Case #: 000236
Name: Bushka-Leukemia

Bushka was bought from a 'wild life sanctuary' January 1996 and she was believed to be 6 months old at the time. On her second day with us she gave birth to 8 piglets. Four of them survived, two of whom we visit and do hoof trims etc. They are in good health and growing well. Essentially an indoor pig, Bushka had the run of a small garden but also enjoyed going out to the local park for walks. She was spayed later in 1996 once we could find a vet that was willing to do the operation and once he had obtained the equipment to be able to administer Isoflurane gas.

She enjoyed a healthy life and was fed two cups of Allen & Page potbellied pig feed daily (which has a protein level of 13%) as well as a little fruit and vegetables. This diet was supplemented with a cod liver oil capsule every two days.

She was a healthy pig except for a problem with a cracked tooth which required extraction. This was done under a general anesthetic by Clent Veterinary Group in 1999.

In late August 2000 we observed the first noticeable changes in her. She started vomiting and went off her food for a day or so only to start eating again so our concern was lessened. She developed some strange habits which involved going outside when it was dark and cold which she had never done before. We noticed that she would choose strange places, like next to the freezer, to rest where she had not previously. She appeared to be more lethargic than normal but would get up and walk about when encouraged to do so by us. At this point in time we were not overly worried and put this down to the summer heat. As time went on she gradually ate with less enthusiasm and she went off her pig feed totally. It was noticeable that when we tried to give her any of the feed by mushing it with water or milk that she would vomit after eating it so we stopped trying to feed her normal feed. At first we thought that it may have been a bad batch of feed so a new bag was purchased but she failed to eat any of the new feed too. Bushka developed a cough which we were convinced was just a form of flu and waited for the symptoms to subside whilst keeping her warm and cozy. Sometimes the coughing was accompanied by vomiting but she bought up very little in terms of stomach content and it had the appearance of mucous only.

A few days prior to our vacation in the USA she stopped eating and the day before we left my concern for her health was such that I rushed her to the vets. Blood samples were taken and blood tests were done at the vet's surgery. I was under the impression that the other blood samples taken were to be sent to the lab for more intrusive tests. The vet diagnosed an ulcer which we were told was quite common in pigs. My internet searches backed up what the vet had said so I accepted the fact that she could have an ulcer and we treated her with the medication supplied (Tagamet) as best we could. Giving any tablets to pigs is not generally easy unless the pig is happy to consume them in a jelly or peanut butter sandwich. Sadly for us she detected the tablets early on and was suspicious of everything we tried to feed her after that.

We left Bushka in the care of a close relative so we could still go on vacation, which is what we did. Our family kept in contact with us while we were in the US. Upon our return it was obvious that she was getting no better and she was getting more lethargic. I decided to book a session with the vet where we could investigate her symptoms with greater accuracy. This was booked for the Sunday, 26th November,  2000. During the preceding week she stopped eating altogether and my concern was such that by the Friday I phoned the vet and booked an emergency appointment. Upon arrival we took Bushka into the surgery and an examination was made under general anesthetic (Isoflourane gas). I was present during the examination and assisted during the ultrascan. Nothing unusual was discovered other than a suspected enlarged liver but because the vet had not performed a scan on a pot bellied pig previously he was not sure about what he could see. At this point the vet decided to perform an endoscopy while Bushka was still under the anesthetic. The endoscopy showed no ulcers in the stomach but did show a large quantity of liquid in the stomach which he drained with a rubber hose. This made the examination easier and the view inside the stomach much clearer but still nothing was detected.

Because of Bushka's general condition and the fact that nothing could be found by Ultrascan and endoscopy methods I decided that it would be much better for Bushka to be euthanised. If anything had been learned from diagnostic tests, we would have had something to work on but since nothing was found by way of ulcers, growths, etc whatever Bushka was suffering from was still a mystery. It would be wrong to drag her suffering out any further.

At 2:30pm, 24th November, Bushka was euthanised and an immediate post mortem was ordered. I was contacted by the vet on the 27th and told of a large growth that was found inside the intestinal cavity. This growth was 6cm in size and was attached to the intestinal wall. Samples of various tissues were sent for analysis. The results are included in the lab report and a copy can be ordered under Case #000236 on The Duchess Fund Medical Database.

The report indicated that Bushka had been suffering from Myeloblastic Leukemia and there was nothing we could have done for her. I feel that if the original blood tests had been sent to the lab (as I thought had happened) for further examination, we would have discovered the leukemia much earlier. As it happened I feel she suffered for only a short time and that was in the latter part of her illness. She was not in pain at her passing and she is still deeply missed by everyone who knew her. For myself I feel I have lost a very close and trusted friend and family member and she will live with me in my heart for the rest of my life.

By: Grenville Owen, England

Case #: Not Assigned
Name:  Wilbur

Wilbur is a barrow, approximately 10 years old. He was rescued after having been raised as a "house pig" for the first 4 years of his life and then abandoned by his owners. He has always been an outgoing and friendly little pig with a mild disposition and not disposed to fighting with his herd mates. He enjoyed human companionship and displayed all of the typical potbellied pig weaknesses for belly rubs and snacks.

Wilbur made the transition from "house pig" to outdoor pig easily. On arrival at the sanctuary, he was wormed with Dectomax, and vaccinated for Erysipelas, Brucellosis, Pseudorabies, Tetanus and Mycoplasma. Worming has been accomplished routinely every spring and fall and his vaccinations have been maintained annually since his arrival at the sanctuary. He has not been ill since his arrival at the sanctuary over 6 years ago.

Wilbur is an average sized potbellied pig. Estimated weight before his illness was 140-160 pounds. He tended to be one of the "heavier" pigs in the herd and, like several of the older barrows in his herd, was fairly sedentary. However, he stayed active enough that routine hoof trimming was not necessary. His tusks were due to be trimmed in June.

Wilbur lives in a one-acre pasture with 21 other rescued pigs....a mixture of barrows, gilts and sows. The pasture is maintained in pasture grass: a mixture of alfalfa, fescue, timothy, clover, orchard grass, etc. As with all the pigs in his herd, he receives a twice-daily ration of the alfalfa based pig pellets that are fed to all the pigs at the sanctuary. All the pigs in his herd are rescues, all vaccinated and wormed regularly and all are relatively small pigs. No new pigs had been added to his herd in the past 6 months. His herd is physically separated from all the other herds at the sanctuary. No other animals in his herd (or any other herd) are, or have been, sick. Wilbur was last seen by the vet approximately three weeks prior to the onset of his illness as a matter of routine and was apparently healthy and fit.

Over the winter (1999 and 2000), Wilbur began showing some signs of discomfort with his rear legs when walking. The problem appeared transitory and related to cold, damp weather. The assumption was made that he may be coming down with the early signs of arthritis. As the weather improved, Wilbur's difficulty walking improved somewhat and, at the vet's recommendation, we had agreed to simply observe him over the summer and attempt to reduce his weight by about 20 pounds.

On 5/5/00 we noted that Wilbur was having extreme difficulty walking at evening feedings. His rear legs appeared to be giving him a great deal of trouble and he was unsteady on his feet. He fell several times while trying to eat and finally gave up and returned to his barn. He did not feel feverish, but he protested loudly when he was made to get up. He drank water and appeared to be urinating and defecating normally. A decision was made to observe him for 24 hours before calling the vet.

On 5/6 Wilbur was unable to get up for the AM feeding. Walking was extremely difficult for him and his rear legs appeared to be extremely weak. We noted some pedal edema in all four legs, but more pronounced in the hocks of his rear legs. A routine call was placed to the vet. Wilbur moved to the large mud hole where he drank and submerged himself in the mud and water at around 9:00 AM. Temperatures that day quickly elevated to the mid 90's... uncharacteristically hot for that time of year.  The animals were checked regularly since most had not yet blown their winter coats. At 11:00 AM Wilbur was still resting comfortably in his mud hole and was reluctant to move out of it.

At noon on 5/6 we heard Wilbur begin screaming. We ran to his pasture to find him midway between the mud hole and the barn, in the direct sunlight. He was lying on his side with several pigs attacking him. He was breathing approximately 60 times a minute in short, ragged breaths and was unable to rise on his own. He was extremely hot to the touch. We immediately began cooling him with a garden hose and as soon as his breathing returned to a more normal rate and he had adequate respiratory depth we moved him by tractor to a shaded pen under the house. He was placed on clean straw with a fine water mist and fan on him. We noted no seizure activity; however, both pupils were fixed and dilated. He was lethargic but conscious and would respond appropriately to painful stimuli. His temperature rectally was approximately 108 degrees F. Heart rate was approximately 160-180. Lungs were clear bilaterally by auscultation but breathing remained rapid and shallow at a rate of about 40-50.

An emergency call was placed to the vet who was tied up on another emergency. He prescribed IM Banamine, Excenel IM and oral Bute (1/4G daily) until he could arrive and check him out.

By 8:00 PM Wilbur's fever had broken and was down to 102 rectally. One pupil was now equal and reactive while the other was still fixed and dilated. He was lethargic and unable to stand. We began syringing water and Pedialyte as he would take it. We were able to syringe over 1000 cc of fluids that evening.

For the next 5 days Wilbur's fever would spike to 107-108 as soon as the end of the effective dose of the Banamine was reached. As long as he was on the Banamine, his fever remained about 102. He refused to eat, but willingly accepted syringed water and Pedialyte. Urinary output was minimal but consistent. No stools were noted over the 5-day period, but since he was not eating, this was not a source of major concern. On the second day, both pupils were equal and reactive to light, but he remained very lethargic and with a resting pulse of around 110. Respiratory effort was good and lungs continued to be clear bilaterally, but breathing remained relatively shallow. On the fifth day the fever broke and has remained at or around 100 degrees F. ever since. Excenel and Bute were continued, but the Banamine was discontinued when the fever broke.

The vet's first diagnosis was a viral vasculitis and blood was drawn and sent off. It was noted a severe echymosis particularly between the forelimbs and down to the feet of the forelimbs as well as on the hind limbs. Pedal edema was pronounced and there was a marked discoloration of all non-pigmented skin. There also appeared multiple ulcerated areas on the coronary bands of the hind feet...less severe on the front feet. At this point the vet was unsure if this was related to this primary problem or secondary to the fever.

According to the vet, the only abnormalities in the blood results were a slightly elevated white cell count and an extremely high protein level.

On 5/13, Wilbur began sloughing skin. Virtually all of the skin on his body has, or is currently, sloughing. There have been a number of large, necrotic holes. Some have become approximately two to three inches in diameter, although most are smaller. All are approximately 1" thick and deep enough to penetrate the entire layer of subcutaneous fat. No muscle tissue has been visible through the holes. The original sloughing left weeping reddish wounds under the skin, but subsequent sloughing took place with new, non-pigmented skin under the old skin.

Wilbur was maintained on Tucoprim powder as a guard against infection while his skin was sloughing and early on we had him on two week regimen of Azium 10 mg. Orally. He began eating a mixture of pelletized feed, yogurt and Pedialyte. He was able to drink and eat on his own. For three weeks he had to be syringed and spoon-fed primarily because the skin sloughing around his face, mouth and nose made it difficult for him to eat or drink normally. Plus, it is still difficult for him to stand long enough to eat and drink normally.

He is now able to get up unassisted although he remains very unsteady on his feet. His rear legs are neither as strong nor as steady as his front feet and seem to be still swollen. However, the skin is just now sloughing off his rear legs and feet and the new skin over his rear feet appears tight and cracks easily when he bends his rear hooves. This may account for his reluctance to use his rear legs and feet. On good days he is let out to walk, graze and exercise. He is now drinking several gallons of water daily and eating well on his own, although he must be assisted since he cannot stand for long periods of time without falling down. He is alert and complains loudly when bothered or made to get up and move.

It is difficult to tell at this point whether there is any circulatory compromise to the rear legs and/or hooves. One rear hoof appears to be compromised, but with the skin sloughing in this area, it is impossible to tell.

Wilbur is stronger and appears to be on the mend, although it is obvious that he has a long and difficult recovery period ahead of him. At this point we are simply providing maintenance therapy, hydrating him well and forcing exercise to the maximum he will tolerate. We will maintain him on Tucoprim prophylactically as a guard against infection while his skin is still open in numerous places. Keeping flies and, of course, maggots out of his various open lesions has been a difficult task, but a large dose of IM Dectomax seems to have helped with maggot population control. An occasional spraying of Wilbur and his bedding with Permectrin II seems to have aided in fly and maggot control.

The vet contends that Wilbur contracted some sort of unspecified viral vasculitis. Serology neither confirmed nor denied this diagnosis. We have also considered the possibility of snakebite but were unable to find any fang marks, puncture wounds or evidence of evenomation. No other pigs in Wilbur's herd (or elsewhere on the sanctuary) are ill. We have not done a titer for Erysipelas as we are not sure what a good benchmark would be for a potbellied pig anyway.

The pictures included show the skin sloughing and attendant necrosis when they were at their worst (6/1/00 to 6/5/00). While he is still sloughing in some areas, the majority of his skin has now sloughed and has been replaced with mottled and non-pigmented healthy skin.

Update: 7/2000. Wilbur continues to improve steadily. All skin has been sloughed and replaced with new skin. He lost 75% of his tail in early July. Both rear feet have good circulation and he is walking with almost no difficulty although he remains a bit unsteady in the rear end. He is eating normal food ration with only some water added since he lost most of his "lips" and the replacement skin is still very tender. He gets up in the morning and grazes in the yard until breakfast and then goes to sleep under
his favorite bush. He gets up several times during the day and grazes, drinks, etc....and in the evening after dinner he goes back in the quarantine pen and goes to bed. He is no longer on any meds and we are just watching and encouraging him to exercise as much as he is able. The vet looked at him today and was amazed at his progress. He still has a few open spots, mostly from where he has rubbed his new skin because it itches him. Plus some of his huge necrotic holes are healing slowly and are still scabbing, but other than that he looks and acts good.

Case #: 000145 
Name: Sweet Cheeks

Leiomyosarcoma of the Uterus

"Sweet Cheeks" was rescued from a breeder that went belly up in early 1997. The breeder reported that Sweet Cheeks was born in 1993 with a defect causing her to fall over and she was only able to take one or two steps at a time before tumbling. The breeder believed that Sweet had a lack of oxygen during the birth which may have caused her disability. Since Sweet was very compromised, she went to a shelter rather than placed for adoption. Another pig (LuLu) was selected to go with her to help her with the transition.

For the first time in her life, she had a yard that was not cement and an igloo to sleep in. She and Lulu were afraid of the igloo and took up residence in a fence corner where a tarp was rigged up creating a cozy rest area. Sweet and LuLu stayed busy excavating their new yard and each morning there appeared unfamiliar landscaping with new hills and valleys. Both pigs were fearful of people and would not let anyone close.

Upon moving the entire herd from the south to the north, many states away, Sweet and Lulu had a large enclosure within a pole barn with a private door going out into a large yard. She spent many happy hours grazing, sleeping in the sun and rearranging the soil. She learned to overcome her fear of people and enjoyed belly rubs and having her ears scratched. She continued to be shy of strangers, however. She liked living inside. She also liked the color red so she had a red plaid flannel shirt in her nest.

During her three years at this location, various homeopathic remedies were tried. Pau D'Arco was purchased from a health food store and this improved her ability to walk somewhat, but this could not be given over a long period of time. She finally was able to maintain her balance as long as she walked slowly and was not startled. She was happy with her friend, LuLu and formed bonds with other pigs in the herd, her back fence neighbors.

In late February, 1999, she appeared to want more attention but other than that, there were no other symptoms. About two weeks later after eating breakfast, she began bleeding profusely from the vagina and she passed over 3 hours later. The veterinarian did a "field" necropsy and photos were taken at the time showing a massive tumor and the uterine horns were filled with blood. The tumor was the size of a basketball and it had a pocket of hemorrhage within the mass. The tissue was pale except the center that was necrotic. The Histopathology Report showed the Histological Diagnosis to be Leiomyosarcoma.

LuLu remained depressed for months following Sweet's demise. Sweet is gone but never to be forgotten!!

Case #: 99018
Name: "Petunia"

The Recurring Abscess

"Petunia" was purchased from a potbellied pig breeder in Georgia in 1998 at approximately 7 weeks of age and 5 pounds. Her new owners noticed a "crease" in her flank area and were told that the pigs on the breeding farm
would run through some chutes and sometimes they would get stuck and have to wiggle through. It was not known to the new owners if the chutes had any wire in them or not. The owner thought often of this and wondered if there was some connection to this "crease" in the same area where the abscess formed later on. Petunia received routine vet care over a 3 month period (September, October and November, 1998) for vaccinations, deworming, microchip and spay. She had one heat before her spay. She also developed a cough during this period of time and was treated for that.

When she was about a year old (June, 1999), she developed her first abscess in the flank where the "crease" was. It looked like a big bug bite that was infected about the size of a large golf ball. She contacted the vet and subsequently took Petunia in. The vet lanced it, drained the puss and placed a drain in the surgery site. Some cultures were done (e-coli was one culprit) and Petunia was put on antibiotics while there. Once home, the owners were unable to get the antibiotics in Petunia. Petunia seemed to recover without incident until October, 1999 when the lump appeared again. She was also quiet, sleepy and not her normal self. Back to the vet where more medication was given and another surgery and drains. She was sent home and the owner applied hot packs twice a day and flushed the area good but again, was unable to get any antibiotics in Petunia.

In November, she was oozing puss again from an infected surgical site and was referred to a specialist in the area. The specialist recommended she take Petunia immediately to the veterinary teaching college, which she did. Once there, diagnostic tests were done and they removed a considerable amount of necrotic tissue and puss. Radiographic findings showed no bony abnormalities and the ultrasound did not locate a nidus of infection. They did not use stitches to close the area allowing it to heal from the inside out and drain naturally. She was there 5 days and sent home to recover, which she seemed to do nicely.

The swelling and puss recurred in January, 2000, the local vet did another surgery and Petunia seemed to recover once again. In March, 2000, two bumps appeared at the same site, oozing puss. The local vet was discouraged by now.

Arrangements were made to have Petunia transferred to a pig sanctuary where she could be given daily injections of antibiotics under the supervision of an agriculture veterinarian. The first injection was given May l, 2000 and lasted for 15 days and then oral antibiotics were given for another 14 days for a total of 29 days. Cultures were also taken again. It was extremely difficult to get the oral medication in and down the pig. The pig was also given some vitamins and the infected area flushed out twice daily.

She went home on June 11, 2000 and as of this writing (July, 2000) she has remained well.

Case #: 99035
Name: "Miss Piggy"

Who Lost Her Back Feet, Ears, Tail and Skin

Miss Piggy was born on 11/2/96 and she and her sister went to their new home at only 3 days of age where they lived inside a pair of fuzzy bear slippers and were bottle fed formula every 2 hours. As they got older they ate potbellied pig food and fresh produce. Miss Piggy was quite the social pig always eager to do tricks. She was very happy and apparently healthy. Today, Miss Piggy lives with her family of 3 other potbellied pigs, some goats and some dogs.

It was on November 26, 1999 when she fell ill. She didn't come when called and was laying down and appeared to be having respiratory distress. She finally got up and took a few steps, then began defecating over and over, fell over, and continued to defecate. She had difficulty walking and subsequently wouldn't get up. She was taken to two local vets. Treatment by local vets resulted in no improvement so she was taken to a veterinary teaching college. Upon her arrival there, she was recumbent, depressed, heart rate of 76 and pale mucous membranes. Patches of sloughing skin were found over the hind legs from the hock down, over the rump and over small areas on the front legs, one ear and the tail. The back feet from the fetlocks on down were cool and had lost sensation, suggesting that the blood supply to these areas had been compromised. She was placed in Intensive Care, diagnosed with "Probable" Erysipelas and placed on medication. She did not have the typical "diamond shaped" lesions associated with Erysipelas, however. Miss Piggy's vaccinations were not current..

Abdominal ultrasound and thoracic radiographs revealed no abnormalities. The CBC showed slightly decreased red blood cell count (anemia) and slightly decreased white cell count (leukopenia). These findings can be associated with several disease states, including systemic infection. Serum chemistry panel revealed slightly increased liver enzymes (AST, CK) and decreased potassium. UA was unremarkable.

Her stay at the university was over a week. She returned home and the owner was warned that the skin would be sloughing off and to keep Miss Piggy as comfortable and clean as possible. The skin began to slough and slough and slough. As soon as one layer would finish the new layer would begin all over again. The skin was irrigated with water to keep it clean. Miss Piggy seemed to get some relief with the water irrigation also. Medication was put certain areas of the skin as needed.

In January, she lost both back feet. She also lost her tail and both ears. Miss Piggy was quite depressed and in pain. Euthanasia was considered a few times but each time, Miss Piggy would perk up and show signs of wanting to live!!! The first several weeks after she lost her feet, her back legs would shake when she tried to get up and move about. Gradually, she regained her strength and adjusted to life without these feet. By March, 2000, she was getting around pretty good on her "stumps" and her skin stopped sloughing although there were still some areas of concern. She grew both ears back and part of the tail! Everyone was hoping for a miracle and watched for signs of the feet growing back, but they didn't.

By June, Miss Piggy was reportedly really getting around now and doing everything she did before her illness. She even runs when her food bowl is delivered! She's happy, alert, and appears to be in good health after a severe illness and a very long recovery.

Unfortunately, in July, 2000, Miss Piggy started sloughing her skin again. She does not seem to be in any pain but it does itch. Medication is being applied and the skin is irrigated with water which she continues to love! It is not clear at this time how significant the sloughing of the skin is, but we will continue to monitor Miss Piggy. Her mysterious ordeal has been going on for 9 months now, yet it is still not clear whether she is totally stabilized. We will continue to update her condition.