What to Do for Vomiting Pig

By Cathy Zolicani on Thursday, October 23, 2014

Pigs Will Vomit For A Number Of Reasons

  •  They eat things that upset their stomachs.
  •  Constipation.
  •  They gorge on things they should not eat.
  •  Some infections cause vomiting.
  •  Internal parasites.
  •  Intestinal obstruction.
  •  Some toxins cause vomiting.
  •  Organ based disease such as liver or kidney disease.
  •  Pain is a big cause of vomiting in the post-operative pig.

 

Some causes of vomiting are very serious, some are not.

If your pig is vomiting, and you do not know the reason, SEE YOUR VETERINARIAN. If there is an underlying cause, such as liver disease or pain, the vomiting will continue until the underlying cause is taken care of.

 

First aid for the vomiting pig UNTIL YOU CAN GET TO YOUR VET

 

  • Withhold food and water for 6 hours to let the stomach rest.  Giving food or water right after vomiting will cause more vomiting.  In pigs under 10 pounds, rub some Karo syrup or sugar water (1 tsp sugar in 1 cup warm water) on their gums every hour or so to prevent dips in blood sugar.
  • After 6 hours, offer a small amount of water – no more than ¼ cup.  If the pig refuses to drink, it is still nauseated, so don’t force it.  See your veterinarian.  If it drinks, wait an hour to make sure it keeps it down, then offer ½ cup every hour for 6 hours.  If no vomiting, return to free choice water.
  • If there is no vomiting 1 hour after the pig drinks water, offer a small meal of soft food (soaked pellets, rice cereal made with water not milk, applesauce, mashed potatoes, that sort of thing). Wait 1 hour to see if vomiting occurs. If vomiting starts again, with hold food and water  and see veterinarian.  If no vomiting, offer small soft meals hourly.
  • Over a few days, increase the size of the meal but decrease the frequency, until you are on a normal schedule. Feed soft food for about a week and then return to normal diet, schedule and amounts