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Like other pets and people, mini-pigs can suffer from numerous health problems including inner/middle ear infections, foot abnormalities, atrophic rhinitis, pneumonia, intestinal parasites and obesity. Obesity can lead to joint injury and arthritis. Mini-pigs may ingest inappropriate items leading to gastrointestinal tract blockages. If blockages are not dealt with quickly intestinal rupture and death. obesity and are prone to joint injury, arthritis, and foot abnormalities.
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Young, male mini-pigs commonly develop urolithiasis in which uroliths form lodge in their urethras, causing life-threatening urinary tract obstructions. Male mini-pigs also suffer from cryptorchidism, in which the testicles fail to move from inside the abdomen to the groin. Older, un-spayed female pigs commonly develop leiomyoma uterine tumors. Two common eye problems are entropion (the eyelids roll inward, toward the eyeball) and distichiasis (in which eyelashes on the upper eyelid are misdirected, so that they point in toward and rub on the eyeball). Erysipelas is a bacterial infection characterized by diamond-shaped, red, raised skin lesions that is fatal but is preventable with vaccination. Because mini-pigs are non-discriminatory eaters, they tend to eat all sorts of inappropriate things, including rodenticides which can be deadly if not treated quickly.
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Just like other pets, mini-pigs should have a complete veterinary check-up after they are acquired and then annually after that. Your pig may need to be sedated for examination. Your veterinarian will determine the vaccines that are advisable for your pig, based on your pig's potential exposure to pathogens, breeding status, and geographic location. An analysis of your pig's feces should be performed annually to check for gastrointestinal parasites. Pet pigs should be screened for mites through a skin scraping. Veterinarians also will often help pig owners with hoof care and tusk trimming. Neutering of males and spaying of females is recommended for all pigs.
