This forum looks fairly inactive, but here's to hoping someone may be on and have some helpful input.
We've got a kunekune breeding boar that's almost 2 years old. He's been out of sorts for a week or two, limping on and off, seeming like he's in pain when he stands up sometimes, yawning constantly, and being very silent- normally he's a talker. Seems to be eating and drinking a bit but today he didn't come running for food.
He's super sweet. I've repeatedly checked his legs looking for heat, swelling, or any indication of his limping lately. He also does this funny little dance, shuffling between his back legs when he gets up. We looked at him again today and thought "hm, his balls look funny". His testicles are pushed to the bottom of his scrotum and the protruding lump, the size of a grapefruit perhaps, is not a testicle! It's a growth, tumor, hernia, or SOMETHING.
So here's the deal. We're not taking him to a vet. If you REALLY need me to justify myself, consider that right now we're snowmobiling in and out of our property for supplies. Okay? Okay. This is a "fix it ourselves or put him down" situation.
We did do a phone consultation with a vet, though suffice to say there are no livestock vets in our area, let alone pig specialists. He said if it was a hernia and the boar has been out of sorts for over a week, he'd probably be dead already. He said if it "feels like an intestine that can be pushed around or moved" it may be a hernia. The vet cautiously said that poking it with a needle might be our best bet to determine what's going on if we rule out hernia; and from there determine if he can be helped or needs to be put down. We'd really rather not do the latter if we can help it.
This lump is pretty firm with a little bit of squish to it. It's not hot, the scrotum doesn't look inflamed. I messed with it a little bit and the skin doesn't seem to slide around over it, but whether it's attached to the skin or it's just so big that the skin is too tight over it I don't know. There's no tract or wound on the scrotum. The bulge seems smooth and evenly textured; if it's full of liquid it's REALLY full, because it doesn't feel like a 'liquid squish'. We're no strangers to home vetting, I cut abscesses the size of baseballs, I've stitched critters shut, dealt with some gnarly wounds, etc. We're willing to do what needs to be done to help him if we can, but I'm rather hesitant about cutting into his scrotum- and I doubt he'll let us, despite his love for us.
Any helpful thoughts about what this might be? We can make a squeeze chute of some kind if we have to. I didn't get a photo but I doodled what it looks like.
We've got a kunekune breeding boar that's almost 2 years old. He's been out of sorts for a week or two, limping on and off, seeming like he's in pain when he stands up sometimes, yawning constantly, and being very silent- normally he's a talker. Seems to be eating and drinking a bit but today he didn't come running for food.
He's super sweet. I've repeatedly checked his legs looking for heat, swelling, or any indication of his limping lately. He also does this funny little dance, shuffling between his back legs when he gets up. We looked at him again today and thought "hm, his balls look funny". His testicles are pushed to the bottom of his scrotum and the protruding lump, the size of a grapefruit perhaps, is not a testicle! It's a growth, tumor, hernia, or SOMETHING.
So here's the deal. We're not taking him to a vet. If you REALLY need me to justify myself, consider that right now we're snowmobiling in and out of our property for supplies. Okay? Okay. This is a "fix it ourselves or put him down" situation.
We did do a phone consultation with a vet, though suffice to say there are no livestock vets in our area, let alone pig specialists. He said if it was a hernia and the boar has been out of sorts for over a week, he'd probably be dead already. He said if it "feels like an intestine that can be pushed around or moved" it may be a hernia. The vet cautiously said that poking it with a needle might be our best bet to determine what's going on if we rule out hernia; and from there determine if he can be helped or needs to be put down. We'd really rather not do the latter if we can help it.
This lump is pretty firm with a little bit of squish to it. It's not hot, the scrotum doesn't look inflamed. I messed with it a little bit and the skin doesn't seem to slide around over it, but whether it's attached to the skin or it's just so big that the skin is too tight over it I don't know. There's no tract or wound on the scrotum. The bulge seems smooth and evenly textured; if it's full of liquid it's REALLY full, because it doesn't feel like a 'liquid squish'. We're no strangers to home vetting, I cut abscesses the size of baseballs, I've stitched critters shut, dealt with some gnarly wounds, etc. We're willing to do what needs to be done to help him if we can, but I'm rather hesitant about cutting into his scrotum- and I doubt he'll let us, despite his love for us.
Any helpful thoughts about what this might be? We can make a squeeze chute of some kind if we have to. I didn't get a photo but I doodled what it looks like.
