Obstetrical and surgical abnormalities and interventions in swine Flashcards
What is the normal position of a piglet during farrowing?
Anterior or posterior positioned
Which position of farrowing is this called, and is this normal?
Posterior
Normal
Which position of farrowing is this called, and is this normal?
Anterior
Normal
What is an abnormal farrowing called?
Dystochia
Is abnormal farrowing common or rare, and why?
Its very rare.
The mother is much larger than the piglets
If there is an abnormal farrowing what will happen to the productivity and why?
Decrease the productivity.
Decreased number of liveborn piglets and increased sow mortality and culling rates
Which signs should you look out for in case of abnormal farrowing?
o If the sow goes over 116 days, there could be a problem.
o If the farrowing has started, but there are no piglets after 1-2 hrs or if there is more than 1hr btw 2 piglets born.
o If the sow has a lack of appetite, is lethargic, this are typical signs of unwell animals.
o Reddish/brownish vaginal discharge
o Reddening of the sows eyes = toxicosis
o Meconium staining
How long does a sow go pregnant?
116 days
3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days
How do you perform a clinical examination in pigs?
The option for clinical examination in pigs is very limited, but we can observe from a distance;
- skin colour
- breathing rate
- the eyes
- mucous membranes
- discharge.
What is the meconium staining?
the digestive amniotic fluid in the piglets bowl, it is a is a thick, green, tar-like substance that lines your baby’s intestines during pregnancy.
It should not be expelled until the piglet is delivered. During a difficult birth the pig will have a bowel movement prior to birth and excreting the meconium into the amniotic fluid.
How will you grade the meconium staining of these piglets? (A-D)
A. Normal, without staining
B. Light
C. Moderate
D. Severe
How would you examine the birth canal of a pig?
we do a thoroughly cleaning - clip our fingernails.
We wash our arm with soap and water
put on a glove and some lubricate.
The hand should be cupped in the shape of a cone, and once the lips of the vulva are parted we can gently insert the hand into the birth canal
Name som causes of delayed farrowing
Ineffective myometrial contraction
Obstruction of the birth canal
What is Ineffective myometrial contraction = uterine inertia
= uterine inertia
We have both primary and secondary
Primary = disturbances in the feeding regiment, deficiency of Mg, Ca, energy, or there are problems with housing, too cold.
Secondary = Physical obstruction
Give examples of obstructions of the birth canal
Could be both maternal factors and piglet factors
Piglet:
- The foetus could be too big
- The foetus could be in an abnormal presentation
Maternal factors
- The mother could be too small
- Shape of pelvis. Normal shape is V shaped, abnormal shape W
- Prior problems, old injures
- Full bladder
- Fat deposits in the birth canal, especially in older pigs.
How can we perform an obstetrical intervention?
We use our hands or we can use equipment’s such as ropes, hook, snare or tong.
If we use any of the equipment’s we can only grab bony parts, NOT ear or tail. And if all of this fails we can do a caesarean section
If the problem is not a stuck piglet, but the uterine inertia, we can determine it by doing the obstetrical examination: Put the hand in until the limit and we can still not feel an obstruction = uterine inertia.
How is uterine inertia threated?
oxytocin injection, combined with an infusion of glucose and calcium, because the pig is usually hyperthermic
What do you call this farrowing position, and is it normal and how will you fix it if its abnormal?
Abnormal
Carpo-flexion position
The piglet is head first, on its belly (good).
But the front legs are in an flexed from elbow
and down. We need to make the piglet smaller,
by extending the front legs and the we pull
What do you call this farrowing position, and is it normal and how will you fix it if its abnormal?
Abnormal
Shoulder-Flexion position
The whole front leg is going backwards.
It is legal to use traction in this case, sometimes
it works. If it doesn’t work we need to extend
the front legs. We push piglet back and pull
front feet in the extended position → place rope
onto head and rope onto front feet → traction
If it is still difficult: → to push hind feet in
extended position.
What do you call this farrowing position, and is it normal and how will you fix it if its abnormal?
Abnormal
Ventral position
The piglet is facing up.
In this case we might try to use traction after
extending the front legs, but most of the time it’s
not going to work because the piglets spine
doesn’t bend that way.
In this case we need to
rotate the piglet and then pull out
What do you call this farrowing position, and is it normal and how will you fix it if its abnormal?
Abnormal
Shoulder-Flexion backwards position
We need to extend the front legs
towards the cervix and pull out by the
hind legs.
If it is difficult: → check shoulder
position and manipulate front legs
into forward position
What do you call this farrowing position, and is it normal and how will you fix it if its abnormal?
Abnormal
Two sided hip-flexion
Also called Breach
We can try traction first, if this doesn’t
work we will have to extend the hind
legs.
What do you call this farrowing position, and is it normal and how will you fix it if its abnormal?
Abnormal
Dorsal-Transverse
This is the most difficult position.
The back is facing outwards, and the
piglet is perpendicular to the mothers
long axis.
We push the piglet back and try to reach
the head.
We can use a head rope, put the legs in extended position and use a rope on legs then we do traction. Often other pigs will rapidly follow, several may be stillborn.
