Blind Pig?

[Deleted]

I am raising a few pastured hogs this year. I have one that is about 150 lbs. Yesterday two got out so I just walked them back to the pen, opened it and filled the feed pans. Usually everyone just goes back in and I close the gate, locate the problem with the fence and all is good until next time. Yesterday, though I couldn't get this one gilt back into the pen. She was wandering aimlessly. I didn't think anything of it, thought she'd get bored watching everybody eat when she couldn't and in about an hour when I went back out she would happily follow me back into the pen.

No such luck. I found her wandering, nose to the ground sniffing, all over the cattle pasture. Thought she might be looking for water, so I brought her a bucket...not interested. Tried using a stick to direct her back across the pasture and to the pig pen...but she would turn and walk right into me. Finally I thought I'd leave her for a bit and come back later. Late in the day I found her sleeping outside of the pig pen. Still couldn't get her to follow me into the pen. This time she even walked into the back of the truck.

She spent the night outside of the pen, same behavior this morning...no interest in food or water...and she wandered the whole farm the whole day. Late in the day I went to go find her...she was all the way in back, so I couldn't just leave her out for the night since she seems disoriented. I tied a length of electric tape around her neck (it's all I could find) and after a bit of a wrestling match I walked her back to the barn like a dog. (Pigs are so smart and I'm glad mine are pretty tame.)

Something is wrong with her and I don't know what. I can tell that she hears when I speak to her, and that she is not afraid of me, but it seems like she is blind...when I put my hand in front of either eye she doesn't flinch at all. She also has no interest in food or water...just wanders all over the place aimlessly sniffing the ground. The other pigs seem to be fine. There is nothing coming out of her eyes or nose or mouth. Her temperature seems normal.

I put her in the barn in a double box stall for the night so she can't be bothered by the other pigs. I left food and water but she just keeps digging through the straw. She hasn't eaten as far as I know all day.

Any ideas? More things I can check for? Thanks for the help.

[dunderi]

I would be concerned that she's eaten something poisonous.

Are you able to perhaps draw a blood sample for your veterinarian?

I'm guessing the blindness has come on sudden, is she showing any ataxia at all? Or any other symptoms, like froth at her mouth?

Make note of her heart rate and temp. Any signs she's been bitten by anything? scratched?

You've done right to quarantine her in case it is something infectious though... I'm honestly concerned about rabies as well as the possibility of poison.

But I'd be keeping your other pigs confined to quarters until you work out if it's something she's ingested or not.

[Deleted]

I've doing a little online research...the symptoms read like salt poisoning...I just refilled the cows salt/mineral feeder and I'm thinking she may have gotten into it.

dunderi she has no foaming or anything...

if it is salt poisoning it says that when they become symptomatic is is unlikely that they will survive.

[haecklers]

Milk, especially stinky "off"milk is very enticing to a pig. If it's salt poisoning, she needs to drink to flush it out of her system. IF she's been this way for a few days, it seems hopeful to me that she may turn around. According to Merck (http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/toxicology/salt_toxicity/overview_of_salt_toxicity.html) you need to give frequent small drinks so the osmotic difference doesn't harm the brain. They said DMSO or dexamethasone or something similar might help.

[karen]

following

[Deleted]

Checked my gilt. She was laying down in a corner of the stall relaxed but not sleeping. I had left her with a small amount of water but can't tell if she drank any. Still no interest in food. Her mouth seemed to be moist...but not drooling. Drenched her a little with water and she took a few slurps. With the big stall and the straw I can't tell if she manured or urinated at all. Thinking of putting her in a smaller space to keep track. No issues with the other pigs.

Some positive signs are that she has started that soft grunting they do when they are checking things out and she seems less busy/agitated. It could be exhaustion as she wandered all day long.

[Deleted]

My gilt drank and ate normally this morning...at first....false hope, I think. She started doing the 'dog sit' and pawing that is described as a symptom of salt poisoning. (The other hogs still appear to be OK though.) Then as if a switch went off, she went back to being quite normal.

Anyone have any input?

[MameeT]

Did you try milk like haecklers suggested? That sounded logical to me. What about water sweetened with honey? Seems like the more she drinks the better chances she has. Good luck!

[haecklers]

Too much to drink at once can throw off the balance and set them back a little, maybe she had too much to drink but now her cells have reached equilibrium again.

[dinee]

I don't have pigs and know nothing about pigs but am following g this with interest. Her symptoms sounded like there was something cerebral going on. It was like she was tripping, (on a high) or was having hallucinations.
I hope she continues to improve.

[terizjean]

We have 12 pigs right now and I am following this thread w/ interest. I was thinking of putting kelp in their fields, but will read up on salt poisoning before I do so.

[haecklers]

It's not normally a problem unless for some reason they can't (or won't) drink their water, like one of them flips the water dish over or poops in it. For "smart" animals, they make themselves go thirsty an awful lot! The one that got out may have gotten into the salt and then not known where to go to get a drink when it made her thirsty. But salty things like sauerkraut or pickles are best avoided.

[Deleted]

Still haven't figured this out. This afternoon she regained her full appetite and was drinking an ample amount of water. She still seems to be blind though. The nervousness and constant movement and wandering has subsided.

It fits with what I have read about salt poisoning. I also read that even if they recover (only 50% chance) that they sometimes don't regain their sight. She is a butcher pig, so that is not the worst thing as I can keep her separated for the next month or so. The other hogs are as normal as ever.

I really am puzzled as to what caused this to happen to her....I can only think that she got into the cattle salt/mineral feeder...it is one of those low ones that sits on the ground. It has 3 compartments and a big rubber sheet to keep the rain out...she could have certainly managed to get into it. That would explain why the others have no symptoms.

I would say she is improving, but has a ways to go as the way she eats and drinks is not entirely normal...her movements are a bit off. She does not appear to be in pain at all. And she lays down and relaxes now, which she did not do at all yesterday. Her tail hangs straight down and no typical 'oinking' sounds that happy pigs make. What I have read is that hogs are the most sensitive of all farm species to salt poisoning. The part that doesn't fit is that from what I have read, even if they consume a high volume of salt as long as they have as much water as they want they will self regulate. They have free-choice water... a big pan to play in and an auto-bowl attached to a hose (even when they are escapees they have access to water as there are water troughs everywhere and puddles too.)

haecklers what I read says anywhere from 24-36 hours without water will cause salt poisoning whether they eat a lot of salt or not. But that part doesn't fit...

I'll keep updating...please feel free to throw out ideas.

[haecklers]

Another possibility is that she got water in her ear (maybe also??). It ruins their balance and makes them walk around like they're drunk. It can be painful and cause them to have trouble eating/drinking, mostly because they don't seem able to locate/get to what they want. With just water in the ear it clears up in a day or so. Ear infections will make them act the same as water in the ear but are a serious infection since it can get into their brain and cause brain damage and death. They need antibiotics to save their lives then. But I don't think they get them so much in warmer weather, that's more of a cold-and-drafty type of problem. The one I had that got one was a baby in the barn but on a 40 mph day the wind blew right across their stall, coming in under the walls so he got a bad chill. But it seems to me she is blind and maybe still has one killer of a headache, which may be making her wobbly still.

They have generally poor eyesight and she'll probably get along just fine even if she stays blind since they use their sense of smell to find food much more than their vision.

If she got a lot of salt, she could be *partially* poisoned - when you read up, it's hard to see if what they are describing is the worst case scenario or the typical one, and animals have a range of reactions to the same events anyways.

[Deleted]

Just a little update...she has stopped with the nervous twitching and meandering...drinks and eats a normal amount. Pretty sure she is blind because she seems to only be using her sense of smell to locate food and water. I feel bad for her because I have her locked up and she seems a little depressed.

Since she doesn't appear to be in pain and is eating/drinking/manuring/peeing I am just going to wait and see.

[haecklers]

She might do better with the others. As long as she can find the water. Their eating would stimulate her to get in there and "pig out" with them.

[Deleted]

haecklers I was thinking the same thing about her needing to be out in a herd. I shipped my big pigs today so all that is left are two smaller pigs that she will likely be ok with. I want to give her a few more days as she had an incident yesterday where she suddenly just fell over...If she did that in the middle of the night and wasn't in her hut and it was raining or really cold it might kill her.

[haecklers]

I wonder if all that salt threw off her mineral balance. Want to try giving her some molasses in her food? It's supposed to be rich in calcium and potassium, and magnesium, which prevents seizures, if that's what it was.

[Deleted]

She is improving a little every day. Trying not to get too excited but I think she is getting her vision back because she followed me over to her feed dish when I came to fill it. And she looked like she was watching me! Next time I feed I'll move the dish and see if she follows. she could just hear me and be adapting..which is ok too.

[dinee]

I am very glad you are seeing some signs of improvement in her.