hau, Danielle, That does not seem good so here are some guidelines I learned from our Vet.
Your first line of defense is to take the temperature of the pig. (This can be exciting, we use a rectal digital thermometer for this, be gentle, get the pig calm and two or more
people make it easier)
Temperature should fall in the range of 99 to 101. Anything over the 101 should be considered a fever.
There are many things that could account for the pig not feeling well.
Pneumonia: Pig will stop eating and will run a fever usually in the 102 range at the beginning and can increase quickly if untreated.
Common pig pneumonia usually shows no symptoms other than the pig refusing to eat and running a fever.
No coughing or congestion in the early part and this one is easily fixable with antibiotics if given at the onset.
It can be life threatening if not treated.
There are other pneumonia's that are more difficult to treat like the mycoplasma strains but they are not as common.
Constipation or blockage: A pig that is constipated or that has a blockage will not eat.
They will strain while trying to go and its up to you to determine just how bad the problem is.
DO NOT give laxatives or oils to pigs until you know for sure that there is some fecal matter coming through.
Giving a pig with a blockage a laxative can cause major damage to the pig.
If there is some fecal matter coming through and it is hard to the touch then chances are good that your pig is just constipated.
This happens more with older pigs than with young ones and can be avoided by giving them some of the products out there for that purpose or giving them a half can of canned pumpkin every other day or low fat oil in their food daily.
Pigs don’t usually run a fever with either of these problems in the beginning.
If the pig has a blockage it is usually seen with an ultrasound and this is a problem for your vet as surgery is the best correction.
Pain: A pig that is in extreme pain from an injury or illness will not eat.
If this goes on for longer than a few days than you might try tempting them with the Ensure Plus or
Boost that comes in a can and does supply them with some nutrition during this time.
The main concern with pigs in any of these conditions is fluid intake more than food.
Again the temperature will only be a little above normal in most of these cases involving pain.
There are other, quite serious things that will definitely need the attention of your Vet:
Pyometras or infection of the uterus: The pig will run a fever with this infection.
Benign tumors: There are many cases of benign tumors in unspayed older females. These are usually large and attached to the reproductive organs. The pig shows no symptoms at all until they quit eating.
By this time the tumors can be quite large.
There is no fever with this and unless the tumor is located more on one side of the pig it can be very hard to see with visual inspection.
There are times when its also missed with x-rays or ultra sounds.
Blood work does not give a clear picture either and can show normal range.
Surgery is the option.
Cancers: The same holds true of the cancers that holds true for the benign tumors. There is no fever and no symptoms beyond the pig refusing to eat.
The problem is reluctance by some vets to open the pig up.
Not just practicing vets but also large universities.
This is understandable to a point since pig is not showing any symptoms other than not eating and usually the test results are in the normal range.
BUT it is not normal for a pig to go without eating for long periods of time!!
Diarrhea is usually caused by to much
fruit (when this happened to us it was to many plums)
Just take the item out of the menu for a few days and if it goes away, you know the cause.
Moderation is always best. We had to pickup the plum fall to stop this problem but then we fed them a few at a time and all was well.