Other Pig Disease

Question 1

A farmer notices that his best conditioned 3 month old pigs are suddenly dying, the ones that are taking a slightly longer time to die are painful and reluctant to walk, and sometimes are suffering form pneumonia. What is affecting these piglets?

Answer 1

• Hemophilus parasuis (Glasser’s disease)
• usually not disease causing and can often be isolated from nasal cavity or tonsils of normal pigs, often protected by colostral antibodies
• C.S.- often acute, polyserositis, poly arthritis, contributing to bacterial pneumonia
• CNS signs: fever, anorexia/depression, tremors, incoordination, posterior paresis, lateral recumbency
• joints: swollen leg joints
• other: septicemia or myositis related signs
• tx: sensitive to many abc and sulfonamides

Question 2

Piglets during their growing/finishing phase are presenting with a chronic, persistent, nonproductive cough, dyspnea, growth retardation, and reduced feed efficiency

Answer 2

• Etx: Mycoplasmal Pneumonia (Enzootic pneumonia)
• found in poor husbandry and management conditions
• contributes to other respiratory diseases
• two pathogenic mycoplasmas: M hyosynoviae- synovitis in growing signs, M-hyorhinis- fibrinous polyseritis
• carrier swine is MC source of infection
• control: proper biosecurity, depopulation and repopulation with negative stock, all in.all out, vaccination, early weaning
• antimicrobials in water or feed

Question 3

Piglets with sudden onset fever, oculonasal discharge, anorexia, conjunctivitis, prostration and weakness, coughing over 5-7 days.

Answer 3

• Swine Influenza- H1N1
• low mortality unless if complicated infection, may cause abortion
• control: vaccination, closed herd, fresh feed and water, all in all out
• tx: antimicrobials if secondary bacterial infections

Question 4

A litter of rapidly growing piglets is noted to have abnormal gait, some of the piggies are lame. What do you suspect and how do you prevent?

Answer 4

• Osteochondrosis, cull the sows
• genetics play a role, rapid growth and excessive weight bearing pressure on cartilage
• possible risk factors: nutritional deficiencies, trauma due to environment, infection with Mycoplasma hyosynoviae, lack of exercise

Question 5

It’s been a cold winter, and you go out to a farm that lacks adequate heating in their barn. You observe pigs that are aimlessly wander, seem to not be visual, some are head pressing, and dog sitting. What do you suspect?

Answer 5

• Salt poisoning
• from water deprivation (frozen water source), ingestion of too much salt
• pathognomic lesion: meningeal and cerebral perivascular cuffing by eosinophils in the brain
• if water water deprived reintroduce slowly, small amounts of water at frequent intervals, if showing clinical signs usually die

Question 6

In July in Connecticut, a 10 week old piglet is found pale and dead on the floor around him you find black feces, and white mucous membranes before he died. The farmer tells you he wanted to get the pig to market weight rapidly so he fed him pelleted rations with lots of nutrients. What do you suspect?

Answer 6

• Gastric ulcers
• suspected contribution by finely ground feed, pelleted ratios, nutrient rich low fiber diets, stress, ad lib whey, skimmed milk, hot weather
• C.S (other than death and pallor): melon, anemia, pallor, anorexia, teeth grinding, unthriftiness
• control: correct risk factors
• tx: vitamin K and hemantics, fibrous feed

Question 7

Mature pigs with mucoid/mucohemorrhagic diarrhea and loss of condition?

Answer 7

• Etx: Whip Worm- Trichuris suis
• on PM: inflammatory nodules, often with protruding parasites in mucosa of large intestine
• can occur with swine dysentery
• dx: early: histopath/mucosal scrapings, no eggs until 8 weeks PI