The pig does not stand on its hind legs: what to do

Piglets falling to their feet is one of the common problems of all pig producers. Such a pathology can affect both small piglets that have just been born, and adult pigs. Treating foot problems can be lengthy and time consuming.

Why do pigs and piglets fail legs: a list of reasons

Many pig breeders sometimes encounter the fact that the piglet’s hind legs fail. This can happen for a number of reasons, from simple mistakes in keeping animals to serious diseases. Before starting to solve the problem, it is necessary to find out the factor that caused such a situation and only then choose an adequate treatment.

Infectious diseases

There are a number of diseases, one of the symptoms of which may be a fall on your feet. The most popular of them:

• Teschen disease (enzootic encephalomyelitis), which most often affects young piglets between the ages of 2 and 6 months. Symptoms of the disease are: rhinitis, vomiting, hyperthermia, diarrhea. As a result of the decrease in body temperature, the piglet falls to its feet. First, the hind limbs fail, and then the front ones;
• Plague, which can affect a pig at any age. This disease is extremely dangerous, can lead to complete paralysis. The pig abruptly stops eating, loses vitality, his legs fail. You can also watch how the pig wheezes and does not get up;
• Mugaffecting piglets aged 3 months to a year. A bacterial infection is expressed, among other things, in inflammation of the joints, which leads to the fact that the pig sits on its feet;
• Swine flu, the symptoms of which practically do not differ from those in humans. Falling on your feet is a consequence of the complications that have arisen.

Lack of vitamins and microelements

There are many reasons why piglets get sick and cannot stand on their hind and front legs. Among them is a banal lack of trace elements, vitamins that the animal does not receive with food. The treatment of this pathology is a complex process, so you need to know what a pig that has fallen on its feet most often needs:

• Iron deficiency (anemia) – most often can be observed in weaned piglets, since there is not enough iron in the sow’s milk, and all its reserves in the body are used up in 72 hours. The breed most susceptible to this disease is the Vietnamese, since there is practically no this element in the milk of these sows;
• Lack of vitamin D and calcium. As a result, rickets (the treatment of which is long and difficult) or hypocalcium tetany may develop, which negatively affects the condition of the limbs of the piglet.

Stress

Stressful situations can also be the reason why a pig’s hind legs fail. Most often, a similar fate befalls weaners who are left alone.

vermin

Worms are an equally common reason that piglets do not stand up. Particularly affected are small piglets, whose body cannot withstand the toxic effects exerted on the body by the waste products of parasites. There is a metabolic disorder, depletion of the vitamin and mineral reserve, which is difficult to treat.

Containment Breach

If the piglet sits on the pope and cannot stand up, then you should pay attention to the conditions of its maintenance, which can cause such a problem:

• dampness;
• drafts;
• cold floor without bedding;
• frequent temperature fluctuations.

These adverse factors can lead to the development of various diseases and general weakness of the body. Most often, the owners do not even understand what the treatment should be in such cases and what will help the pig to get back on its feet. 2

How to treat if a piglet or a pig does not get up

If the pig is lame in the front or hind leg, the treatment should be adequately selected based on the causes of the development of the pathology.

Treatment of infectious diseases

Not all infectious diseases are treatable. Teschen’s disease is currently incurable. But the piglets are not destroyed: the meat of an infected pig can be used for cooking sausages and preservation.

Other diseases are most often treated with antibiotics. There are many drugs developed for pigs that not only help to defeat the disease, but also improve the general condition of the piglet. The most popular treatment is Bicillin.

Replenishment of vitamin deficiency

If the pig suffers from a lack of vitamins and microelements, more and more often lies and does not get up on its feet, then for the treatment of the resulting pathology they choose means that can replenish the body’s reserves:

1. With anemia, parenteral administration of iron preparations is indicated. The first injection should be given within the first 96 hours after birth in the muscular part of the thigh or in the ear area. The second injection is given a week later. At the same time, parallel feeding of young animals and iron preparations along with milk is recommended. You can also use pre-starter feed, which can be given to piglets from the fifth day of life;
2. With rickets, an integrated approach is required: one supply of vitamin D and calcium is not enough for treatment. It is important to organize the “leisure” of the piglet in such a way that it often stays in the sun. If this is not possible, then it is necessary to use an ultraviolet lamp;
3. Supplements such as fish or bone meal can replenish the reserves of phosphorus and calcium.

There are a number of medications that can help cure an affected piglet:

1. Tricalcium Phosphate. A powder that is obtained from minerals. It contains over 30% calcium and over 15% phosphorus. When treating the lack of these elements, the recommended dose is 60-120 grams per head, for prevention – 40-60 grams. The drug can also be given throughout the year. The regimen is simple: 10 days the supplement is included in the diet, the next 14 days a break. In the case when the pig fell to its feet, it is not recommended to interrupt the drug.
2. Fish fat, which allows you to cope with rickets and anemia. It contains not only the necessary vitamins, but also polyunsaturated fatty acids. For therapeutic purposes, fish oil is used in the amount of 50-70 g for each piglet, for prophylactic purposes – from 5 to 20 ml.
3. Vitamins A and D, without which phosphorus and calcium will not be absorbed. They can be added to food or injected.

Among the preparations for treatment containing the necessary vitamins, we can distinguish:

1. Tetravit and Trivit. Piglets are injected with 1 ml per week, and the dosage for adults is 5 ml. For treatment, drugs are administered in the same doses, but already 3 times a week. For those who do not want to take injections, the best option is to add drugs to the feed. Small piglets can drip 5 drops a day, adults – 15 drops each. Therapy lasts until complete recovery. As a preventive measure, the dose is not changed, you just need to take the remedy for 10 days and take a half-month break.
2. Multivitamin or Introvit. Adults are prescribed 5 ml for the treatment of pathology, and small ones – 2 ml once.
3. Oligovit. The agent is prescribed 1 time per week, 5 ml for every 100 kg of animal weight (the dosage is indicated for treatment).

There are also stimulants that affect metabolism. Among them are:

• Fos-Bevit;
• Catozal;
• Vitazal.

Inject preparations of 2 cubes for 10 days – for young individuals and 10 cubes – for adult pigs.

Dealing with stress

In stressful situations, pigs fall on their front and hind legs, and the owners do not know how to help them. Even numerous anti-stress drugs do not always come to the rescue and have the desired effect of treatment. Therefore, it is best to prevent the development of stress in piglets. For this, young animals, even before weaning from the pig, must be accustomed to solid feed, as well as periodically take the sow out of the pen, leaving the children for a short period of time.

Fight against parasites

Treatment of piglets from parasites is also carried out with special preparations.

• If the piglet has trichuriasis, strongyloidiasis, ascariasis, metastrongylosis, esophagostomiasis and metastrongylosis, Levamisole is used for treatment, which is prescribed at a dosage of 0,75 ml for every 10 kg of the live weight of the piglet. Enter it once into the knee crease;
• With pulmonary and gastrointestinal parasites, hyperdmatosis, eye nematodes, psoriasis, estrosis and scabies, Ivermek is prescribed. It is injected into the neck or inner thigh intramuscularly, at a dose of 300 mcg per 1 kg of body weight (1 ml per 33 kg).

Improving conditions of detention

When a piglet does not stand up on its hind legs, this does not mean that it is terminally ill. Sometimes such complications are caused by improper maintenance of the animal. The elimination of negative causes and the treatment of emerging health problems will help to correct the situation:

• the floors in the barn should be warm, it is necessary to change the bedding daily so that it performs its main function;
• sources of drafts should be kept eliminated;
• if there is dampness in the room, then the barn must be dried and treated with a solution of lime to kill the fungi that occur on surfaces at an increased level of humidity;
• temperature fluctuations should not be allowed, it is best that the room has a comfortable microclimate.

Preventive measures

To prevent the pig from denominating, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with preventive measures in a timely manner. Since the treatment of this pathology can be difficult and lengthy, it is easier to prevent the problem by following a number of recommendations:

• Pigs should definitely walk – even in winter, in the absence of severe frosts. In addition to fresh air, the piglet gets the opportunity to spend more active time, can find a piece of goodies that is useful for himself (even in the snow, when frozen), soak up the sun, which is one of the best sources of vitamin D;
• Add vitamins to the feed, which are often needed by almost all pigs. They are best purchased ready-made in order to exclude the incompatibility of vitamin complexes and avoid the need to select a treatment for their overabundance;
• The diet of piglets should also contain chalk, eggshells, red brick, charcoal. All these delicacies are especially necessary for those pigs that do not receive specialized feed, but eat home-made compound feed;
• Regular worming is required. So that helminths do not become the reason that the piglet is denominated, their appearance must be prevented;
• Vaccination is also a necessary condition for the prevention of foot pathology. All piglets from birth must be vaccinated according to the vaccination schedule.

Conclusion

When piglets fall to their feet, this is a common and often dangerous problem. Therefore, all livestock breeders should be aware of why this is happening, how to solve the issue that has arisen, and what will help to avoid such a pathology.