Everything You Wanted to Know About Pigs But Were Afraid to Ask

Clifford F. Shipley, DVM, DACT Attending Veterinarian for Agricultural

Animals University of Illinois

Basic Pig Biology

• Temperature – Baby pig: can’t control body temp very well – Normal: 102.5 F – Range: 101.5-103.5 F – Hot days: 103.5 + F – Sow temp drops prior to farrowing – Sow temp rises post farrowing

• Heart rate – baby pig: 200-250 beats per minute (bpm) – Weaned pig: 90-100 bpm – Grower: 80-90 bpm – Finisher: 75-85 bpm – Sow: 70-80 bpm – Boar: 70-80 bpm

Respiratory Rates

• Newborn: 50-60 breaths/min • Weanling: 25-40 breaths/min • Grower: 25-35 breaths/min • Finisher: 25-35 breaths/min • Sow: 13-18 breaths/min • Boar: 13-18 breaths/min • Farrowing sow: 35-45 breaths/min • “Thumping”

Behavior

• Intelligent • Clean

– Urination – Defecation

• Thermal neutral zone – Different for size and age – Very sensitive to high temperatures – Very sensitive high humidity

• Handling in hot weather

• Animal level check for – Airflow – Drafts – CFM – Dead spaces – Ammonia

• Flight zones • Moving and handling pigs • Social behavior: group/individual/dominance

Biosecurity

Isolation and sourcing pigs vet to vet consult warranty???

– Testing • What diseases do you test for? PRRSV SIV Brucellosis, Lepto, PRV, parasites, APP, etc. etc.

– How long is isolation period? • Diseases • Risk

• Shouldn’t work around other swine • Shouldn’t have swine at home • Shower-in/Shower-out • PPE • Traffic patterns • Visitation restrictions

– What is reasonable? – Domestic vs foreign travel

• Birds, sick people, airborne diseases and fomites!!

Routine Processing of Piglets

• Day 1-3 – Iron shots: 200 mg SQ/IM – Tail docking – Castration – Ear notching – Antibiotics – Navel treatment – Teeth clipping

• Needle size: – 20 gauge x ½ to 1 inch

• Clean and disinfect instruments between litters • Change needles between litters/pigs? • Needle breakage/lost needles

Vaccines

• Erysipelas • Parvo, lepto • E.coli • Rota/corona • Circo virus • Mycoplasma hyopneumonia • Others (ileitis, Salmonella, swine dysentery,

strep, PRRSV, Bordetella, Pasteurella, etc)

Personnel Safety

• Large swine can be aggressive • Tusks/teeth • Knee high • Dust/dander/molds

– Mask – Respirator

• Zoonotic disease risk? – SIV, lepto, strep, staph, erysipelas,etc….

• Noise protection

Obtaining blood samples

• Size of the pig • How much blood? • How often? • Skill of phlebotomist • Needle size

– 20 x 1.5 inch vacutainer – 16 x 4 inch needle with syringe – Butterfly catheter

Where to stick ‘em to find blood • Jugular • Anterior vena cava • Lateral ear vein • Central ear vein • Tail vein • Orbital sinus • Mammary veins • Cephalic vein • Cut downs for indwelling catheters

– Jugular – Carotid – mammary

IM injection sites

• IM injection sites – Neck behind ear cranial to shoulder – No other IM injection site

• SQ injection sites – Neck behind ear cranial to shoulder – Flank – Arm pit

Needle size and length

• IM – Baby pig: 20 x ½ to ¾ inch – Weanling: 18 x ½ to 1 inch – Grow/finish: 16 x ¾ to 1 inch – Sows/Boars: 16 x 1 to 1.5 inch

• SQ – Baby pig:20 x ½ inch – Weanling: 18 x ½ to ¾ inch – Grow/finish: 16 x ¾ inch – Sows/Boars: 16 x ¾ to 1 inch

Body Condition Scoring

• 1-6 – 1 very thin – 2 very obese

• Ideal depends on life cycle and use – Boars: 3-4 BCS – Sows gestation: 3-4 BCS – Sows weaned: 3 BCS

Breeding

• Non-seasonal polyestrus • 21 day cycle • Puberty 4-8 months • Natural mating • AI • Heat synchronization: Matrix • Induction of puberty: PG600

Farrowing

• 114-116 days gestation • Temp decrease 24 hrs prior • Milk/colostrum prior to or at parturition • Piglets can come forward or backward • Usually one every 15 minutes • Take 2-4 hrs to finish • Retained placenta = retained piglet usually

How to tell if pigs are sick

• Attitude • Hair coat • Respiration rate • Diarrhea • Stomach fill • Color • Temperature • other

Anesthesia

• TKX: Telazol + 250 mg xylazine + 250 mg ketamine – 1 ml/50-75 # IM 45-60 minutes surgery time – 1 ml/300 # IV gives 10-15 minutes

• Intubate – Gas – Not halothane

• Malignant hyperthermia/PSS

Euthanasia

• AVMA approved • Blunt trauma • CO2 • Gunshot • Captive bolt

– Sinuses • Pentobarb • Electrocution: stun/stop heart or

stun/exsanguinate