Before purchasing any pet, you should do your research to ensure there aren’t extensive, often costly, health issues common to the breed. After all, if you purchase a pet with well-known issues, you’re only going to spend a lot of money for them to live a shorter life than they should.
Luckily, miniature pigs don’t experience many health issues. In fact, most pigs may only face 4 main issues in their lifetime, many of which are preventable.
As a potential pet pig owner, it’s important you understand all potential health issues you may encounter before purchasing your own. That way, you will be better prepared to proactively prevent problems and will be better informed on how to handle them should they occur at any point during your pig’s life.
Obesity
As you can imagine, pigs, even teacup pigs, enjoy eating. While this isn’t a problem, provided that you’re feeding your pet nutritious vegetables and pet-specific feed, it can be if you overfeed them.
Keep in mind that overfeeding your miniature pig will also cause him or her to grow to be a bit more than “miniature” sized. Relatedly, an obese pig will also be at a greater risk for health issues just like humans are who are considered obese.
Urinary Tract Infections
In miniature pigs, urinary tract infections are markedly more common in males than females, though the health issue can occur in both sexes. Luckily, urinary tract infections aren’t life-threatening and, especially when caught early, can be treated rather easily.
If you noticed that your pig is going to the bathroom more or less often, the urine has a different odour or colour than usual, eating less, lethargic, or irritable, a urinary tract infection may be to blame. If ever you suspect this may be the case, it’s best to take your pet to a speciality vet immediately.
Constipation
Constipation occurs occasionally in many micro pigs. Sometimes, something as simple as decreased fluid intake can slow digestion down and cause serious discomfort to your pet.
As we mentioned in the supplement article, 100 percent pure canned pumpkin is extremely effective at treating constipation. To better results, increase water intake as well. If within two hours you don’t notice an improvement (i.e. your pig still has not defecated), you should visit the veterinarian.
Skin Problems
Pigs have sensitive skin and can experience issues such as dry skin, sunburn if outside for too long, and mange mites.
Coconut oil is one of the least expensive, common cures for dry skin. You can apply it directly to your pig’s skin or even freeze it into tablespoon-sized treats and feed it to your pet.
To prevent sunburn, you should apply sunscreen to your teacup pig. This is even more important for pigs with lighter skin.
Mange mites are treated with a de-wormer that you’ll get from the veterinarian. If your pig is particularly itchy, these mites may be to blame! Usually, mange mites aren’t a problem if you schedule an annual visit with your vet every year.
Understanding Health Problems is the First Step in Prevention
While you can’t always prevent issues such as urinary tract infections or constipation, you can take proactive steps to quickly treat the issue to ensure your miniature pig lives a healthy, happy life.
By taking the information above into account, you’ll be prepared for anything that comes your way and enjoy the company of your pet for many years to come!