panting begins. I was finally able to examine her woohoo and it's about an inch and when parting the, um "lips" there is a tiny, miniscule spot of blood tissue stuff. That's it. 24 hours now she's been doing this. She doesn't seem exhausted, she just wants to lay around and pant and paw at the hay in her hut. I see no evidence of water break, no green goo, no green pellets, no feet sticking out, her woohoo is relatively dry. Her teats are quite a bit longer, but don't seem to express milk at all. She's about 9 days late, according to when I saw them mating, but apparently pigs don't play by the rules, anyways. Is she ok?


----------



## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

As long as she is drinking, give her some time. Did she build a nest with her straw?

I've tried a couple times to express milk and never works for me.  The farrow when they farrow.

If you're sure she's panting and laboring, not wheezing due to pneumonia or something, just let her be and keep an eye on her for another day.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Well it's been another day and more of the same. Last night I checked on her every few hours and she was getting up and moving around some b/c of the pain. I could see her tail arching (not twitching, just making a "c" shape, slightly) as she stood in the pen, panting. She won't drink anymore. She nibbles at food or water but isn't really interested in it. She will still get up and down, but prefers to just lay there and pant and move around in her nest. She is nesting, and has been for the last two days now, but panting as well. There were three new wet spots up against the boards of her pen where her butt was up against. I am assuming that is either her water broke or she peed. I did see her get up once last night, go outside and pee about a gallon. Other than that, I don't really see any change. Just her panting and panting and laying there. Yesterday a few times we got her up and made her walk around a bit, hoping that might loosen things up a bit. Her back end doesn't look any bigger, and yesterday when I was able to finally take a peek (she doesn't like to let me see the business end), I parted her vulva a little bit. The hole is still the size of about a quarter, and there was the tiniest speck of blood there, not even what I would call "discharge". We've seen and done dogs, calves, gerbils, cats, human babies... This should be a cinch, right? Sigh... I am going to call the vet here today and see if I can get some advice without spending my whole month's paycheck. Because they do that. They "have a look" and next thing you know, yer in it for a few hundred bucks and I can buy a lot of pork chops for that much. I don't want to go diving in the back end unless it's time. And if she's just in the pre-labor part of it, I don't want to go messing with things and mess her up.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

I just got off the phone with the vet. Of course they would need to come out and take a look, they said. $45 for the first ten miles, $1.50 a mile after that (We live about 40 miles away), then the cost would be dependent on what he would do when he got here. Cha-ching! Chaching! Realize that I spent only $65 on this poor sow at the auction, because here's a thought. I'm NOT RICH, and I'm just trying to feed my family, not run a large farm. Sigh... Next option. I shoulda went to vet school.


----------



## kranac (Sep 8, 2010)

http://nationalhogfarmer.com//posters/NHFdeliveryposterenglish.pdf

Here's a link to visualize it IF you need to go in...


----------



## Jean in Virginia (Oct 5, 2008)

Any progress?


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Ah, that is one of the links I have been memorizing. We gave her a little more time. She's calmer, panting less intensely, but still panting. She gets up and moves around but not much. Up to a sitting position, down to laying down. I took some pics of the business end this afternoon and it's "poochier", but that's about it. We are all set and hubby built a quick farrowing crate and put up a tarp because of course, it's raining. Her hut isn't big enough for everyone. Now, it's time to go check things out, I guess. Hubby is swearing a blue streak and saying he never wanted animals in the first place. If I can get the pics to work, they were taken from the beginning at a few hours intervals, but not much has changed, just the poochier woohoo and last night there were three more wet spots where her butt was up against the wall.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Checked on the pig again. I am so stupid. The "wet spots" were condensation in her hut. NOT water breaking. What a dork, huh? So now we are back to square one. Pig is panting for two days and obviously nesting and looks like she's in labor and uncomfortable. When do I start worrying about dead pigs?


----------



## Welshmom (Sep 7, 2008)

It's time to worry if she's been in labor and contracting for more than an hour or two and no progress. Labor and contractions are evident by lying on her side, and she will draw up a hind leg with each contraction. If she has been contracting for a long time and no piglets, time to lube up and go in and check for stuck pigs. If she's that many days over, the piglets may be quite big. I don't like to let them go that long because of that.
Has she had litters before?


----------



## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

Does she lay flat out on her side and then stick her legs all straight out? If she's in active labor like that, and no piglets coming for a couple hours as Welshmom says, you will need to check things out.

If she's just uncomfortable and worrying over her nest, but not laying out to actively push, it's hard to examine her internally as she won't hold still like she will when she's flat out.

She may have been at the auction for being a difficult birther, no way to know. You can use a syringe (w/o needle) to squirt water into her mouth, or pancake syrup for sugar energy, if she'll let you. Try to keep her calm by not intruding on her much, just peek in gently and quietly to watch her a bit.

Good luck, and hang in there.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Well when we saw her at the auction, it was apparent that she had had a litter before, because her teats looked like it. So, no, she's not actively pushing like that, but boy her stomach is as hard as a rock. So I guess I will just sit tight then. Hubby tried to get her to go into a farrowing crate he put together and it was WWF wrestling, so we left her alone. I figure, if she's got that much fight left, she can just keep on, keepin' on. She was more alert than I originally thought. She's had her mouth on me by accident before when I was feeding a bread ball with garlic to the pigs before, and she is REALLY STRONG, so... ya. Coulda snapped my wrist like a twig. I was lucky she just bent it a little... What the pig wants to do, the pig gets. LOL I will try not to be bothersome as much, I just didn't want to miss the little piggies, and knowing nothing about her history, just in case, I wanted to be there in case there was trouble. I'm getting awfully tired, sitting out there on a bucket for most of the night, freezing my tootsies off, waiting for piggies to come out. LOL


----------



## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

I've done the bucket waiting with cold toes too! 

Keep us updated on her, it's SO hard to wait.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Checked on her a couple more time today, more of the same. She looked tired. I did the syrup thing. Mixed about one third syrup with two thirds warm water in the syrup bottle and squirted it into the side of her mouth. She opens her mouth for it like a bottle baby. LOL But she is not interested at ALL in drinking out of the bowl or anything, you have to squirt it in there. So I just got maybe one whole syrup container of water down her with some sugar energy. I figure one, because out of two, a lot of it dribbled down her chin. She's still not actively contracting or anything, but her boobies look bigger, and her woohoo looks poochier. Other than that... wait, wait, wait.


----------



## Fineswine (Aug 25, 2011)

Sounds like she needs a vets help asap.Hope things turn around soon,she has to be feeling awlful.


----------



## Welshmom (Sep 7, 2008)

Here's a tip, if it will help you with the long nights: Having a baby monitor in the barn that you can listen to in the house can alleviate some of the trips and worry. Get a monitor that has a long range. My barn is up a hill and behind another barn, but it works great. You can listen for unusual activity when she should be sleeping to clue you in that something might be going on. You can pick up breathing, shuffling, even baby pig sounds.

I use mine for this, and to listen for pigs screaming (as when being stepped on or worse), seperated piglets, and combined with a smoke detector in the barn, I have a remote smoke alarm. You can buy fancy, expensive barn monitors, but this works pretty darn well at a fraction of the cost.


----------



## 449piglady (Oct 15, 2009)

Anything yet? I keep checking back to see what happened.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

No changes. Still the same. Hubby took my extra money and did something with it so the vet is just out of the question. At this point, I'm wondering if putting her down might be more humane, and is the meat safe to eat, or how do you tell if it's edible or not? I know it sounds sick. I care about my animals, but at the same time, they are here to be my dinner. I just try to treat them as best I can until it's "time". I'm still stuffing sugar water down her with a squirt bottle, since she's still uninterested in food, but yet she's got enough fight that she won't let me do jack to check out her other end, and when that other piglet is snuggled up with her, she snaps at you if you try to remove the other piglet (a wiener pig I bought. That particular pen has no holes small enough for the weaner pig to escape for the time being. The two seem to get along well).


----------



## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

I'm out of good advice. If the vet is out of the question, you just gotta do what you can do, which is what you've been doing, that happens.

If she's not in labor, it's maybe something else altogether unrelated to her pregnancy, and I'd be afraid to eat the meat w/o knowing what was wrong. Is the other pig eating/drinking/peeing/pooping, normally? Does it have any symptoms?


----------



## spot (Aug 12, 2011)

notasnowballs I would relax on your pig . First if she lost the litter she would be dead or will stink . When a newborn or fetus dies it take very little time for it to make the animal sick . I would take her temp and if it is high give her penicillin she may have pneumonia . If she is feverish the meat will not be good to eat. Do you know her breeding date to be exact that will help . Good luck


----------



## Ellie Mae (Jan 18, 2011)

am following your thread to learn as we have our first piglets due in 3 weeks based on mating dates..

Do you have a local 4h or county agent you could call and ask who else raises pigs in your area? I would call them and ask them to come help or check on her in person. Also, try the local feed stores, they always know who is raising what, maybe even a tractor supply type of place...

We have had strangers calling us at all hours in a panic with their goats, due to our name and # being given out as the goat "experts" in this area...
we are far from experts, but have a little more experience than the brand new folks.

I'd be burning up the phone lines looking for someone!

hope that helps and will pray for a positive outcome for you and the mama pig.

ETA: just thought of this too, if you were planning to take your pig to be processed locally why not call there and see if anyone else brings in pigs and could be of help...
just trying to figure ways you can track someone down that is familar with pigs to come and at least give you some moral support. 
Even when we plan to eat our animals, it is frustrating and scary to not know what is going on in order to help them.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Ok, well I'm still looking for people. As it turns out, I do happen to have some pennicillan, but am digging for the thermometer. Ugh, this stuff never happens when I actually HAVE money. Sigh... Her birthing date, according to when I saw them mating and she didn't go back into heat again... would make the three months, three weeks, and three days land on Oct 24. The other pig is happy and healthy as a horse, and it is a little piglet from a farm, not the auction. The price of piglets had finally come down enough that I could justify expense with husband. Grandpa said "don't put all your eggs in one basket", so I have the grown sow, a mid sized and aged gilt (from the auction. She needed wormed. Used garlic, she's doing great), and then the little piglet. The boar that bred this big one here in question was given to me a year or so ago and was a grown potbellied pig. We just ate him. He had gotten mean and tasted DELICIOUS, if I say so myself. They always taste better when they've chased you... We were now given a little nine month old potbelly boar that is his replacement, so he's got a while before he's big enough to do the job. My plan was that if one of the sows doesn't take, one of the others will, and in the meantime, I'd have meat a little sooner so hubby could have something to show for our trouble and quit griping at me about money spent on animals (which isn't much in comparison to what he's spending on lumber and building materials, right now). He's trying to house us, and I'm trying to feed us without being on the government teat and in as close to organic way as I can for our health. You pay for better food, or you pay the doctors. Pick one. Anyways, am off subject. Sorry. 

Piggy is still panting. Working on the temp thing and the pig people thing, and squirting liquids, corn mush when I can, and sugar down her. She's still pretty doggone grouchy, and nips at hubby. Guess that means she's still fighting.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Well piggy is still panting gently, not as bad. She's up and moving around. She's eating a healthy appetite and drinking. She's still doing nesting behavior. She looks like she's coming out of whatever it was, though.


----------



## charmd2 (Apr 14, 2011)

Crazy. Hope she continues to do better


----------



## speakmanfamily (Aug 12, 2011)

WAIT! I HAVE WORDS OF WISDOM!

Sorry heh...
is she a gilt? (never had piglets before)

because with both of the gilts we've had, they've both acted like there in labour. One did for 5 days, and one did for 8 days, we got ahold of a pig vet an they feel the labour coming on, but there not sure when. The vet said one of the worsts things you can do is interfere, (we gave our first gilt like 3 shots to make her dialte faster... our bad) 

But if your really worried get ahold of a vet


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Nope, she had um... floppy boobs when she was at the auction when we bought her. She has had litters before. How many or when, I dunno. She was the friendliest, biggest, best lookin pig that was in the bunch, so we took her. The piglet pen, some guy bought up all the piglets for sixty bucks and didn't leave any for me. LOL


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Oops, I forgot to tell you speakmanfamily... we didn't do any medical interference, I didn't even get to put any pennicillan in her before she perked up. I try to not do meds in both me and my critters if at all possible, because I just hate them. I was born in the wrong era and was told I should be a hippie. LOL All natural if I can. So she got a snack here and there of some comfrey for healing and basic wellness, chamomile for anti inflammatory, and a little feverfew for any temp or inflammation, but very little of all of the above because she wouldn't eat much during then. Also, and what seemed to do the most good was that I dumped in her mouth with a syrup squirt bottle, warm water with syrup and/or unpastuerized honey. I did the syrup bottle thing quite a bit. Dunno if that helps anybody else. When she was appearing to get dehydrated, her lil nipples got more pruny, instead of looking "full" which is what made me think she was prego before she was actually prego. Who knows if she is now? The only thing I see is her getting fatter, the date is WAY past, and her nipples are quite a bit longer. They were pretty floppy in the first place, though. The fatter she gets, the bigger those get, just like any gal, I guess. LOL OH, and the newest development is that her woohoo is getting pretty swelled and elongated. So maybe she's pregnant and late term after all. Who the heck knows. I'm leaving her alone because she's eating, peeing, and pooping. And am just going out and checking for piggies once in a while. She seems to prefer it that way. Whenever you come around her pen now, until I talk and let her know it's just me... she oink that REALLY deep oink that says "HEY! Get the heck outta my space or get bit!" Scary as heck, that oink...


----------



## speakmanfamily (Aug 12, 2011)

Oh! Okay  I hope that she'll be OK,

not sure if only ones said this or if you've already checked, could a piglet possibly be stuck sideways?


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

I dunno. She's acting totally fine, now. She's a bit skinnier. I wonder if she's even pregnant now. How long should I let her go before I figure that she just didn't conceive? I don't wanna be in the middle of processing her and find baby piglets in there, that would be really gross.


----------



## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

Glad she's doing better!!!!

If she's getting close to farrowing, her teats will get very full and firm, they won't be floppy at all. Her vulva will elongate and swell too, but it also does this when they are in heat (but perhaps not as greatly).

The way to know she's in heat is to watch for the vulva to change, and try putting your hands down on her back and pressing, see if she'll just stand stock still for that. Do you have a boar of your own? Her teats will change some depending on feed and weight also.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

YES, piggy is doing fine now. I went out there and called "Here, piggy piggy..." and she just about jumped the short fence. I had had the electric wire shut off and removed from in front of the gate so that I could get in and out quickly when she wasn't doing well. Time to put the fence back... Now, she probably isn't pregnant, I'm thinking. I gave her until mid-november and she was due Oct 24. Sigh... ANOTHER faker pig...


----------



## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

better a faker pig than losing a sow in labor! I'm glad and relieved.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

AND...here we go again... Doggone pig! Checked her again, and she's got way bigger boobs, a "milk line" appears down her belly. Other than that, she's fit as a fiddle. Ugh, I dunno if I miscalculated the date now, or if she's just a big faker, or how long to give her before I make porkchops. Hubby is trying to give away my other pig to a restaurant lady but I keep trying to tell these people that I'm not set up yet to be doing pigs for anybody other than my family. Sheesh... You know, whenever there's drama or complicated issues, they're "my animals", but when hubby sees dollar signs, all of the sudden he's got his fingers in the pie!


----------



## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

If her belly is way down close to the ground. If belly is big she should have little one. If she has milk well......


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

And the last two days... she has gotten QUITE big breasteses... and she's grabbing mouthfuls of hay from outside and stuffing it in her hut, but still eating. And she's snapping at hubby and just generally ornery. Man... I'm gonna have to give her just a lil more time before I give up on her... Oh well, my freezer wasn't ready, anyways. Sigh... This pig is driving me NUTS. I want piggies!


----------



## ladymother (May 9, 2011)

Hehe, notasnowballs! I LOVE your posts. Whoohoos and breasteses and whatnot! 

I've been following the thread, and hoping the best for you and her. Really makes one wish our livestock k could just tell us what's up, and why their whoohoos and breasteses and appetites are so askew.

I wish i had some advice, but I havent raised pigs (Yet!)... and it looks like you've already gotten good advice!

As for the animals being YOUR animals when things mess up; i feel ya. Anytime there's an issue here with any of my animals, its my bleeping animals, but when its time to eat em then its a different story 

Best of luck!


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Guess what? We were out in the yard today and heard this squeaking that sounded kind of alarming. At first we thought it was one of the rabbits being eaten, but hubby got to the pig pen first and I said "Did we? Did we actually get piggies?" He said, "Yep, I see one in there!" So actually there were two. It looks like the first one got cold. I tried to bring it back, but it was too late already. The second one we have in here in an old sweater that I keep warming by the fire. I've tried twice to get him to eat from mama, but he ain't smart enough to find a boobie, or mama is still laboring and kind of sitting on them. I don't see mastitis. She is real cranky and has chased me all the way to the gate and tried to shove her head through the gate to get me. I guess belly rubs AREN'T as "calming" as the internet says it is. Kiddo is feeding him some warm goat milk from a bottle now, and maybe later when hubby is there to watch my back, we will try to get some colostrum? Or wait till all the babies are born and put them all back in? I really didn't want to be nursemaid to a bunch of piggies, but since they are the ONLY piggies I've gotten in a year from 3 pigs... I'll do the work. I have three people already that want one. Go figure... 

Hubby is outside doing a quick check (it's been pouring down rain and threat of snow- of course!) to see if any more came out as it's been a couple hours, so I'm hoping I don't have to play pig gynecologist and go digging for gold. NOT fun. Hubby is also checking to see that the heating method we set up is doing the trick. We were out of $$ to get another heat lamp because the chickens busted the old one. The other one, one of the sows that is no longer with us busted it too, so ya. I have a plastic hut, like that guy in Vermont has set up, and a space heater, and some Tyvec as well, and it is sheilded from rain and wind. It's mighty warm in there, but 90 degrees? I dunno about that. I am just trying to make sure I don't have any lost pigs after all this trouble. Long night ahead of us. I got some pics already and only place I have to put them is Facebook right now. Anybody know how to link from FB to here, or if that even works?


----------



## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

If she's so upset that she's chasing you, you're disturbing her and she's not going to settle and nurse. She needs to be able to feel secure and calm. Some sows won't nurse any piglets until all are born, especially if she's riled up. Let her alone for a couple hours and quietly try to put the piglet back with her and quietly back away and see if she makes grunting noises at the piglet and lets it nurse.

Crossing fingers that you don't have any other birthing issues.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

We came back from the store with goats milk in the can. Hubby was out there a long time, I went out, and he's hollering for me to go digging because she was barely breathing, if breathing at all. Turns out, she wasn't breathing. She died real quick. So he is thinking we can go in and get the piglets out, but we don't know how long she's been gone. So, we went in and found a bunch of rotten piglets. So now we know what was wrong with her. Sigh... I just downed the last of the Southern Comfort, straight, and going out to help hubby finish. He seems to think we can still eat this meat, and I am trying to explain to him about infections and rotten fetuses in the womb and he just ain't gettin' it. Was up to my elbows in blood. Looking for more Southern Comfort...


----------



## Fineswine (Aug 25, 2011)

Mam I dont know what you are expecting to hear but these are the things that happen when you refuse to even seek a vets help by phone.I understand your money problems but most any vet with a stich of soul will work with you for the wellbeing of a downed animal who cant take care of themselves.Not meaning to be rude but you wouldnt listen to everyone about needing a vet so Im guessing your not going to listen about the meat positivley being contaminated either.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Fineswine... thank you for your input. In one of the posts above, there is listed that I did... in fact, seek a vet's help by phone, and the cost is listed as well, if I remember correctly. And I have no intention of eating that meat. Hubby is the one that sits there and can't stand to waste anything, even if he is taking chances. We finally settled on that we are NOT going to eat that meat. Have a great day!


----------



## thestartupman (Jul 25, 2010)

Is the baby piglet doing okay?


----------



## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

So sorry this happened. Is the piglet that was born live still doing okay?


----------



## ladymother (May 9, 2011)

Hoping the best for the piglet. Farm life is a hard life. Farming was without veterinarians for centuries .. it is what it is. You did what you could in your situation.

Let us know how the baby is... and so sorry for the loss. Compost her for the spring garden, so there's no waste!


----------



## Welshmom (Sep 7, 2008)

OO, I am so sorry to hear about your sow and your troubles 
I hope the best for you and your orphan baby.
Don't give up on pigs yet, though I know it will be tempting!
Maybe consider purchasing feeder pigs next time.... and be sure they are from sows that were vaccinated for parvo & lepto, and also vaccinated for the usual baby pig diseases themselves. That can save you a lot of trouble and time and money.
Good luck.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Baby piggy didn't make it either. He wasn't too crazy about goat milk. He wouldn't really latch on to the mama, either. I tried to retrieve some milk from her, but that didn't really work either and maybe was better anyway. The colostrum from her may have been contaminated from the infection as well, so maybe it's good that he didn't get any. Anyways, he hung on for a day and was lookin' good and lively. Then he just got lethargic and wouldn't eat and was gone by the end of the day. Sigh... I do have a weaner gilt I bought from a farm, so I know those pigs are good and healthy. The other pigs I have are my potbelly boar, and I have one other midsized gilt from that same auction. I hesitate to let her breed because she got overheated on the ride home (Thanks, hubby... Does he EVER listen to me????) and had a cough the next day that she DIDN'T have at the auction. I gave her garlic for worms and she put on weight fast after that, and the cough went away after good food, warm house, and lots of open field grass to eat. I also gave her comfrey, chamomile (anti-inflammatory), feverfew. She is fattening up and growing quite nicely now. She is maybe... 100 lbs now? These remaining piggies are doing great, just not old enough to have babies.


----------



## speakmanfamily (Aug 12, 2011)

I am so sorry! Please don't let this discourage you from pigs, this is truley terrible, but give it another try.  Please!


----------



## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

I'm sorry you lost the piglet too.


----------



## notasnowballs (Dec 28, 2010)

Ok, so the pregnant pig was lost. We took care of it, disposed of the pig, etc. So I had originally, two auction pigs- this pregnant sow that bred to my potbelly boar (we ate him. He tried to attack me, so he became porkchops, and lemme tell ya, he tasted GOOD) and a second gilt that was probly twice the size of a wiener pig when we got her. 

This second one, was a bit lean at the auction, but otherwise perky and good looking. I brought her home and she was coughing and frothing at the mouth by the time I got her home because darling husband kept her in the stationwagon for WAY too long on a hot summer day. We gave her a cold bath, gave her some water, shade, some mud to roll in. I fed her comfrey, chamomile, feverfew. She came out of it after a few days and has fattened up just fine. But I am wondering now if she didn't have some bug she gave to my other pigs, now. Oh, btw, the little 9 month old potbelly boar we got to replace the one we ate... he actually managed to service her. She laid down on the ground so he could get to her. Not sure how old she is. I'd say she's 100 lbs. Not sure what breed, small or big, either. All the farm people around here saw her and said "That's a nice long, good looking pig!" and said I got a good deal. We shall see. 

Anyways, we lost that pregnant sow from above, but now we have lost the little 9 month old boar, similar symptoms- panting or rapid breathing, loss of condition, snotty nose, and lack of appetite. We quarantined him real quick and I did the natural methods thing again but he's gone. 

Now, this particular gilt may be pregnant, and I am reluctant to let any more breeding happen until I have all the auction pigs off my place and let all the germs lie around and die first, if there are any. On the flip side, this gilt from the auction, and the wiener pig gilt I bought from a local farm here... they are both fat and sassy and gaining weight well. No coughing, no issues. The little boar was kind of not that smart anyways, and didn't compete for food well. I guess I won't know for sure what the issue was or is without a blood sample to the vet, or taking the dead pig into the vet, both which are out of my budget. Sigh... 

I am thinking that now I know why small farmers didn't make it much anymore because the big farms can afford a vet all the time and small farmers just have to deal. I'm not even trying to be a "farmer", our place isn't big enough. I just wanted to keep my hubby supplied in pork chops because he eats pork for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.


----------



## Mare Owner (Feb 20, 2008)

These farm people that say your gilt is a nice hog, can you call them and have them come out and look at your hogs if they get sick? If they raise animals they may have a stock of medicine and some experience and knowledge to help you.


----------

