Penile infection? I think... maybe...

[Beekissed]

I know some piglets will "nurse" on each others dangly bits and cause damage and herniations like the ones pictured. Maybe that malnourishment made for hungry little pigs who just~ first~ were looking for a teat to nurse and then got so swollen they couldn't retract.

I believe you did the right thing....now...what to do about the source of your pigs? I'd definitely have a little something to say about the worth of what you bartered and tell them what the vet stated about malnourishment.

 

[DKRabbitry]

The vet asked if they were maybe nursing on each other like that. I didn't have a clue as I had just picked them up and I know next to nothing about pigs, but that was indeed another possiblity she mentioned.

As for what to do about the person I got them from. I decided I was going to let him know what I decided to do and what the vet said about it. As far as being reimbursed for it, I do not feel I have a right to ask for anything back. I saw the condition of all the pigs before agreeing to the deal, so I feel that I knew I was taking a big risk. If he offers reimbursement of some sort, that would be great. But I won't ask for it.

 

[Beekissed]

Yeah...I guess that is right and proper. Seems a shame, though, that you lost a barter and had to pay a vet bill...but you are right, you saw their condition and knew it could be problems. Still seems a shame....I'm sorry that you lost out.

But then...you also helped two young animals get out of pain and misery. Everything happens for a reason and you were placed at the right time, in the right place, with the right sense of compassion. Kudos to you for prizing compassion over compensation!

 

[Cornish Heritage]

OH MY goodness! I am a little late to this thread but have to say I have NEVER seen anything like this! That is AWFUL! You certainly did the right thing by putting them down - I don't think you could have helped them.

I'm pretty sure whoever told you it is normal for pigs to let their penises hang down is incorrect. We run alot of boars here & they NEVER let their penises out unless there is a girl in heat & they are mating. That is the ONLY time you see them. Even the little boar piglets, when "practicing" on their litter mates do not let them out. Pigs are not like horses & donkeys who like to let them "hang loose."

SO sorry you had to go through this.

Liz

 

[autumnprairie]

The vet asked if they were maybe nursing on each other like that. I didn't have a clue as I had just picked them up and I know next to nothing about pigs, but that was indeed another possiblity she mentioned.

As for what to do about the person I got them from. I decided I was going to let him know what I decided to do and what the vet said about it. As far as being reimbursed for it, I do not feel I have a right to ask for anything back. I saw the condition of all the pigs before agreeing to the deal, so I feel that I knew I was taking a big risk. If he offers reimbursement of some sort, that would be great. But I won't ask for it.

, I hope he will offer some kind of money. I have been saying it seems like forever if you can't feed the animal please don't get one. I have turned a family member in for gross neglect. Her kids are doing the same now .

 

[DKRabbitry]

Yah, I just read that somewhere when trying to find information. I only saw it one place, and they were talking like an inch, so I took it with a grain of sand and didn't think that it pertained to this particular situation even if the fact held any water. But thanks for your imput. I will definitely remember that in the future if I am going to be playing with the whole owning pigs thing

So I emailed the owner and let him know what happened and he says I can have the female piglet for my trouble and that he has never had that happen before. But also said this is their 3rd litter and he has never had piglets left over this long so them suckling on each other may have very well happend. Either way, I am going to take him up on his offer and get that girl piglet. Hopefully I can turn her health around and at least make her friendly enough to be tolerable, if not I will just cross that bridge when we get there. At least she won't be sold to someone as a "pet" piggie who knows less than I do (which would really be saying something LOL). She was very vibrant when I saw her, but still just as tiny as the other ones. I didn't think much of their tinyness but got to thinking when I got my other mini-potbelly, her father was the same size as their father & mother, but her mother was a little bit bigger, not significantly though. But anyways, when I got her at 6 months old, she was nearly 3 times the size of these piglets at 4 months old. My other potbelly is wild too so.... *shrugs* Wild horses, wild pigs, wild goats, I guess I am a sucker for the wild ones

Oh, and I got a new book... Storey's Guide to Raising Pigs

ETA: Oh yah, I forgot that I can't really ACTUALLY compare the size of their parents cuz pigs are slow to grow, fast to reproduce (at least potbellies). So while their daddy's may have been the same size, Pinkerton's (the pig I already have) daddy could only be 10 months old, while their daddy could be 2 years old. So unless I know ages I guess I can't really compare sizes of parents.