New Forest pig sowprize

By Janine Pulford

Dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, the right of commoners to release their porkers in the New Forest to gobble up acorns, chestnuts and beech mast is thought to be unique in the UK. It is called pannage or ‘Common of Mast’.

In the autumn, the glut of acorns on the forest floor can be harmful to ponies, but by allowing pigs to forage freely, this problem is overcome. Pigs love acorns and if you come across a group of swine you can watch them rooting around the oak trees and hear them grunting and crunching acorns greedily.

The Court of Verderers sets the pannage dates and these vary each season. This year pannage will run until 14 November, so if you visit the New Forest before then, your chances of seeing a bunch of trotters is quite high. Some may have piglets so do not approach, touch or feed the pigs, no matter how friendly they look – they can bite. Also keep your dog on a lead and firmly under control.

The pigs, which are various breeds, will go home at night to their owners and are let out again the following day.

Don’t be too disgruntled if you visit the forest and don’t see any pigs. My tip is visit The High Corner Inn area, which is where I photographed these pigs and they were indeed hogging the acorns.

Pannage pork is said to have a distinctive and earthy flavour and produce some of the world’s best ham.

Pyometra – a reason to neuter your female dogs

By Cedar Vets

Here at Cedar Vets, we have had a busy few weeks. This month we have had three very sick, unneutered female dogs presented to the surgery. Our vets performed blood tests and ultrasound scans which confirmed that the dogs were suffering from a condition called ‘pyometra’. This is an infection within the uterus that occurs secondary to a hormonal change, which takes place a few weeks after a bitch’s season ends.

A pyometra can be classified as open, where the discharge can drain from the uterus, or closed, where the discharge cannot drain from the uterus. A closed pyometra is more dangerous as the dog becomes more profoundly sick and the uterus can potentially rupture into the abdomen. Both classifications generally require emergency supportive therapy, including intravenous fluids, and prompt surgical intervention to remove the ovaries and uterus once the patient is stable.

Once neutered the dogs often make a swift and full recovery and can go back to their normal routine within seven to 10 days post-surgery.

If you have an unneutered female dog and are worried about the conditions described above, please do not hesitate to talk to your vet.