Following the collapse of the market for pigs it is mainly Pet Pigs that we see at the moment. If you keep them as a hobby, rather than trying to make a living from them pigs make marvelous companions. In the past there was a fashion to keep Vietnamese Pot Bellied pigs, this is not the easiest breed to start off with. They are delightful as weaners but soon grow into very heavy animals. Normal pig feeds are designed for animals that are either growing, feeding or pregnant so it is difficult to maintain pigs kept as companions without them getting over weight.

The things to remember are they will root about and devour the grass, nose rings help but it is difficult to maintain any vegetation especially in the winter even if you only have a small number of animals.

Pigs are very prone to developing an infection called erysipelas. This is a bacterium that lives in the soil and will cause an infection in the blood stream of the animal. Some animals will suffer damage to their heart after they have had this disease so it is best avoided. There is a vaccine available, two injections are needed to build up immunity then the rule is to repeat the dose every six months for total protection.

Unless you have very good fencing and intend keeping several groups of animals it is better to have the male pigs castrated when they are still weaners. They grow very quickly and older pigs are more difficult to operate on.

There are strict rules concerning the movement of pigs, more than most other animals. You must inform your Local animal Health Office that you keep these animals, or we can do this for you. Pigs must not be moved without a license. If you start early enough most pigs can be trained to walk on a lead, like a dog would. Provided you do not have any high health pig units in your neighbourhood it is usually possible to get permission from DEFRA to walk Pet Pigs, as long as you follow a set route and do not disturb your neighbours.

Swine Flu

During late April and May 2009 there was a great deal of concern about a influenza virus H1N1 that was spreading in the human population from Mexico. Analysis of the samples revealed that it seemed to be a mixture of a human, avian and pig strain of the virus and it was quickly christened swine flu. It is still not clear where the virus has come from. It has not been isolated from pigs in Mexico although it has a similar make up to viruses that do circulate amongst pigs in North America from time to time.

On April 24th 450 out of 2000 pigs on a farm in Canada showed symptoms of flu after contact with a worker from Mexico who had symptoms of the disease. All of these pigs recovered after showing only mild transient signs of disease.

This variant of flu has never been diagnosed in the UK or in the European Union. It would seem to be sensible to avoid contact with known human carriers of the disease. If the symptoms are going to remain mild for both pigs and people it is not a disease that we should get too alarmed about.

This is a new disease that was first recognised in Canada ten years ago. It is only recently that it has started to have an impact here. The condition is caused by a Circovirus that has the effect of surpressing the immune system of the animals involved. The first signs are seen two to three weeks after the pigs have been weaned. There will be weight loss diarrhoea and respiratory signs as the animals fail to thrive. This is not an easy disease to diagnose as not all of the animals affected will show the same symptoms. Up to ten percent of the group may not survive.

There is no specific treatment for this syndrome. It is logical to try and change your management practices to keep stress to a minimum, avoid mixing pigs soon after weaning and delay any vaccinations for as long as possible. Improvements have been seen when stocking densities have been reduced and the general standards of management have improved, but it is still a difficult condition to cope with.