Why do piglets get bumps?
Often, farmers notice the appearance of strange cones in pigs and do not know what this may be due to. In fact, several diseases can manifest themselves in this way. Cones in piglets indicate that there is some kind of inflammatory process in the body that has reached a purulent stage. The main thing that needs to be done in such a situation is to figure out what exactly it can be.
Piglet cones
Possible options for the appearance of bumps
Today, doctors distinguish 2 main and common diseases in pigs, which manifest themselves precisely through the appearance of bumps, these are:
- abscess;
- furunculosis.
Both diseases make themselves felt precisely in the form of a lump, which, among other things, can be located on the leg of a pig, right on the bone. Veterinarians say that this is either a build-up and salt deposition, or the result of an improperly healed broken leg. If a neoplasm is noticeable on any other part of the body, this means that an inflammatory process is taking place in the pig's body and it needs urgent treatment before the disease spills over into a more severe form.
Abscess
This is a rather unpleasant and serious disease, very painful for pigs. An abscess is a pathological disease that appears due to the fact that acute purulent inflammatory processes caused by pathogenic staphylococcus occur in the body. Staphylococcus aureus completely lags behind the walls of the tissue or is carried through the blood, due to which neoplasms (lumps) of the abscess appear. They can sit not too far under the skin, which is why they bring incredible discomfort and pain to the animal, and they look like bumps. A piglet at a young age under one year old can quickly die from such a disease.
As mentioned earlier, such a disease looks like a hemisphere. The disease begins in the form of a slight edema of a weak consistency, resembling a dough. The pig's temperature will rise, the lump will also be hot, and will seem to slip away to the touch. If the disease is in the early stages, then you can use compresses, various poultices and all kinds of heating pads. Any massage actions and cold are strictly prohibited: this can lead to rupture of the sac containing all the pus, and if it bursts, the disease will spread throughout the body along with pus.
When the lump begins to fully ripen, it is necessary to take the animal to the veterinary clinic so that the specialists can make a small incision, remove all the pus, and then treat the wound with an antiseptic. Such a procedure cannot be carried out by yourself at home, since there is a high percentage of the likelihood of infecting the pig.
The appearance of an abscess
The most common cause of the onset of the disease is a fight between animals, which is often observed when pigs are kept in large herds. First, a small tear appears on the pig's body, then it tightens, forming a scar, under which a tumor appears. In addition, an abscess can be the result of some kind of disease: smallpox, pneumonia, or even the usual biting of the tail.Care must be taken that the wound does not appear on the nose: this is very serious and can lead to the fact that the pig will lose the ability to breathe.
The multiple appearance of an abscess excessively depletes the animal's body, and therefore, after a couple of months of regular illness, the animal usually dies. After that, the pig carcass cannot be used: it will be infected.
Signs
In order to diagnose the disease, it is necessary to find the tumor itself. Then you need to very carefully, but carefully feel it in order to understand how deep it is and whether there is liquid inside it. To understand how serious everything is, you will have to take the liquid from the lump for analysis. In order for the pig to not be hurt, she needs to inject a sedative.
The sample should only be taken with a syringe with an 18 mm needle. Then you need to insert the needle at the lowest point in the bump and pump out some liquid from there. The abscess fluid can be of different colors:
- white;
- yellow;
- green.
The structure of the liquid will resemble a watery or curd base.
Treatment
It is necessary to completely remove the pus so that the infection does not spread further. Most often, you need to contact the veterinarian. To deal with the lump, the doctor makes a small incision (14-18 ml) at the very bottom of the lump. After that, he inserts a scalpel and "opens" it. The pus is removed and the wound is disinfected. In order not to get a new lump, within 3-4 days the wound does not need to be tightly closed: this way the pus will come out completely.
The harmful bacteria that cause the disease are quite sensitive to penicillin or oxytetracycline. If the area of the lump is severely inflamed, a cream containing antibiotics is needed. During the period of exacerbation, it is necessary to do constant injections.
Furunculosis
This disease most often occurs in piglets under one year of age. A disease appears as a result of staphylococcus entering the body. It causes severe irritation and damage to the hair follicle, resulting in purulent necrotic diseases. A boil is a very painful lump. It causes discomfort when walking and constantly hurts like hell. The pain that a pig will experience if he accidentally falls on this neoplasm can be compared with a sharp knife stab into the body. A distinctive feature of the boil is that it has a prominent shaft. On the nose, it appears extremely rarely, so there is no need to worry about the ability to breathe in this case.
The disease appears due to the fact that pigs do not fully comply with the hygiene of cleanliness of the skin. The main reasons for the appearance of the disease are:
- improper and rough combing;
- dysfunction of all sebaceous glands;
- any previously received mechanical damage;
- avitaminosis.
Treatment of the disease and prevention
The places in which the cones have appeared must be treated with an iodine solution, 2 percent saltsy alcohol, and brilliant green. To completely or at least partially relieve inflammation, you need to constantly apply bandages with ichthyol ointment, another good way is paraffin therapy. However, these methods can only alleviate the symptoms for a short time, the animal must in any case be taken to the veterinary clinic. Any furuncle must always be opened and removed immediately, there is no other way to deal with them.
After the boil has been completely removed, the pig must be supplemented with antibiotics in the feed so that all systems of the pig's body are able to cope with the disease. At the same time, the wound should heal quickly and well.
Conclusion
Bumps in a mumps may indicate the appearance of several diseases, but they all appear due to neglect of the living conditions of the animal. Bump prevention is simple: just remember to bathe your pets and keep them warm.