by Anne Christie

Created on: February 26, 2009

How to Treat a Pig with a Sunburn

While this may sound like a humorous title, pigs really can develop sunburns on their skin. This is especially true for breeds like Chester Whites and other kinds that have predominantly "white" skin.

Normally, this occurs early in the Spring/Summer, after the animals have been kept contained in a barn or hog house all winter. They welcome the warmth of the sunshine and, like humans, don't seek shelter or shade in time to avoid being sunburned.

Since most hogs are raised in total confinement nowadays, I consulted with several elderly farmers and our retired local Farm Adviser. Admittedly it took awhile to come up with the answer. Most farmers in our area haven't raised hogs in any number for quite awhile, since the "confinement houses" have taken over. Gone are the days when farmers raised one hundred or less on the family farm. If they do raise a few hogs nowadays, its just for their own personal butchering. However, with all the influx of government rules and regulations, they're not allowed to butcher their own meat anymore, but must find a processing plant to take it to and pay their fees as well.

When I posed the question to these men, I got a lot of big grins, laughs, and even a couple of guffaws. Finally, after much consideration and embarrassment, I found the answers I sought.

All of them told me, "Anything you can put on a human to treat a sunburn, you can put on a pig's skin." So I got them to thinking, "What did they do BEFORE the advent of Aloe Vera and After Tanning Lotions?"

Here are their suggestions on how to treat sunburn:

1. Put them in confinement either in the shade or else in a barn or hog house.

2. Use Aloe Vera, after sun lotions, or other body lotions. Do not use oil because if the animal escapes and gets out into the sun, their sunburn would only increase in intensity.

3. Smear them with mud. Mud will cause their skin to heal more quickly and will keep flies off of them.

4. If they haven't already made one themselves, go run a large amount of water into a low area of dirt, creating a "wallow." Turn the pig(s) loose and let them enjoy their own personal mud bath. As stated above, this will heal their skin, keep it from being burned worse, and will keep flies off of them.

After talking with the farmers and the farm adviser, I realized that God knew what He was doing when He gave hogs the desire to roll around in the mud and create "wallows." While I considered them as unsightly and unnecessary while growing up on a farm, it seems they play a very important part in the health and function of swine management.

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