Porcine Anaesthesia, Surgery and Patient Care Flashcards
What are some common surgical procedures in Pigs?
MAIN ONES:
- Castration
- Hernias
- Tail docking
- Tooth clipping/ tusk trimming
ALSO:
- C section
- Rectal prolapse
- Digit amputation
- Wound/laceration repair
- Entropion
- OVH
- Aural hematoma
What considerations for cost & welfare?
- Boars and sows of high genetic merit
- Pet pigs
- Potential risks and prognosis
- Aftercare - beware mixing with other pigs
- Tehcnical difficulties - on farm
- Commercial v pet pigs
ensure: written consent & costs discussed
Pet pigs?
Vietnamese Pot-Bellied, Kune Kune, Gloucester Old Spot, and the Tamworth.
Owners may place a high value on these animals
Commercial pigs?
- Relatively low value
- Procedures may not be cost-effective
High genetic merit pigs ?
High-value procedures maybe cost effective
General Surgical Considerations in swine?
- Thermoregulation
- High portion of body fat
- Malignant hypothermia
- Analgesia
- Variable response to sedation
- Anaesthesia
- Local anaesthetic
- Intubation difficult
- BW
- Vascular access
- Restraint & handling
Describe multimodal analgesia in pigs?
What agents do we use for what?
Describe Azaperone
- 1-2mg/kg deep IM
- Light- mod sedation
- Low dose in boars intended for breeding
- Leave alone to work
Licensed
Uses of azaperone?
- Aggression (prevent fighting)
- Stress, incl transport related stress
- Obstetric conditions
- PRemed in local and GA
What ALpha 2 agonists can we use?
- Xylazine 1-3mg/kg IM
- Detomidine 0.1mg/kg
Use of ALpha 2s?
sedative with some analgesic and muscle relaxatn properties for use in cattle, horses, dogs & cats
premed for minor operations
Ketamine for induction?
- 15-20mg/kg IM after Azaperone pre-medication
- 5mg/kg IV
- Lower doses if using two drugs for premed
- High doses ass muscle rigidity
- 40 mins of anaesthesia
KEtamine licensed?
Yes for 15-20mg/kg Off license at lower doses
Maintenance with ketamine?
5mg/kg IM or IV
Q 30 mins after induction
ketamine used with what?
with xylazine in horse cattle dog and cattle
with azaperone in pig
Tail Docking - Pigs?
“only carried out where measures to improve environment conditions”
An anaesthetic and additional
prolonged analgesia must be administered where the animal is aged 7 days or over.
Tooth reduction (clip)
uniform reduction of the corner teeth by either grinding or clipping to
leave an intact smooth surface
The procedure may only be carried out on an animal that is aged not more than 7 days.
Tusk trimming?
may only be carried out where there is evidence to show that it is necessary to prevent injury to other
animals or for safety reasons.
Castration?
The method used must not involve the tearing of tissues. An anaesthetic and additional prolonged analgesia must be
administered where the animal is aged 7 days or over.
What regulations around Pigs?
DEFRA -Code of practice for the welfare of Pigs (2020)
The Mutilations (Permitted Procedures) (England) Regulations 2007
-> tail docking, castration of pigs can be carried out by vet surgeon or when not more than 7 days by experienced person
Pre-op considerations castration of piglets?
Is analgesia required for castration?
NO for less than 7 days old
baby pig castration - how did it used to be done?
Restraint > suspended by the hind legs
Preparation >The surgical site is prepared aseptically
Anaesthesia>Local anaesthesia used
Procedure ->Open castration
Incision skin/tunica vaginalis.
Gubernaculum broken
Spermatic cord broken by traction, testicle removed.
After-care
> Topical antibiotic spray
>Systemic antibiotics are rarely used.
>Creep under a heat lamp
Inguinal hernias and undescended testicles may be found at the time of surgery.
why do we castrate?
Usually done to avoid unwanted mating, aggression & odor following puberty
How to - castration in pigs?
Beforehand -> check for inguinal hernias in miniature breeds
Age: castrate pig between 2 weeks and 3 mo
Beware: hypoglycaemia & hypothermia
Anaesthesia:
- Deep sedation & local anaesthesia or GA
- Technique -> closed
Describe the procedure ?
Dorsaly recumbency
- Incise skin (testicle extended over inguinal ring)
- Tunica vaginalis maintained
- Gubernaculum broken
- Spermatic cord ligated & cut below ligature
- Remove testicle
- Horizontal mattress suture inguinal ring
Skin sutures (non absorbable)
What else to give during castrate?
ABs topical and systemic
Analgesia
Prophylactic anti-toxin tetanus?
What aftercare for piglet Castrate?
- Keep warm until recovery is complete
- shelter and bedding provided for next 24hrs
How to castrate in commercial boar
- Scrotal incison over length of testes
- Tunica vaginalis incised over testicle
- Gubernaculum ligament manually broken down
- Tunica vaginalis reflected up the spermatic cord
- Crush spermatic cord w/ forceps then place distal to crush site
- 2 absorbable transfixion ligatures placed around spermatic cord proximal to forceps in the crush site
- Spermatic cord is held with rat-tooth proximal to lig & sever
-check bleeding
leave scrotal skin open
Mature boar - aftercare?
- Pig should be kept confined in small pen with clean straw for 7-10day
- Boar taint will dissipate over 6-8 weeks following castration if done in mature boars