pregnant sow sick?? or in labor??

desertshi · #1 06/13/10, 09:52 AM

My sow, Babe, is acting very strange this AM. Every two days we go fill up her little water hole and today was the day to do so. It was dried up enough that it had no standing water, just wet dirt. Babe was not laying in it, she was laying down by her water bucket panting. Wouldn't get up. We re-filled her water and she finally did get up to come and dump her water. lol. She usually goes right over to the water hole when we start filling it but this time she did not. We threw some buckets of water on her, then she started dancing in her back feet and continued panting.

She is due sometime this month. My "Microsoft Works calender" which I use for everything, isn't working so I don't know the exact day. I do remember that it was sometime in this month though. She is NOT filled with milk, but IS very swollen and pink in the rear end. She has not nested with the material in her pen. DH says that she hasn't been eating much in the last few days, but we thought that it's due to the heat and because she is pregnant. ??

After I left the pen, DH said that she pooped and then started shaking like shivering? and she layed down.

For those of you who are going to say, "call the vet" I can't. The vet here is more likely to kill her than help her. We are about to go get a friend who is pretty knowledgable about many animals but I would like ya'lls help too. What should her temp be? Can I take her temp with a normal digital therm? With a bag over it? Is there any other info I need to give ya'll? Please help!

desertshi · #2 06/13/10, 10:28 AM

Okay, so I found out on another site that the normal temp is 101-102. She is at 101.3 so, normal. She has blood in her rectum so I am thinking that she is constipated? I was just out again and she got up to go over to her water hole and is very shaky. Result of not eating maybe? Should I give her a shot of antibiotics just in case? The guy who came said that it will make her abort if I give her penicilin? He says to give her Emicilin?

linn · #3 06/13/10, 12:19 PM

If the heat is really bad, I would wet her down several times a day. She may be dehydrated. Give her some hay or straw, if she starts making a bed, then she is probably near farrowing.

desertshi · #4 06/13/10, 04:52 PM

Well, I tried to give her a can of yams earlier. She wouldn't take it, wouldn't even lift her head even though it smelled so good.

A little while later I went out and pushed on her back alot to make her roll up to her belly at least and gave her some sour milk. She drank that well.

I then decided to blend up the yams. I ended up making a mixture of oral electrolytes, some Karo and a little sugar (for energy) and the yams blended up. When I went out she actually sat up on her haunches when she saw me coming in!! Good sign! She drank that down great. Later on I'm going to go give her some more electrolytes. I have not injected her with anything.

thimblethepig · #5 06/13/10, 05:29 PM

mine always started building a house of hay before having the babies,I would be most concerned about the blood possibly being parasites

desertshi · #6 06/14/10, 11:08 AM

yah, she wasn't in labor. She most definantly is sick. I think that the blood is from constipation. When she pooed it was physically painful we could see and they were a couple hard little balls. Poor thing. I think she has no energy because she hasn't been eating.
Any more suggestions? I am just trying to keep giving her oral electrytes. Any help is more than welcome though!!