Micro pig surgery?

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:13:28 GMT

I think the difference Micheal is that someone's fond of micro pigs Your farmer client is breeding to eventually eat, so will not be too upset if an open castration results in herniation-owners of pet micro pigs will be

Wynne

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Michael Woodhouse — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:14:52 GMT

I still stand by my statement that you can do a perfectly good job using a good person holding the pig and local anaesthetic.

We do cow caesers under local, gelding a pig should be simple.

Re: Micro pig surgery?

midlandsvet973 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:49:44 GMT

If you want to try tubing them a colleague once told me to have the pig in sternal with some bandage to hold the mouth open, start with the ET tube upside down (so curved upwards) and turn it to curve down as you introduce it if that makes sense. She only told me this when I was struggling to tube a pet micro pig for castration - worked pretty well! I did that one closed and exactly like a dog (pre scrotal incision) and closed the skin with sub cut and intradermals (it was a house pig!) I can't remember the induction protocol we used but it was probably a dom/torb/ket type combination. I did give it some metacam I think. Good luck.

Edited - just read the in practice article, explains tubing them much better that I did, really did make it easier if you rotate the tube.

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Busybee — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:50:19 GMT

Dug this one up as I've got 2 6mo old boars to castrate in the near future!

Have read the In Practice article (v useful!). Our pig anesthesia lectures at college were brief but I do remember them saying it can be very hard to intubate them so for a quick procedure such as castration, would it be ok to just use a mask to deliver Iso?

[quote user="Alan Tevendale"]In realively mature pigs you really have to make sure that you close off the tunic as there is a real possibility of herniation[/quote]

Would this be solved by operating as you would a closed castration on a dog or rabbit then? Post op analgesia?

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Wren — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:41:48 GMT

[quote user="Alan Tevendale"]

IC injections are by the far the most common use of spinal needles from my boot.

[/quote]

I most often use them for blood sampling seals!

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Wren — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:41:10 GMT

[quote user="Thomas Johnson"]

[quote user="Wren"]

I've never been very impressed with Stresnil on normal sized pigs so will give it a miss. Actually it brings back memories of trying to PTS a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig several years ago. Pet pig so couldn't shoot it. I think I gave it Rompun followed by intra-cardiac Somulose. It was far too obese to have a hope of finding a vein (even an ear one). Any suggestions for a better method?

[/quote]

I've used ketamine and xylazine i/m, then intracardiac pentobarbitone, it worked very well. Tthe practice I worked in at the time kept long spinal needles in the vans for that purpose.

[/quote]

So it wasn't such a stupid protocol after all! Nice to know.

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Alan Tevendale — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 17:36:35 GMT

IC injections are by the far the most common use of spinal needles from my boot.

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Thomas Johnson — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:29:35 GMT

[quote user="Wren"]

[/quote]

I've used ketamine and xylazine i/m, then intracardiac pentobarbitone, it worked very well. Tthe practice I worked in at the time kept long spinal needles in the vans for that purpose.

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Wren — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:31:42 GMT

Thank you very much - some good ideas.

Louise - I will message you as I'm not a BVA member. We probably have the relevant copy of IP kicking around somewhere but to be honest our filing system leaves something to be desired and I'd probably spend half a day rooting through back-issues only to decide that that was the one copy we didn't have. I'll PM you my email thanks!

I'm off on holiday for a week so will schedule to do it the week after. I'll report back!

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Alan Tevendale — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:33:09 GMT

In realively mature pigs you really have to make sure that you close off the tunic as there is a real possibility of herniation - incidence appears to be greater in larger breeds. We've perfomred castration under sedation with the sedative doses provided in the previously mentioned In Practice article, we even did a spay a few months back. Quite often then just use Iso on top. Recovery is generally good and predictable. You'll probably find if you try stresnil that very little happens - it really doesn't work enough to give a deep enough sedation to do much under local.

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Hannah Wynne Richards — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:01:36 GMT

I once ceasared a Vietnamese pot bellied sow under torb/dom/ket, then halothane my mask-it was 15+ years ago. It was on a w/e, and the nurse had dreadful probs convincing the practice manager (who was also the boss' wife ) that the overtime claim was not a joke

Wynne

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Michael Woodhouse — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:07:40 GMT

We have a farmer who rears a few pigs slowly for the freezer. He likes a bit of size on them before we castrate them and they are frequently 4/5/6 months old. If a good strong chap holds them by both back legs and traps their head between ankles you can easily do it under local. 10ml each side scrub, tense testicle under skin, cut and pull - like a calf. Leave the scrotum unstiched. 2 minute job.

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:40:00 GMT

I'd second the recommendation of the In Practice article.

About tusks: we had a thread on this about a year ago. I expect you can still search vetsurgeon for it.

I'd say tusk removal was not such a bad idea in practical terms ( but you should charge plenty).

If you cut the teeth instead, what are you going to do if you cut into or close to the pulp?

If you must cut them, if you have a dental unit, use a diamond disc (with water cooling)

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Mark Rowland — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:26:11 GMT

When are you doing it

Ive got a dom torb ket dose and we then use emasculators. use a wire saw for the teeth

Sadly im not in work today

Can you hang on till tomorrow?

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Thomas Johnson — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:06:45 GMT

I've castrated 3 month old Kuni Kuni piglets in the past. Gassed down with isoflurane, incisions made in both sides of the scrotum, testicles tied off as with any other castration and a couple of subcut stitches in each scrotal wound. NSAID injection for pain relief.

Re: Micro pig surgery?

Louise6732 — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:58:04 GMT

Hi Wren,there is this article in BVA 'In Practice'

In Practice 2007;29:34-39 'Practical sedation and anaesthesia in pigs' Oliver Hodgkinson

If you don't have membership to BVA message me your e-mail address and I can send you the pdf file. It seems quite helpful!

Louise