Can a pig be safely given an anaesthetic.?

Question

I understood that pigs will not tolerate any form of anaesthetic, tranquilizers are ok. A recent problem with a young pot-belly led to a vet giving an anaesthetic to a customers pig and it died. Just out of curiosity can anyone help.

Answer 1

Pigs are VERY hard to give anesthetic to. Sometimes it has to be done though. They are prone to all kinds of anesthitic problems. And they have problems that often need anesthitic like having the teeth/tusks filed. Many pigs are NOT real helpful when you are trying to do something with them either!!!!

Answer 2

I have an 11-year-old pot-bellied pig --- and she has been successfully anesthetized several times. But ... I have learned over the years to be very careful about what vet I use. Most vets aren't familiar with pot-bellied pigs -- and, once I find out they don't know much about pigs, even if they are willing to work on her, I go elsewhere. (I have found out that, generally speaking, I know more about pot-bellied pigs than most vets do.)

I take my pig to the vet every 6 months to have her hooves trimmed. She has to be put to sleep -- because otherwise she throws a big hissy fit -- but I always insist that they put her to sleep with "gas" rather than with an injection. They just put a mask over her snout long enough for her to flop over -- only about 30 seconds -- then they trim her hooves and she wakes up in about 5-10 minutes. Gas is much less invasive on a pig's system than an injection.

Several years ago, my pig had a serious internal disorder (bleeding vaginally from an unknown source) -- and I took her to the Veterinary School of Medicine in College Station, Texas. Obviously, they had to put her to sleep "big-time" (rather than just with a whiff of gas) -- but they were experts and knew what they were doing. She turned out fine.

But -- bottom-line -- to answer your question, pigs will definitely tolerate anesthesia -- but a vet sure has to know what he-or-she is doing -- because it's totally different from putting dogs and cats to sleep.

Answer 3

Pig anaesthesia is problematic as they tend to overheat and develop Malignant Hyperthermia. They are also susceptible to a lot of other anaesthetic problems, and so losing them is always a real risk. Giving an anaesthetic is sometimes required but it is risky.

Answer 4

hiya yeh i think its safe but to be on the safe side please check with the sspca ( Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ) if you live in scotland or the rspca ( Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) if u live in england & wales if you need the address of your local sspca or rspac u can contact your local police office or look up your locla office of the sspca or rspca at www.yell.com and they will also give u door to door directions