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Check Your Hay - Fungal Warning

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helen105281

helen105281

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I have been asked to spread the word. A friend recently tried her pigs on a new type of hay. All of a sudden every single pig started to develop signs of fungal, they were all lethargic, had a temperature and were very agitated when their skin was examined. As she is on the ball with all things fungal they were straight away bathed and dipped which immediately brought their temperatures down and within hours they were less lethargic.

She suspected that what she was dealing with was Candida which had tracked up from the gut and was related either to the weather or some bad hay. The technical name is Candidiasis. The next morning 2 of the pigs started drooling and on examination their mouths were found to be full of oral fungal plaques. On discussion with the vet all pigs were put on a course of Itrafungol and now a few days later are all much brighter.

Today, she investigated the course of the outbreak, and found the following mouldy hay in the bag of new hay



The black is mould, which is basically fungal spores.

Here is a comparisson with hay from a bag of Oxbow



So the moral of the story is please check your bags of hay and should you find any mouldy hay, please throw the bag out, it is just not worth the risk. It is also a good idea to remove all hay from the plastic packaging it comes in.

All of the affected pigs are on a 4 week regime of baths and dips together with the Itrafungol.
 
The Itrafungol would have dealt with it all. An alternative would have been Nystatin.

Forgot to say earlier, the mouldy hay smelt awful too but was further down the bag so not apparent at first.
 
... it's something to be wary of - especially if buying hay in bulk. When I get a delivery - it goes straight into a jumbo petware wash bag . - not the cheapest method of storage but I've discovered this bag is just the right size for a 4.5 kg batch.

Am I right in assuming the company dust free hay deliver in breathable bags/boxes?
 
Yes dust free hay does come in breathable bags. I have been using their hay for 5 years now and it is always sweet and fresh. What a nightmare re the mouldy hay. Thank goodness the owner was quick to react.
 
Guinea Slave said:
Yes dust free hay does come in breathable bags. I have been using their hay for 5 years now and it is always sweet and fresh. What a nightmare re the mouldy hay. Thank goodness the owner was quick to react.
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I know where I'll be getting my next order from then !

Up until now, I have used a company that dispatches in plastic bags. I have had 2 deliveries that smelt a bit "iffy" when I opened them (I would describe the smell as a bit mushroomy) . I complained the 1st time and got a replacement . The 2nd time , I just binned the lot and decided never to use their company again.
 
Thanks for the warning. I hope the guineas get better soon. I buy hay in paper sacks, which I think should be less likely to be mouldy than hay in "sweaty" plastic, although I guess it pays to be vigilant in any case. I did once find a dried, shrivelled mushroom / toadstool in it, which made me panic a bit! Other than that, it's been very good, very fresh and sweet - I quite fancy it myself!
 
Wow that's amazing. I have never seen anything like that before. Poor piggies. Can you imagine if you had not spotted this so soon?! Thanks for sharing, very interesting but frightening at the same time.
 
It is very, I can't take the credit though, was not my pigs. They are lucky that their owner is an expert in all things fungal.
 
We got a bad bail of hay after changing suppliers because the new one was cheaper. Worst thing we ever did. The first bail was ok but a 1/4 into the second bag & it was all thorny & then moldy. Now back to our original supplier & it's lovely every time.
 
Just to update this thread. All pigs responded well to treatment but this week one boar was out of sorts. Their owner managed to collect a poo and put it in the airing cupboard to see if anything grew, this was the result.



Swabs have now been taken by the vet and under the microscope the early indication is that this is a yeast infection.
 
Yes, the owner of these pigs feeds mainly Oxbow or Alfalfa King apart from this one bag that I think was British hay.
 
Very helpful thank you @helen105281 for sharing all the above with us. I was looking for a large suitable hay storage box or bin to empty my large bag of hay Into would a brand new black plastic rubbish bin be ok or should I get a metal one?
Kell x
 
My3cuteBoys said:
Very helpful thank you @helen105281 for sharing all the above with us. I was looking for a large suitable hay storage box or bin to empty my large bag of hay Into would a brand new black plastic rubbish bin be ok or should I get a metal one?
Kell x
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I would look at something breathable. A large cardboard box would be OK. I have used a duvet cover before but don't tell OH-please
 
I think a lot of people have used duvet covers thinking about it. I do know people who keep them in plastic bins though, I think it is the plastic bags that the hay comes in that is the worst.
 
helen105281 said:
I think a lot of people have used duvet covers thinking about it. I do know people who keep them in plastic bins though, I think it is the plastic bags that the hay comes in that is the worst.
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I agree. - If I ever but any hay that comes in plastic bags, I take it out as soon as it gets home and give it a good inspection in case it has to go back.
 
I've never thought of keeping mine in anything but the bag it comes in, however i think i'm going to have to change hay brand soon as what I'm using at the moment is just rubbish quality and i keep finding big sticks in it, i've bought 2 or 3 bags in the last few months and each time they just get worse, so may consider changing it into another container or duvet.

My only worry is how much more room it takes up once you take it out the bag because it expands and i don't have much space!
 
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