Your Pot Belly Pig Information Center

Anesthetics

Before you take your pig to the vet, or the vet comes to you for the first time, read up so that it isn't the last time. Make sure that your vet has worked on a potbellied pig before or is willing to learn so that your pig will have the proper care.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing is the right anesthetic. The preferred anesthetic to use on pot belly pigs is IS0 (Isoflurane Gas). The pig goes under quickly and recovers quickly. NO AFTER EFFECTS!

If your vet does not have this then the there is an injectable that can be used but only if the vet follows the formulation below. NEVER let your vet give your pig Ketamine. This is like a hallucinogenic to your pig and can KILL him. We here at Pigs4Ever know this from personal experience and believe us when we say this: You do NOT want to go through losing a pet pig to the wrong anesthetic!

From Phyllis Battoe, Owner of Pig Pals Sanctuary

"There is a place for injectables done with care on pigs that are too large to work with or get into the vet. I know they can be used because we use them here at the sanctuary on pigs that we can't handle enough to get into a vet and the injectables have a place for pigs that wouldn't get ANY vet care without them...BUT the one rule that we never, never break here is we give them the dose for their size, give them 5 to 10 minutes to go to sleep and if they DON'T then we quit and leave it alone!!

NEVER NEVER do we give them more!!

NEVER use injectables on pigs under 5 months old.

I always tell people to stay with that pig till it is asleep...that way you can always say "Hey it didn't work fast enough, but we ARE NOT going to give anymore." You can always come back again, but a dead pig is dead forever."

"The place on your pig to give the injectable is the neck about 2-3 inches behind the ear. It is okay if the shot is given in the butt, which is fat, as long as a long enough needle is used. When it is given in the fat it stays stored there and is released a little at a time...so if you give the pig more anesthetic, thinking the first shot did not work, this will result in an overdose. No food or water for 8 hours PRIOR to giving the injection."

"Also, please remember that we are saying that the ISO Isoflurane gas is the BEST but, if you can't get the pig there or the pig is one that has not been handled this is the next best bet. This may enable pigs to get vet care that otherwise may not get the care needed and this is the only reason we included it."

Rough Formula:
For Larger Pets (50 pounds)
1cc for every 50 pounds of body weight of Telazol
1cc for every 100 pounds of body weight of Rompun

Put both drugs in the same syringe and give in the neck muscle. Wait five minutes, pig will go down and be asleep.

GIVE NO OTHER DRUGS OR TRANQUILIZERS AND DO NOT GIVE ANY MORE THEN THE DOSAGE PER BODY WEIGHT. (By no other drugs we do not mean antibiotics. Antibiotics can be safely given following the procedure.)

More Detailed Formula:
For Smaller Pets (40-50 pounds)
2 mg for every pound of body weight of Telazol
1 mg for every pound of body weight of Rompun

Put both drugs in the same syringe and give in the neck muscle. Wait five minutes, pig will go down and be asleep.

GIVE NO OTHER DRUGS OR TRANQUILIZERS AND DO NOT GIVE ANY MORE THEN THE DOSAGE PER BODY WEIGHT. (By no other drugs we do not mean antibiotics. Antibiotics can be safely given following the procedure.)

After Care

Put sleeping pig in a quiet place. We use a carrier for this part with blankets and leave them alone other than checking quietly on them for the next 12 hours. No food or water until the pig can walk out of the carrier on his own, and no food or water for 8 hours PRIOR to giving the injection.

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