Skin Disorders
A pig's skin can harbor many different things including infections. Some of these are classified as a major pig disease and some of the others are a simple skin disorder and easily treated. Obviously, we are not vets, but we have seen the most common skin disorders day after day and have created a page to discuss these things.
Pigs are known to be "hypoallergenic" animals, although this is debatable. Pigs do shed. They have extremely dry skin and flakes of skin can often be found on the ground or around their sleeping areas. You are more likely to notice this in "house pigs" rather than outside pigs. All pigs scratch themselves on objects. When this scratching is excessive, you may want to refer to your parasite schedule and be sure your pig is on track with parasite control. Obsessive scratching is usually the result of mites. Mites have two different forms, Sarcoptic, which is the usual type seen in pet pigs and demodectic mange, also referred to as follicular mange, which presents differently.
Sarcoptic mange, as with all mite species, spend their whole lives on the same host. The mite digs tunnels beneath the skin and their saliva has an enzyme that dissolves skin tissues, the result is a liquid which is what they eat. They do NOT suck blood. As this is going on, the pig becomes super itchy and scratches and scratches. These scratches can sometimes cause open areas on the skin which can, in turn, become an open door for bacterial or viral infections. Not only is the itching miserable for your pig, but also easily treated with medication.
Demodex mange doesn't look the same as Sarcoptic mange mites. These mites get into the hair follicles and sebaceous glands and build nodules that can become infected with secondary bacteria. The life cycle takes about 3 weeks, but is poorly understood. Infestations often start around the nose and the eyelids to later spread throughout the whole body. Pig demodectic mange is usually rather benign, unless in cases of very heavy infestations. The skin typically has an brownish-oily like appearance as it sheds.
To know for sure if your pig has either of these, your vet can do a skin scraping and use a microscope to see if and which mites are present. To find out how to treat this, click here to go to the parasite page.
Source: http://parasitipedia.net
Pigs are known to be "hypoallergenic" animals, although this is debatable. Pigs do shed. They have extremely dry skin and flakes of skin can often be found on the ground or around their sleeping areas. You are more likely to notice this in "house pigs" rather than outside pigs. All pigs scratch themselves on objects. When this scratching is excessive, you may want to refer to your parasite schedule and be sure your pig is on track with parasite control. Obsessive scratching is usually the result of mites. Mites have two different forms, Sarcoptic, which is the usual type seen in pet pigs and demodectic mange, also referred to as follicular mange, which presents differently.
Sarcoptic mange, as with all mite species, spend their whole lives on the same host. The mite digs tunnels beneath the skin and their saliva has an enzyme that dissolves skin tissues, the result is a liquid which is what they eat. They do NOT suck blood. As this is going on, the pig becomes super itchy and scratches and scratches. These scratches can sometimes cause open areas on the skin which can, in turn, become an open door for bacterial or viral infections. Not only is the itching miserable for your pig, but also easily treated with medication.
Demodex mange doesn't look the same as Sarcoptic mange mites. These mites get into the hair follicles and sebaceous glands and build nodules that can become infected with secondary bacteria. The life cycle takes about 3 weeks, but is poorly understood. Infestations often start around the nose and the eyelids to later spread throughout the whole body. Pig demodectic mange is usually rather benign, unless in cases of very heavy infestations. The skin typically has an brownish-oily like appearance as it sheds.
To know for sure if your pig has either of these, your vet can do a skin scraping and use a microscope to see if and which mites are present. To find out how to treat this, click here to go to the parasite page.
Source: http://parasitipedia.net
Pig Rust
There is something the pig community refers to as "pig rust" and this is usually an accumulation of oils, dirt, skin, hair and sometimes is confused with mites. This condition is actually called hyperkeratinization. (hyperkeratinization can occur due to a deficiency of Zinc as well) Pig rust doesn't itch, your pig will not scratch intensively on anything possible and your pig will not cause areas of the skin to open due to pig rust. This is commonly seen in lighter pigmented pigs, usually pink pigs. The area is commonly between the front shoulder blades down the center of the back. Sometimes the area fades with a bath, sometimes it does not. You can have your vet do a skin scraping to be sure its nothing more, but know this is sometimes the outcome regardless of what you do. This doesn't affect your pig in any way, but isn't necessarily the prettiest thing to look at. Do NOT scrub your pig with abrasive type items or solutions, this will irritate the skin and honestly, the area will likely reappear. You can try to exfoliate gently, but again, this is a common problem in lighter colored pigs and is usually present regardless of preventative measures you may take.
Other parasites may cause redness or "lesions" to appear on your pig. Parasites can also lead to hair loss, weight loss, poor weight gain and dry skin as well. Again, Please refer to the parasite page to learn how to treat by clicking here.
This was thought to be a result of photosensitivity caused by this pig eating a plant that can cause this reaction.
Seasonal blowing of the coatPigs will go from super hairy to bald within weeks. You will notice a lot of hair being left outside or on the floor. This is normal. Some pigs don't blow their complete coats although most do at some point in their lives. In my experience, some pigs don't blow their coats the first year. Some have multiple times every year in which they blow their coats. Its unknown whether this is an internal conflict (like a hormonal or gland problem) or an external conflict (like heat versus air conditioning) If your pig is only losing patches of hair, there may be something else going on, such as a vitamin deficiency, that needs to be treated. Most common time for a pig to blow its coat is spring and summer. If you are petting your pig and getting handfuls of hair, odds are your pig is blowing its coat. They can go from having one bald patch to many and then all of the hair will be gone or they may only lose the hair slightly, more like the hair thinning out without ever losing it completely. The pig in the video below is blowing his coat in January. Just to prove it doesn't always happen in the spring and summer....
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This pig was thought to have an autoimmune disorder called Vitiligo which is known in the human species, but still very misunderstood. Basically the pigment of the skin goes away leaving only white skin. Its an internal problem that is typically the cause and nothing to be alarmed about. It IS worth mentioning to your vet the next time you see them.
Skin cancer in pigsSquamous cell carcinoma is very common in pigs. Especially the light colored pigs although its also a possibility in darker pigmented pigs. Please keep you pig safe from the harmful rays by using sunscreen.
Signs of skin cancer usually appear first on the skin behind the ears but may also affect the shoulders, the back, and even the abdominal area. We recommend that, during the spring, summer, and fall, you apply sunscreen to all areas on your pigs not covered in mud. Sun exposure is rarely in issue in winter, except in very warm climates. SunburnIt is very easy for pigs to get sunburn...they love sunbathing and will lay there not knowing they are getting burnt. Please put sunblock on your pig regardless of the pigment being light or dark. Both can get sunburned, and this can occur in any season.
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Ringworm
With a ringworm infection, remember this is one of the common skin issues that can be passed on to humans by direct contact. Your vet can prescribe an anti fungal medication to be applied topically to help rid the pig of the ringworm. It is common for fungi to grow along pressure points of the skin....like above the vertebrae...it seems to have something to do with blood flow. It also grows over the scratches areas, because that is how it can be spread....
In pet pigs, Ringworm fungi are contracted from direct contact with an infected animal....but it does not have to be a pig. Some pets are asymptomatic carriers and have no visible lesions. Prevention comes from identifying the infestation and isolating the pig from all other critters until the infestation is gone. Systemic (oral) treatment is much more effective than topical spot treatment.....usually a combination of both is required. All contact individuals usually need to be treated. The oral med is Griseofulvin. It used to be labeled for pigs but now it is not. The vet prescribed ketoconazole in a oral form and a shampoo for this pig as well.
The DVM who treated this pig said it is not very common in pigs but can run like wildfire through cattle. The spores can live in bedding and the soil and most outbreaks happen in the winter.
For more information:
http://www.thepigsite.com/pighealth/ringworm/_
In pet pigs, Ringworm fungi are contracted from direct contact with an infected animal....but it does not have to be a pig. Some pets are asymptomatic carriers and have no visible lesions. Prevention comes from identifying the infestation and isolating the pig from all other critters until the infestation is gone. Systemic (oral) treatment is much more effective than topical spot treatment.....usually a combination of both is required. All contact individuals usually need to be treated. The oral med is Griseofulvin. It used to be labeled for pigs but now it is not. The vet prescribed ketoconazole in a oral form and a shampoo for this pig as well.
The DVM who treated this pig said it is not very common in pigs but can run like wildfire through cattle. The spores can live in bedding and the soil and most outbreaks happen in the winter.
For more information:
http://www.thepigsite.com/pighealth/ringworm/_
The file below is information regarding common skin issues with pigs written by Alan Doster, DVM, PhD, this is an excerpt from a much bigger presentation done on pigs from back in the 1990's, the information is much the same though. He included pictures to demonstrate a lot of what he was discussing. Having pictures to help identify the causes can be very helpful.

skin_disorders.pdf |