Photo Credit: @abythepig3
Dry skin is very common in pigs (mini pigs and farm pigs), especially older ones, but it is usually very treatable. Sometimes their skin may also be itchy, red, and even start bleeding if scratched too hard.
Pigs are usually more vulnerable to dry skin when the air is very dry (common in the wintertime). In the summertime, it may only be sunburn, especially if your pig doesn’t have much color or has white spots that can be burned easily.
So, how do you cure your pig’s dry skin? To cure your pig’s skin, you need to make sure that you are feeding them a complete and balanced diet, keep them where the air isn’t too dry, give them omega fatty acid supplements (if prescribed), and apply lotion occasionally.
Pellet feed that is labeled for your pig such as Mazuri gives your pig a complete and balanced diet, but sometimes they may need more fat and vitamin E to avoid dry skin.
Sometimes omega fatty acid supplements such as this one here will help. Before giving any supplements to your pig, make sure to contact your veterinarian first and ask if it’s ok.
In rare cases, your pig could have a more serious disease such as Parakeratosis. There are also some more common and not so serious diseases such as Sarcoptic mange and Yeast dermatitis. This is why if the dry skin won’t go away or seems to look very serious, you should check with your veterinarian immediately.
Symptoms of dry skin on pigs
Dry skin can mean many different things but here are some of the symptoms you should notice on your pig:
- itchiness
- dandruff
- flaking
- scaling
- scabs
- red spots
- hair loss
Why your pig has dry skin
As I’ve said before, the main reason your pig has dry skin is that you are not feeding them a complete and balanced diet, or they need to take a supplement for more fat and vitamin E. There are many other reasons as well.
Another common reason your pig has dry skin is that there isn’t enough moisture in the air. If you keep your pig inside, you could get an air humidifier such as this one here on Amazon. Put it in the room your pig stays in the most or next to their bed.
Parasites that your pig ingests can cause dry and itchy skin as well (this is usually in serious cases). Make sure to get your pig dewormed every 4 to 6 months (don’t worry it’s simple to do, and you can do it yourself). Check out this article here to learn how to do it.
If you shampoo your pig often, it could cause them to lose some moisture that would otherwise keep their skin from becoming dry. To stop this from happening, you could either cut back on the number of baths you give your pig or use this shampoo here on Amazon which helps keep your pig moisturized.
How to treat your pig’s dry skin
I have already explained many main ways to treat your pig’s dry skin, but there are more, and some of the ones I’ve said need to be said in greater detail.
The first thing you should do if you are noticing your pig has dry skin is to tell your veterinarian. They will know best, and you want to make sure it’s nothing too serious.
diet
If you are not using Mazuri as your pellet food brand, I would recommend you switch to them if your pig’s skin is becoming very dry. Mazuri contains many ingredients that help keep your pig’s skin healthy such as biotin, niacin, amino-acids balanced minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin E. You can get adult Mazuri feed on Chewy by clicking here (make sure to get the right pig size).
Along with changing your pig’s pellet feed, consider feeding them a little bit more fruits and vegetables. Make sure you are still following the 2% body fat rule that I explain in this article because you don’t want your pig to start gaining too much weight.
Oils
Oils such as coconut oil or any aloe-based oils work great for moisturizing your mini pig’s skin. This lotion here on Chewy will work great. I’d recommend only applying a small amount of lotion the first time you use it on your pig just in case they’re allergic to it.
If you don’t want to use any oils, mud can help prevent and treat your pig’s dry skin aswell.
treating sarcoptic mange
If your pig has sarcoptic mange (meaning mites living in your pig’s skin) then you will need to get rid of the mites to get their skin healthy. There are a couple of different treatments that can be done at home, or you can get a veterinarian to treat it for you. (you will still need to contact your veterinarian)
Is it expensive to treat dry skin on pigs?
Generally, it isn’t very expensive to treat your pig’s dry skin, but if it ends up being something serious, it could get a little pricy. If it’s just a diet problem, making sure they are eating right isn’t very expensive. The omega 3 pills are $60 for 150 of them (which will last awhile).
If it happens to be sarcoptic mange or Parakeratosis you might have to pay a veterinarian bill, and depending on your veterinarian, it could be a bit pricy. I would recommend finding a regular or farm veterinarian because exotic vets will probably charge more.
What happens if you don’t treat your pig’s dry skin?
If you don’t treat your pig’s skin, they will suffer from itchiness and be prone to external cuts. You don’t want it to end up being anything serious that could greatly impact their health, so I’d recommend getting your pig checked out if you notice dry skin.
How to prevent your pig from getting dry skin
Pigs naturally have dry skin as they don’t sweat very much, but they shouldn’t have skin that is so dry it itches them and appears flaky. The list below shows how to prevent dry skin in pigs.
- Feed them Mazuri pellet feed (or any feed that has healthy skin support)
- Give them supplements if needed
- Keep the air around them moisturized
- Deworm your pig every 4 to 6 months
- Have somewhat regular checkups with your veterinarian
Source– vcahospitals
