‘Why don’t you use a vet more?’

There’s been a massive influx of new readers to this blog as a consequence of my post about the realities of pork production but, while most of the newcomers are fairly pragmatic, a few have been disturbed by some of the things we do on the croft.

One question that arose in emails from three people was “why don’t you use a vet more” or words to that effect.

All three were a little perturbed that I was draining haematomas, lancing abscesses, administering medications by injection, delivering piglets and killing ill piglets.

One lady asked, “Do you really put your arm inside the sow? Surely that’s a job for someone with proper training.”

Another said, “You should have got the vet out for the sick piglet. It was really terrible that you made no effort to get a vet to save it.”

What all three of my correspondents, and many other people, fail to grasp is that we’re not keeping a couple of over-indulged pets that must be saved come what may as some sort of sop to our modern consciences.

We’re also not in the cosseted position of having more money than sense.

Instead, we keep livestock to provide food for our table, to pay the bills for maintaining the croft, to maintain rare breeds, and to provide other people with the opportunity to keep livestock.

We’re also rather more practical and pragmatically minded than is the norm in modern, urbanised Western culture.

The reality is that without deep pockets that contain both money and sentimentality there are many times when it is not economic, practical or timely to call out a vet.

At times like that, I do what I can for the sick or injured animal and, if it’s beyond our ability to prevent suffering, sometimes I kill them. (I’m changing from collective to singular and back tonight as “we” make the decisions, but “I” do the most of the work. The Other Half is less skilled and less mental prepared to handle the “icky stuff”, but she will pitch in if she has to.)

Many, many people don’t like to hear that, but if you’re going to breed livestock then you must be prepared to make hard choices.

We keep five sows and two boars, farrowing about 100 piglets a year and so we get our share of injuries and illnesses.

If we used a vet every time we had a sick or injured pig, we’d have to put the price of our weaners up by at least £10 each, and probably more.

Instead, we have a set veterinary budget for the year, then prioritise and triage any casualties to fit that budget. 

Our breeding stock come first, bearing in mind age, productivity and bloodlines.

Young productive animals from good lines and expensive productive animals from show lines come first, older animals with a year or less of productivity come last.

Piglets from smaller litters (10 or less) come next, as their survival keeps our productivity up.

Big, strong piglets from large litters come after that.

Runts, especially from big litters, usually have to take their chances, although they may get a chance if our veterinary spend has been less than budgeted and we’re close to the end of the financial year.

We’ll do our best to save all injured or sick stock, but if they’re not valuable or productive enough to justify spending money on the vet, then they get put down if they’re suffering.

If they’re not suffering, I’ll do what I can for them and monitor them as frequently as necessary. If they don’t respond, they get put down.

As far as I’m concerned, what’s important is knowing the limits of our abililties.

I’m can clean and close a simple wound, I can administer injections in most locations, I can do an internal examination of a sow, I can deliver piglets, I can incise and drain an abscess, I can take a pig’s temperature, I can administer medications orally, and I can do a number of other simple procedures.

I can also do more complex ones with the guidance from a vet, either over the phone or via the internet (digital photos, videos and email make life a lot easier).

But I won’t try to close complex wounds, such as Lucky’s shoulder injury or Daisy’s torn vulva.

I won’t hope for the best when I have a sow with internal bleeding after a difficult farrowing.

I won’t ignore the symptoms of disease, hope that my own diagnosis is correct or rely on improvised, home remedies to treat those symptoms.

If I’m not sure or don’t know, then I’ll consult the vet via the telephone or even call them out if the situation warrants it and/or money permits.

If there’s any chance at all that there’s a risk of contagion, then the vet will be called out regardless.

But when there’s neither time nor money and an animal is suffering beyond our ability to help it, it will be killed quickly and humanely.

None of that means we’re cruel, heartless or inhumane.

What it does mean is that we’re practical, pragmatic and doing what we can within our means to do the best for our livestock, even if it means we’re not using a vet as often as some people think we should.