We ended up getting our piglet back from the people who bought him today. This piglet had an umbilical hernia. I have always seen this type of hernia correct itself...but this one didn't.
The buyers had the vet come take a look (same vet we use) and he explained that most umbilical hernias are surrounded by fatty tissue and the hernia heals itself. In this case, the intestines actually erupted through the abdominal wall and as the piglet grows, the hernia grows. My guess is that it could also cause digestive problems, leading to growth issues, and certainly pain.
We refunded the buyer's money of course, and brought the pig home. Ruby was VERY concerned as I carried him from the back of the van to the gate. She knew that this was one of her piglets immediately. He was welcomed back into the passel. He was certainly happy to find a mudhole and cool off.
My hope is that we can separate him and his brother Nuts (the hernia brothers) and free choice feed them for a month. Then we butcher young and use them for a whole hog BBQ...maybe in the ground. I just want to make sure that we butcher well before there is any pain for these two guys.
On a side note, I looked up the name for a group of pigs and this is what I learned...I kind of like a sounder of swine myself.
A collective noun for a group of pigs: A drift, drove, litter (young), sounder (of swine), team, passel (of hogs), singular (refers to a group of boars)
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