Vaccine Protocol Provided By Greenbelt Veterinary Services
Ensure you establish a Client-Veterinary Relationship. Canadian regulations will not allow you to purchase vaccines or anti-parasitic treatments without a prescription from a Veterinairian. We are very fortunate to have a wonderful local, very progressive swine vet that we highly recommend – Dr. Beverly Chard & Dr. Phil Chris. If you are within their practice area, we suggest you get into contact with them! They provide routine swine services within the Lower Mainland – with emergency calls restricted to Chilliwack/Agassiz area. For those out of area that have trouble locating a pig vet, they do some over the phone consultations. Veterinary advice is not free – this service will run you approx. $35 for a phone consult. Please confirm with their office for current rates.
Greenbelt Veterinary Services >>>
Basic Swine First Aid Kit
– Stethescope
– Digital Thermometer
– Warm blanket
– First aid scissors
– Wire Cutters
– Self-adhesive bandage (Vetwrap)
– Tweezers
– Gauze pads
– Antibiotic ointment
– Sterile water (eye/wound flush)
– Nitrile Gloves
– KY jelly
– Pedialyte/Electrolytes
– Syringe for flushing wounds
– Hand held hoof trimmers
– Activated Charcoal
– Needles & Syringes
– Betadine scrub
– Old clean cut up towels
– Canned Pumpkin (Constipation)
– Injectable Metacam (Vet prescription – pain control)
Normal Adult Pig Vitals:
Temperature 38-39.5 degrees C
60-80 BPM
Boar/Gilt Separation:
Breeding pairs (uncastrated males & unaltered females) should be separated at 6 months to prevent immature breeding. Gilts should not be reintroduced to the boar until she is ready for breeding at between 1 year-1 year & 3 months of age. Development & size of gilt should be evaluated prior to determining when to breed. Feel free to send me an email with a current photo of your gilt for my thoughts on this when the time comes! Whenever possible try to plan your breedings around holidays – busy seasons – freezing temperatures etc. The AKKPS online shop has a handy breeding calculator you can purchase for helping with due date calculations. When breeding do not forget to mark down your gilt/sows heats/bred dates in your calendar and/or phone to refer to! We highly encourage the registration of future breeding animals from your litters to keep the heritage KuneKune breed traits strong & correct. We discourage breeding unregistered & non-breeding quality/standard animals. Litter notification and registration may seem like a daunting task at first but once you complete it once – it is very simple. If you need any help at all – just ask! You may choose to purchase or raise some barrows (castrated males) to keep your boarling and gilt company whilst they grow – or hold your own back from your upcoming litters. Pigs are a social animal and they do enjoy the company of their species to snuggle with!
Tip: When breeding you should completely separate the boar and gilt/sow then put them back in together – if left together 365 days of the year you may have problems getting her to cycle or with the boar becoming complacent. You also can use this as tool to breed closer to your intended farrow dates that work best for your farm as well!
Hoof Care:
Your KuneKunes hooves should be trimmed every 6 months-1 year. You can make this easier by desensitizing them to hoof touch at a young age. There is many methods that can be used including using a hoof trimming chute that suspends them in the air, laying them on their backs, or having the vet sedate them and trim them. You may file a pigs hooves or trim them using hoof trimmers. We suggest having your boars tusks trimmed at the same time, if he needs them trimmed!
Skin Care:
Your pig shouldn’t have dry, itchy, irritated, or flakey skin. Keep their skin healthy with a well balanced diet. You can also rub coconut oil into their skin or buy pig formulated products/sprays to keep their coat in top shape if you wish. Adding sunflower oil to their diet will also help maintain soft supple skin! Be sure to provide your KuneKunes with a shaded area to help also prevent sunburns.
Tip: Use Ivermectin on a regular schedule to avoid skin irritation from possible parasites.