Putting our best hoof forward

As many of you may know from Bobbie’s recent hoof infection, which required a toe amputation, pigs are highly susceptible to a whole variety of foot issues. Some of these are minor and may resolve themselves, others require medical attention either at the Sanctuary or, when additional care is needed, at the hospital. While common in pigs, if left untreated a hoof infection can travel up their leg causing a number of other health concerns, some of which can cause permanent damage or even result in loss of life

Looking after our pigs…inside and out

In order to avoid any serious hoof issues, all of the pigs that live at HEEFS receive regular hoof health checks along with their daily health checks and more extensive health exams. Hoof health is taken very seriously at HEEFS which is why we pay close attention to the weight of our pigs. An overweight pig is more susceptible to foot issues due to the excess pressure on their feet. To help further reduce the pressure on the joints and feet of our pigs, we’ve installed shock-absorbing flooring, called Soft Stall™ in most of the pig stalls. And for ongoing hoof maintenance, the runs outside of the pig stalls are currently being laid with bricks. This will help our pigs naturally wear their hooves and pads and help avoid the many problems associated with overgrown hooves.

This little piggy…

As with anyone, each pig reacts differently to having their feet touched. Some are just fine with it, but others would prefer to have their hooves left alone. In order to minimize their sensitivity, we began touching and treating the hooves of our piglets when they were very young. This will make it much easier to work on their feet as they get older and their hooves need more attention.

Anyone for a hooficure?

And, finally, we give our pigs’ hooves a lot of TLC. In the dry, winter months we apply a soothing and moisturizing ointment to their hoof pads to stop them from drying out and cracking. A cracked hoof is a potential entry point for bacteria so keeping hooves dry, clean and moisturized helps to minimize infections and other problems.