ANIMAL WELFARE (Pig Distance Exam)

Question 1

Consistent manner:

Answer 1

-group: individual animals
-environment
-provisions: food and water

Question 2

Signs of healthy pigs:

Answer 2

-bright and alter
-healthy startle response

Question 3

Healthy startle response:

Answer 3

-raise head and ears
-jump up, freeze and scamper away
-vocalize: barking (woof) ripples across the goup
>few seconds, then normal again
>return to investigate you

Question 4

Younger pigs:

Answer 4

-startle response is common
>less accustomed to humans than other breeding animals

Question 5

Normal in older animals:

Answer 5

-extreme reactions: insight on care
>poor human-animal relationship?

Question 6

What is normal?

Answer 6

-regular consummative activities
-body condition score
-bright eyed, alert, responsive
-pigs paying attention to surrounds
-moving with ease around pen
-‘clean pig’
-dung

Question 7

‘clean pig’:

Answer 7

-not blotchy
-free from lesions
-no swellings
-no discharge

Question 8

Signs of unhealthy pigs:

Answer 8

-failure to raise
-dull, listless, lack of interest
-lesions/wounds on body
-swelling in joints
-not feeding
-sunken eyes, discharge
-lame when moving
-excessively hairy
-labored breathing: ‘thumping)

Question 9

Not feeding signs:

Answer 9

-sunken flanks
-gaunt
-low body condition
-bony protrusions

Question 10

Abnormal postures:

Answer 10

-arched back, rigid posture
>compensating
-dog sitting for prolonged periods
-head constantly tilted to one side (ear infection?)

Question 11

Dog sitting for prolonged periods:

Answer 11

-respiratory issues
-space availability
-hind end weakness
-in sows: stress, frustration?

Question 12

Lying postures:

Answer 12

-provides info on pig comfort
>thermoregulation
>sickness
>resource allocation
*sternal laying: cold
*later lying: hot

Question 13

Clearly defined pen areas:

Answer 13

-dunging area
-feeding area
-lying area
*if can’t do that, then there might be a problem with space

Question 14

Pig lying postures and positions:

Answer 14

-resource allocation: sufficient lying space for all?
-temperature: dirty pigs, too hot?

Question 15

Reading pig behaviour:

Answer 15

-screaming, constant vocalizations: long drawn out noise
-excessive activity at the feeder/drinker when pigs get up
-gaunt, slim flanked looking pigs
>blockage to feed and/or water
>tail biting

Question 16

Aggression normal:

Answer 16

-normal for lesions to occur
-pig fight when meet unfamiliar conspecifics
-0 to 10 lesions typically appear on animals within days of group
*concerning levels: animals covered in whole body lesions, high levels occuring throughout the cycle

Question 17

Ear position:

Answer 17

-typically: upright and alert
-issues: droopy ears
*consider pig differences
>landrace have floppy ears

Question 18

Tail position:

Answer 18

-signs of tail biting
-hanging tails: early warning signs of tail biting (pigs with inflamed tail wounds 14x more likely)
*inflamed tail wounds

Question 19

Multifactorial tail biting;

Answer 19

-increased tail-in-mouth and general biting behaviour
-majority of pigs tail docked to reduce risk of biting damage