Pigs Flashcards
What is the average UK mortality rate for piglets pre-weaning?
12.4%
Why may it be harmful to give piglets broad-spectrum antibiotics at birth?
Harmful effects on the development of the gut and nasopharyngeal microbiome
Give some non-infectious causes of scour in piglets pre-weaning
Milk scour
Nutritional scour
Give some viral causes of scour in piglets pre-weaning
Rotavirus
PED/TGE (porcine epidemic diarrhoea/transmissible gastro-enteritis)
PRRS
Give some bacterial causes of scour in piglets pre-weaning
E.coli
Clostridium perfringens type C or A
Give some parasitic causes of scour in piglets pre-weaning
Isospora suis (coccidia)
Cryptosporidiosis (protozoa)
Strongyloides
Give some triggers of scour in pre-weaners
Poor hygiene Lack of colostrum Draughts/chilling Fostering Lack of sow immunity
What kind of scour is seen with viral scours?
Watery, profuse scour
Mostly produce villous atrophy in SI
Dehydration kills
How many strains of rotavirus are there?
4
No cross immunity
Give some clinical signs of rotavirus infection
Sudden death, distended abdomen, rapid decomposition
How can you control rotavirus infection?
Improve hygiene
Reduce chilling
Improve immunity (no vaccine; controlled exposure or ‘feedback’ with sows in late pregnancy using scour material to increase immunity)
Electrolyte support
Porcine epidemic diarrhoea and transmissible gastroenteritis are types of what?
Coronavirus
What kind of diarrhoea is seen with PED and TGE? (porcine epidemic diarrhoea and transmissible gastroenteritis)?
Profuse watery scour and vomiting
Can you vaccinate against PRRS?
Yes-sows
Give some clinical signs of PRRS in pre-weaners
Chemosis (oedema of conjunctiva)
Bruising/anaemia
Weak piglets
Coughing (rare)
How could you sample for PRRS?
Saliva sampling for ELISA or PCR
How does PRRS affect the immune system?
Destroys macrophages in the lung
Relates to waning MDAs
Is E.coli more common in indoor or outdoor pigs?
Indoor
What kind of scour is seen with E.coli?
Watery to flocculating to creamy scour
E.coli tends to affect pre-weaners at what age?
1-3 days (ie earlier than viral infections)
How do you treat E.coli?
Oral or systemic antibiotics
Choose based on confirmatory tests
Often only fluoroquinalones are effective (last resort)
Electrolyte support
How can you control E.coli?
Vaccinate sows (only controls disease in first 3-4 days of piglets life) Probiotics, yoghurt
What would you see on a PM of a piglet with clostridium perfringens type C?
Acute neonatal haemorrhagic enteritis due to B toxin
Does clostridium perfringens type C affect mostly indoor or outdoor pigs?
Outdoor
When do piglets usually die from clostridium perfringens type C?
Within 24 hours of birth
How can you treat clostridium perfringens type C?
Antibiotics: penicillin or beta-lactams
Need to treat at birth
How can you control clostridium perfringens type C?
Vaccinate sows pre-farrowing (2 doses followed by yearly boosters each parity)
What kind of scour is seen with clostridium perfringens type A?
Any other clinical signs?
When is disease seen?
Low-grade pasty scour
Weight loss
Disease seen from 6 hours old til weaning
How can you treat clostridium perfringens type A?
Penicillin-based antibiotics
Reduce fostering
Electrolytes
How can you prevent clostridium perfringens type A?
Short-term prophylaxis with antibiotics at birth
Vaccinate sows
Coccidiosis tends to affect piglets of what age?
2-3 weeks old
Describe scour seen with coccidiosis in piglets
When does scour stop?
Non-fatal yellow pasty scour, occasionally with tiny blood flecks
Unresponsive to treatment
Scour stops when milk is withdrawn at weaning, but can leave gut damage with post-weaning fading
How can you control coccidiosis in piglets?
Hygiene Toltrazuril (coccidiostat) at 96hrs +/- 12 hrs old, single dose 0.4ml/kg In severe outbreaks, give a second dose at 10 days
How can you diagnose enteric disease in piglets?
Sacrifice live unaffected pigs, fix gut sections in saline plus fresh gut contents
Test for virology, bacteriology, Cl toxins, histopathology
Test scour (virology, bacteriology, toxins)
Rectal swabs (bacteriology +/- PCR)
Describe ‘milk scour’ in pre-weaners
3 weeks onwards
Gut overload
Self-limiting unless secondary infection
Give some causes of nutritional scour in pre-weaners
Excessive creep feed
Indigestible creep feed
Stale/oxidised creep feed
Give some causes of nervous disease in piglets
Vitamin A deficiency
Meningitis/septicaemia
Miscellaneous poisons (heavy metals, plants, pharmaceuticals)
Aujeszky’s disease
Describe a congenital tremor of grade CT A2 in piglets
Cerebellar atrophy plus hypomyelinogenesis
Ceases when pigs are asleep
Will recover providing pigs can suckle (4-6 weeks old)
Splay leg
Unknown virus, suspect spread in semen
How do bacteraemia, septicaemia, joint ill and meningitis occur in piglets?
Penetration of bacteria through teeth clipping, navel, wounds, tail docking, tonsil, prenatal infection
Caused by environmental contaminants eg staphs, streps, E coli
Give some clinical signs of meningitis/septicaemia/joint ill and bacteraemia?
Range from:
- Sudden death
- Convulsions (paddling)
- Acute lameness +/- visibly swollen joints
- Pyrexia
- Pain-muscle fasciculation
- Nystagmus
- Opisthotonus
- Cyanosis of extremities
- Subcutaneous petechial haemorrhages
- Collapse
When doing a PM on a piglet with septicaemia, how would the joints look?
Fluid in the joint cavities
How would you treat meningitis/septicaemia/joint ill/bacteraemia in piglets?
What about control?
Systemic antibiotics
NSAIDs/analgesia
Control: colostrum intake, hygiene, iodine dips, pre-farrowing treatment of sows
What is arthrogriposis?
Congenital joint contractures in 2 or more areas of the body
When are piglets weaned?
28 days (21=absolute minimum)
What is the target weight for piglets at weaning?
7kg at average of 28 days
How does a piglet’s gut change during weaning?
Villous atrophy- natural consequence of removing liquid diet
Why may a piglet fail to wean?
Too young
Underweight (3.5-4kg minimum)
Inadequate gut development
Poor hygiene
Chilling (hypothermia)
Behavioural problems (don’t adapt to losing mum)
Biological deficiencies (dietary insufficiency, disease challenges)
How would you identify a piglet that has failed to wean?
Loss of condition, slab-sided, hairy, oversized head Not eating or drinking Navel-sucking Tail biting and other vices Slow death
How can you prevent failing weaners?
Only wean suitable pigs (above 4kg) Into suitable accommodation Onto suitable food Tight farrowing patterns Identify and treat disease challenges before and after weaning Aspirin in water for 5 days Organic acid in water
What should you do with failing weaners?
If not viable/saleable-euthanise Specialist hospital Supplementary milk Liquid diet Medication (injection/water) Put back onto isolated cull sow DO NOT PUT BACK IN FARROWING SHED
Describe classic post-weaning E.coli scour
5-8 days post-weaning Sudden onset Watery diarrhoea Some sudden deaths Loss of condition Dehydration Mild pyrexia Lower jejunum/ileum Only diagnosable in lab (similar to salmonella)
Give some triggers for enteric diseases of the weaned pig
Diet Feeding changes Chilling Gorging Draughts Poor hygiene Previous gut damage
How can you treat enteric diseases of the weaned pig?
Antibiotics eg neomycin
Injectable vs water medication
Organic acids
How do draughts lead to enteric disease in piglets?
Draughts -> chilling -> decreased gut motility -> bacterial proliferation
How can you prevent enteric disease in weaned piglets?
Hygiene Environmental control eg draught control Zinc oxide via feed (heavy metals have anti-bacterial effects) Organic acids Metaphylactic/prophylactic antibiotics
Necrotic enteritis in weaners is mostly caused by which strain of salmonella?
S.typhimurium
Give some causes of CNS disease in post-weaners
u7uiuMeningitis Bowel oedema Water deprivation/salt poisoning Middle ear disease Toxicities Notifiable/exotic diseases
Give some causes of meningitis in post-weaners
Strep suis most common (type 2)
Haemophilus parasuis
Give some clinical signs of meningitis
Trembling Pyrexia Collapse Paddling convulsions Tetanic spasms Nystagmus Sudden death
How do you diagnose meningitis?
PM Congestion of meninges Touch smear-high WBC counts Culture of meningeal swab/csf aspirate (would see excess fluid) Serotyping of isolate
How do you treat meningitis?
Injectable antibiotics-beta lactams, florfenicol
NSAIDs
Fluids (can die from dehydration as don’t get up to drink)
Quiet
Warmth
Can you vaccinate against meningitis?
Yes:
- Commercial (sow)
- Autogenous (sow or piglet)
What causes ‘Glassers disease’?
Haemophilus parasuis
What causes bowel oedema/oedema disease?
E coli strains that produce shiga toxins
Describe the pathology of bowel oedema
Shiga toxins from E coli produce oedema to brain, omentum, gastric mucosa, peritoneum
2-4 weeks after weaning
Give the clinical signs of bowel oedema/oedema disease
Puffy eyelids Collapse Sudden death Paddling convulsions Pyrexia Subcutaneous oedema of skull High pitched squeal (laryngeal oedema)
What would you find on a PM of a piglet with oedema disease/bowel oedema?
Subcutaneous oedema
Fluid deposits in abdomen
Abdominal oedema (greater omentum, spiral colon mesentery)
Brain oedema (minimal WBCs on touch smear)
Nasopharyngeal oedema
How can you treat and control bowel oedema/oedema disease?
Individual antibiotic treatment often fails due to toxins NSAIDs Corticosteroids Water soluble metaphylaxis Zinc oxide in feed In feed antibiotics Feed restriction Piglet vaccine (4-7 days old)
Give the clinical signs of water deprivation
Most common in pigs 6-25 weeks old Sudden onset nervous disease No pyrexia Manic behaviour around water points Collapse, dog-sitting, opisthotonus, fall over backwards, convulsions Rapid rehydration makes cases worse
How do you treat water deprivation?
Slow rehydration per rectum, intraperitoneal injection
Rapid rehydration causes osmotic flow of fluid to the brain -> swelling
Corticosteroids may help
iv drips in pet pigs
Give the clinical signs of middle ear disease in weaners
Head tilt
Head shaking
How do middle ear infections arise in weaners?
Routes of entry:
From external ear-usually associated with mange mites
From nasopharynx-via eustachian tube
How do you treat and control middle ear disease?
Early and intensive Prolonged systemic broad-spectrum antibiotics Mange control NSAIDs Euthanasia
Which diseases make up porcine respiratory disease complex (weaner respiratory disease)?
PRRS Porcine circovirus 2 Swine influenza Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia Mycoplasma hyopneumonia Haemophilus parasuis
Give some clinical signs of weaner respiratory disease?
When do clinical signs start?
Start at or soon after weaning Coughing Pyrexia Dyspnoea Low appetite Cyanosis Loss of condition Slowed growth Death
What would you see on a PM of a piglet with weaner respiratory disease?
Lung consolidation; dependent lungs, patchy Pleurisy Pericarditis Peritonitis Polyserositis
What is the incubation period for swine influenza?
24 hours
Give the clinical signs of swine influenza
Coughing ++++ Pyrexia Depression Inappetence Low mortality
How can you treat swine influenza?
No specific treatment
Avoid antibiotics unless secondary infections are a real risk
Aspirin in water
Paracetamol in feed
Can you vaccinate against swine influenza?
Yes, sows only
What is the cause of atrophic rhinitis in piglets?
Pasteurella multocida type D toxin-producing strain
Give the clinical signs of progressive atrophic rhinitis in piglets
Initial rhinitis Sneezing Nasal discharge Epistaxis Tear staining Destruction of turbinates Snout distortion
Give the effects of progressive atrophic rhinitis
Reduces filter mechanism of nares -> more inhalation of pathogens and pollutants
Severe growth retardation
Uneconomic to maintain
What is PMWS?
Post-weaning multisystemic wasting disease
Give the clinical signs of PMWS (post-weaning multi-systemic wasting disease)
Fading starting around 7 weeks of age Rapid loss of condition Generalised lymphadenopathy \+/- respiratory disease \+/- enteric disease Secondary disease
How is PMWS (post-weaning multisystemic wasting disease) controlled?
Vaccination
What causes greasy pig disease?
Is it pruritic?
Is it fatal?
Staphylococcus hyicus (skin commensal)
No
Can be fatal
When does greasy pig disease typically occur?
Post-weaning
How do you treat greasy pig disease?
Individual antibiotic injections (3-5 days) (lincomycin, beta lactams, 3rd or 4th gen cephalosporins)
Fluid replacement
Wash in Savlon
How can you prevent greasy pig disease?
Reduce damage caused by fighting (eg teeth clipping)
Hygiene
Improve ventilation/reduce humidity
Autogenous vaccines
What causes sarcoptic mange?
Scabies
Most common skin parasite of pigs
Give the clinical sigs of sarcoptic mange
Intense and persistent pruritus (scratching, head shaking) Papular dermatitis Dermal crusting Lameness Lethargy Slowed growth Ear crusting
When do signs of pityriasis rosea appear?
3-5 weeks of age
Spontaneously disappear at 12-14 weeks
Why should pet pig owners not keep pigs in close contact with sheep?
Ovine herpes virus 2 can be transmitted to pigs
Blind, aimless, ocular discharge, corneal clouding, mouth sores
What is the daily water intake of a pig?
100ml/kg/day
What is the normal rectal temp of a pig?
38.7-39.8
Where can you take blood from a pig?
Jugular vein
Ear vein?
Tail vein?
How much maintenance should a pet pig eat a day?
1% BW/day
smaller breeds up to 2%
Give some common consequences of obesity in pet pigs
Joint problems Overgrown feet Dermatitis in fat folds Secondary arthritis Entropion
Give some causes of locomotor problems in pet pigs
Overgrown feet Joint problems (eg arthritis) Erysipelas (joint and heart problems) Streptococcal joint infections Purulent joint abscess (arcanobacter) Joint injuries (growth plate fractures, ruptured ligaments) Bone problems (osteoporosis, vit D deficiency) Hoof and foot cracks/ulcers/erosions (cracked hooves=biotin deficiency)
Pet pigs with cracked hooves may have a deficiency in what?
Biotin
How do you de-tusk pet boars?
Sedate
Noose behind tusks
Saw off with embryotomy wire
Remove all 4 tusks (won’t bleed)
Give some causes of skin problems in pet pigs
Mange (sarcoptes scabei var suis)-ivermectins Lice (haemoatopinus suis)-ivermectins Insect bites (culicoides, mosquitoes) Erysipelas-vaccinate twice yearly; penicillin Ringworm (trichophyton verrucosum, M canis) Greasy pig disease Dermatitis in fat folds Pressure sores Sunburn Photosensitisation Zinc deficiency Vit B deficiency Flakey skin Pityriasis rosea Age-related alopecia Atopic and contact allergies
Give some respiratory problems that may be seen in pet pigs
Rare in pet pigs due to low stocking densities
Metastrongylus in over-used paddocks
Migrating ascarids in uncleaned straw/earth pens
How would you treat glassers, APP, streps and staphs?
Penicillin
What must you need to know before you castrate an adult pet pig?
Accurate weight
What is the only licensed sedative in pigs?
Azaperone IM (IV causes excitement) 1-2mg/kg Withdrawal=10 days No analgesic properties Can combine with GA or LA Can use with ketamine, +/- diazepam or ACP
Why should you take care when using pentobarbital in pigs?
Not licensed or sterile
Causes heart-block in pigs
When castrating an adult pig, where can you inject pentobarbital and why?
Intra-testicular for rapid recovery
When do the majority of piglet deaths occur?
During the first 72 hours of life
How do you castrate an adult pig?
Two incisions in scrotum
Pull testicle out and wind until artery snaps (doesn’t bleed)
(Can tie off but increases risk of infection)
No need to suture-heals well
Antibiotic cover
Analgesia-ketoprofen
Beware scrotal hernias. If present, give full GA
Give some geriatric problems of older pet pigs
Tumours Severe dental problems Arthritis Deformed feet ('flat footed') Diabetes Spontaneous fractures
How often should you worm a pet pig?
4 times a year
How often should you vaccinate pigs against clostridial disease?
Vaccinate sows twice yearly
What size needle should you use for IM injections?
1.5 inch (16g)
Small pigs maybe 18g
Piglets 21g
Give some analgesics you can use in pet pigs
Meloxicam (metacam)
Ketoprofen
Flunixin
Phenylbutazone
Where should you euthanise small pet pigs when using barbiturates?
Anterior vena cava via jugular furrow