The day before your yesterday, Plonker Number Three was delivered. (One of The Fellowship is going to grow him here for her family freezer). He did not get on with the other two so he had to go into the wild card pen in the center of the barn so he could get used to the others. He was a little stressed but OK. A big boy. Then the night time temperatures plummeted, I figured he was big enough to handle it, did not close the barn up and by yesterday morning he was wheezy and miserable. Shaking and gasping. He must have become chilled. A respiratory infection can kill a pig very fast. They can get to full blown pneumonia and die at a dreadful speed. I know this now from the piglet who died of pneumonia last summer.
So I finished the milking and quickly called the man who had sold me the pig. He left work immediately. Went back to his home. Changed from his suit and tie into farm gear, drew up a syringe of a respiratory antibiotic and was at my barn door within the hour. By then Number Three was in a bad way but still standing. You could hear his breathing from the barn doors. Poor piggie. The man shook his head, pursing his lips just a little, then glancing sideways at me consciously loosened his jaw with his cupped hand, widened his eyes and assuming a casual demeanor began to say soothing things both to me and the pig. I think you may have got it in time, he said. Then he added: This happens when you move pigs sometimes. He did not add: From an enclosed warm well managed pig shed into a leaky barn. But he did add: We will see.
He is a kind man. The wonderful thing about good animal managers is that they are always ready to help others. They teach by example.
After his shot I moved the pig slowly into the sunroom pen, where there are no drafts at all and a heat lamp. All day I made him treats to entice him to eat and drink, being very careful to wash up thoroughly before touching another animal. Slowly he began to eat a little more each time.
By evening milking time he was up and about and barking for his dinner (which was warm milky water with an egg – poured over bread and oats – with a little oil of oregano mixed in for good measure). His breathing was still terrible but he was active and eating and knocking all his bowls about.
So I am feeling anxiously optimistic. But the important thing is that I learnt not to wait at all before calling for help if a pig looks sick. Learning all the time. And hopefully this time I learnt from the first time and this pig will not die slowly and awfully from pneumonia.
He was sleeping well in the night. And hopefully is still OK this morning. I will be out there shortly. It would be easier if the weather would warm up but this week it is going to remain cool they say.
I hope you all have a lovely day. I will let you know in the comments how Number Three is doing.
Love your friend on the farmy
celi
ps. Each of these shots are from one spot on the verandah. Good dogs on patrol!
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The Kitchen's Garden 
55 responses to “The day before last –”
You are becoming quite knowledgeable about animal health practices. I’ve learned about mastitis from you, as well as the dangers of peacock respiratory infections, and now pig’s danger of quickly getting pneumonia from a change in temperature.
Pretty soon you’ll be teaching us about the bees, right?
Keeping my fingers and toes crossed for Plonker Number 3. Did you get this pig from the same gentleman who gave you Poppy? How wonderful that he came right over. Just curious. I’m sure there are numerous pig farms in your area.
No. Poppy’s breeder is much further away. This man lives close by and yes they love their show pigs around here.. c
Oh Dear, holding my breath alongside you and Deb 🙂 Just back after 3 days of ISP server crash – grrr. Your gallery yesterday was wonderful, I kept thinking each picture was my favourite until I scrolled to the next one 🙂 Laura
Good health to the poor little thing… how well you cope with all your emergencies, hope this stops being one very soon
Never a dull moment, whether it’s animals or Small People, eh? Wishing you a little less excitement ’round there!
the pig seller is a genuine gentleman for stopping everything and coming to your aid. i wish there were more like him!
Yes. He is a good man. Genuinely cares about his animals. He keeps a very clean closed pig house. Which is necessary in this present environment.. c
Nothing like a bit of a fright to really make you take the lesson in. And now you know the dos and don’ts of moving and acclimatising a young pig. You are taking good care of him, you got him treatment in time. He’ll forget, but you never will. One more thing to add to your already huge knowledge of your animals and their needs. I hope he continues to improve, and you can stop worrying so much about him.
Shame, poor little piggy. Hope he recoevers.
🙂 Mandy xo
I love to watch dogs making their appointed rounds, whether they are guarding a farm like yours are or surveying the house like mine do. They are so purposeful and yet they enjoy every minute of it! Even when they’re not making rounds, they have a schedule. Mine are funny; they will be lying down somewhere, then suddenly jump up like a firecracker went off beside their ear, trot to the next appointed spot, then resume their nap!
Hope Pig #3 feels better soon!
Nancy
http://www.workingmomadventures.com
Oh I agree, my girl does it first thing in the morning then after her last toilet stop at night….she sleeps inside……but her gait is so different to during the day when she’s just wandering. She gets all stiff legged and has such a purposeful look on her face as she patrols and sniffs right to the corners and edges, I get such a kick out of watching her.
Oh dear, poor wee plonker. Hopefully, Daisy’s delicious milk will aid his recovery. On the subject of pigs, Sheila is completed should you want to check her twinkly eye!
Christine
Christine.. wonderful, i shall zap over.. c
Poor Plonker 😦
That must be so worrisome, poor Number Three, I do hope he feels better. Did you have to ask the family who owns the pig if an antibiotic injection was OK? Can you butcher a sick pig safely? Sorry I don’t mean to be rude or disrespectful, I just don’t know.
Good questions Eva. I don’t mind. I will swap this pig with the family for one of the other two, (they are about the same age) who are laying about in their pen cracking walnuts this morning. They are healthy and drug free. It will be a long time before slaughter (months!) so the Antibiotics will be way out of his system by then so I will take him. Though without the antibiotics he would have been a dead pig by this morning. These guys have not been bred for hardiness. Hopefully he pulls through and does not have weak lungs. As to slaughtering a sick pig for food. No.. I would not do that. And if someone tried it – the local little abbatoir would not accept the pig and he would be sent back home along with the idiot who tried to have a sick pig slaughtered. This fella still has congested lungs but was at his gate shouting for his milk this morning. So far so good.. c
Thanks for your candid answers Celi, I am quite ignorant in terms of farming so I’m loving reading your blog and learning so much.
you are very welcome eva..
Oh dear, you have more than your ration of problems. I put it all down to this b….y weather. I wish I could send you a weather-proof coat for your barn!
Love,
ViV
now back to the tax forms……….
I would rather tackle the barn than the taxes! Good luck. c
You certainly have your hands full! Glad you are open to learning lots and lots. By the way – your calendar is awesome! It is now posted right here beside my desk. I get to check in to your blog’s pictures each day and smile at this month’s roosting trio at the same time! Thanks for the beauty Celi!
Ah, you are welcome. I love the calenders too. Mine is on the wall now as well !.. c
Uhm… Not that I mean to nag… but… Calendar?? 😦
I have been amazed at how susceptible pigs are to sickness and how quickly it can be devastating. We used to show pigs and it seemed they would always return home from a show sick. I’m glad the show days/daze are over! We finally limited it to our local 4-H fair, only, while the kids were that age. We found Gatorade was sometimes a good way to get extra fluid and some sugar/electrolytes in their system, too.
This fella loves him milk so he gets a slurp every few hours with warm water. I shall get some Gaterade when I am out today, thank you. Poor fella would benefit from a warm sunny day though. I heard that many people are not showing this year due to the virus. Evidently there is quite a bit of it around here, fills me with terror. c
I agree … I wouldn’t want to show this year even if the kids were still young enough. Warm weather would definitely help! It’s great that he has an appetite; good sign!
I have also used Pedia Lite when a wave of “digestive upset” ran through our dogs, it helped keep them hydrated.