Piggy Health Matters
Uploaded February 2007

Two diseases, which, thankfully, affect only a few of the smaller breeders and keepers, are featured in this newsletter.

Both are very unpleasant and can have long lasting effects on your pigs but both can be prevented or effectively treated. The problem is, that because they are diseases more common in commercial herds, spotting the symptoms of these diseases is not always easy, as symptoms often start like many, more common less devastating illnesses.

Whilst, vaccination is an effective and recommended preventative measure, this is often not cost effective or practical in small herds. This is because vaccine, generally, once opened must be used within 8 hours. When sows can only effectively be vaccinated prior to farrowing, unless all the sows are due to farrow at roughly the same time, this can lead to significant and costly wastage.

In the absence of a cost effective vaccine, it then becomes critical to early identify the symptoms to ensure prompt treatment.

Erysipelas
The erysipelas germ lives in the tonsils and various glands in a pigs body, passing out via urine an dung. Many pigs carry the bacteria, without any harmful effect. The germ can live dormant in the ground for many years and then for no apparent or obvious reason strike.

Hot humid weather seems to assist the erysipelas bacteria grow and given the UK changing climate this may well lead to more cases over longer periods.

Pigs with the disease goof their food, run high temperatures 107 or 108 degrees F and may show diamond shape blotches on their skin. These are more difficult to identify in Berkshires as all the books say they are reddish or purplish in colour. Don't rely on the appearance of blotches, they don't always show.

Pigs may be stiff or lame and the long term effects can be acute lameness similar to arthritis. Other long term damage can be to the heart, as the bug can multiply in the heart values resulting in an enlarged and damaged heart, that will likely result in you finding the pig dead in the field one day, again without prior warning.

As the bacteria respond well to antibiotic, the sooner the treatment the less longer term damage.

Atrophic Rhinitis
This is a horrible disease that attacks litters with alarming results. Symptoms are persistent sneezing, coughing and nasal discharge, often bleeding. It has a major adverse affect on the growth and thriftiness of piglets and can lead to twisted snouts, as well as pneumonia. Piglets generally look extremely poorly and thin.

In gilts and sows that have not built up resistance, it can also give rise to abortions and stillbirths.

It does respond well to antibiotic but once in the herd and the housing it can take a long time to correct. It is also very contagious, so showers beware as it is essential that it is spotted and not mixed up with pneumonia or 'the cough' to ensure it is not passed on to other show pigs.