Start with dressing and cleaning basics
A Kunekune pig first aid kit begins with supplies for cuts, scrapes and torn skin, the injuries outdoor pigs pick up most often. Stock gauze pads and rolls for covering and padding, self-adhesive bandage wrap that sticks to itself rather than to coarse pig hair, and clean towels for pressure, drying and keeping a pig calm. Saline wound wash lets you flush dirt and grit out of a scrape before covering it, and an antiseptic made for animal skin is worth keeping for cleaning around a wound's edges. Blunt-ended scissors cut wrap and gauze without risking a nick when a Kunekune shifts suddenly, and disposable gloves keep both the wound and your hands cleaner during the whole job.
Add the tools that suit a strong, low pig
A Kunekune pig is compact but powerful, so handling gear belongs in the kit alongside dressings. A digital thermometer helps you check whether an injured or off-colour pig is running hot, and a sturdy torch matters because pig emergencies rarely happen in good light and their legs and bellies sit low to the ground. Tweezers handle splinters and thorns from rooting in rough ground. A pig board or a spare halter gives you a safe way to guide a hurt Kunekune into a pen or trailer without grabbing at an injured leg. Keep everything in one washable box that one person can carry, stored where the pigs are rather than in the house.
Paperwork is a first aid supply too
A Kunekune pig kit is incomplete without the information a vet will ask for under pressure. Keep a written card in the lid with your vet's number, an out-of-hours emergency contact, and the pig's age, weight estimate and any ongoing health notes. If someone else finds your Kunekune hurt while you are away, that card lets them start the right phone calls immediately. Note anything you have already done, such as when a wound was flushed or when the pig last ate, because those details shape what the vet advises next. Loose scraps of paper get lost, so keep one card, update it whenever details change, and photograph it as a backup.
What first aid can and cannot do for a pig
First aid for a Kunekune pig means cleaning and covering a wound, keeping the pig warm, calm and contained, and slowing problems down until a vet takes over. It does not mean probing deep wounds, pulling out embedded objects, or attempting to stitch or splint without training, all of which can worsen the injury. A Kunekune that is bleeding heavily, struggling to breathe, unable to stand, or showing a badly swollen limb needs a vet urgently, with first aid limited to gentle pressure on bleeding and keeping the pig still. Heat stress also escalates fast in pigs, so a panting, distressed Kunekune should be moved to shade and cooled gradually while you call for help.
Keep the kit ready before you need it
A Kunekune pig kit only works if it is checked before an emergency, not discovered empty during one. Walk through the box each season: replace bandages that have lost their stick, top up the saline wash, test the torch batteries and the thermometer, and wash or swap out soiled towels. Restock immediately after any incident while you still remember what ran low. Make sure everyone who feeds or checks the pigs knows exactly where the box lives and what is in it. Keeping the matching health details together in a KinsLe Pet Passport means the records a vet asks for travel with the pig instead of sitting in a drawer at home.