Most modern pig breeds are characterized, among other things, by endurance and unpretentiousness. However, from time to time, such animals can hurt, of course. In most cases, various ailments in piglets are the result of improper care.
Classification
Diseases in piglets, as in any other farm animals, can be mild or serious. Some illnesses of piglets are considered incurable and often lead to the death of animals. Other diseases of pigs with proper treatment go away in a few days.
In any case, all illnesses of piglets can be classified into two large groups:
contagious;
non-contagious.
The pathologies of both of these varieties can cause serious harm to households.
Contagious diseases
Ailments of this particular group occur in piglets often very hard and lead to a reduction in the herd. The most common infectious diseases of pigs are:
ascariasis;
trichinosis;
dysentery;
pasteurellosis;
swollen disease;
erysipelas.
A very dangerous infectious disease of such farm animals is, of course, also African swine fever.
Non-communicable diseases
Such ailments usually do not proceed as severe as infectious ones. However, even because of such diseases, pigs often significantly lose productivity and sometimes die. Non-communicable diseases can be diagnosed in animals of absolutely any breed. Such diseases affect piglets of Landrace, Lithuanian, Duroc, etc.
Most often, the following pathologies of this group are diagnosed in pigs:
gastroenteritis;
peptic ulcer.
Ascaridosis: Economic Damage
This chronic disease is caused in piglets by round worms Ascaris suum parasitizing in the small intestine. The main reason for the development of such an ailment in pigs is non-compliance with sanitary standards in the barn. Infection of piglets with roundworm occurs mainly through food and water.
Economic damage to the household, whatever piglets are bred in it - Duroc breeds, Estonian bacon, Urzhum, etc. - Ascaris can cause significant. Pigs rarely die from this disease. But at the same time, consuming a large amount of feed, infected pigs gain weight poorly. In addition, the meat of patients with ascariasis of piglets is forbidden to eat. Unfortunately, people can also become infected with such worms.
Symptoms of Ascaridosis
This disease in piglets can occur in both acute and chronic form. Symptoms of ascariasis in both of these cases are the same. The only thing with a chronic form is that the signs of Ascaris suum infection will be less pronounced.
Suspected ascariasis in pigs on the farm can be in the presence of such symptoms:
A sign of chronic ascariasis is also serious animal weight loss.
Preventive measures
Piglets under the age of 6 months are most often infected with ascariasis in the household. Various measures to prevent the development of such a disease, of course, are necessary for pigs of all ages. However, young people in this case should pay maximum attention.
Measures for the prevention of ascariasis in farms usually take the following:
perform deworming of pigs from other households;
twice a year do preventive deworming of the herd;
produce deworming of the uterus 30 days before farrowing.
When carrying out preventive deworming, the treatment of pigsties with insecticides is simultaneously performed.
Disease treatment
Ascaridosis already developed in pigs on farms is usually fought with the use of modern antiparasitic drugs. Piglets of the Duroc breed, Kalinin, Breit, Vietnamese, etc. with this disease are usually given:
"The piperazine salt." This drug is given to pigs twice daily with food. The course of treatment is 1 day.
"Fenbendazole." This medicine is also added to piglets in the feed. In this case, a dosage of 10 mg / kg is used. The course of treatment in this case is 1 day.
Such drugs are used for deworming immediately of the whole herd. Giving antiparasitic drugs to only one animal in this case, of course, is absolutely useless.
Trichinosis: a source of infection
This disease also belongs to the group of helminthiases. It is caused by a special type of nematode - Trichinella spiralis - and is dangerous, including for humans. Pigs can become infected with such worms through food, from sick piglets, etc.
Landrace pigs, large white, North Caucasian, etc. trichinosis infection occurs under the same conditions as ascariasis. This disease can occur in two forms - muscle and intestinal.
Signs of illness
Trichinosis is a disease that can be determined in a piglet by the following symptoms:
Also a sign of trichinosis is muscle pain.
What to do?
It is possible to prevent the development of this disease in pigs by observing sanitary standards on the farm, quarantining newly purchased piglets, heat treatment of feeds, etc. Trichinosis is a disease for which, unfortunately, no treatment has been developed. But nevertheless it is believed that “Tiabendazole”, “Mebendazole”, “Albendazole” can help piglets from this ailment.
Reasons for the development of dysentery
This disease is a type of contagious and occurs in pigs usually in a very acute form. In another way, this disease is called typhoid piglets, black diarrhea, etc.
The causative agent of dysentery is the bacterium Treponema hyodysenteriae. The main reason for the development of this ailment is the lack of compliance with sanitary standards in pigsties. Poor feeding also contributes to dysentery infection, which often results in weakened animal immunity.
Signs of dysentery
This infectious disease is considered one of the most dangerous for pigs. The mortality of suckling and newborn piglets from dysentery, for example, is 100%. The temperature in pigs infected with Treponema hyodysenteriae, as with many other infectious diseases, does not rise. Animals with such ailment and appetite do not lose.
The main sign by which this disease can be determined is loose stool in piglets. Diarrhea appears in pigs usually 1-3 days after ingestion of the pathogen dysentery. The feces in sick animals first become watery, and then acquire a brown color and fetid odor.
In addition, the symptoms of dysentery in pigs are:
Prevention of dysentery
Take measures to prevent the development of this disease, since it causes truly enormous damage to households, of course, without fail. Preventive measures aimed at reducing the risk of dysentery and diarrhea in piglets are usually carried out as follows:
quarantine piglets brought from other households within 30 days;
preventive disinfection of farms;
treatment of pig skin with an alkaline solution of formaldehyde.
The danger of dysentery is, among other things, and the fact that pigs with this disease practically do not develop immunity. Very often this ailment in piglets is repeated. No vaccine has been developed for this disease.
Dysentery treatment
Severely ill pigs with this disease are usually sent for slaughter. The remaining animals are treated with Osarsol. In order to avoid a recurrence of the disease, piglets are additionally given Furazolidone.
African swine fever: causes
This formidable disease can be transmitted (mechanically) by rodents, cats, dogs, birds. Of course, pigs can also become infected from sick piglets. Insects - ticks, horseflies, fleas, etc. are also carriers of this disease.
Unfortunately, this ailment is very dangerous. For example, in the Novgorod region, African swine fever alone killed about 37 thousand animals in the summer of 2018, causing truly tremendous damage to households. In Russia, this virus has been spreading since 2007.
Signs of African Plague
Very often, this disease, unfortunately, is asymptomatic. The animal simply dies suddenly. Thus, a fulminant form of the disease manifests itself. In acute plague in piglets, the following symptoms are noticeable:
When the disease becomes chronic, pigs experience:
What to do to prevent development
Of course, so that African swine fever in the Novgorod region, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and any other throughout Russia does not harm the economy, farms should carry out various kinds of preventive measures against it.
Unfortunately, the treatment of this disease has not yet been developed. The farmer can only try to prevent its development in piglets. Prevention measures against African swine fever include:
Swine edema
This ailment is caused by a special Escherichia coli, capable of producing B-hemolysin. Most often, edematous disease is observed in small piglets at the age of 1-2 months. The causative agent of this disease multiplies in the intestines of animals.
How to identify: signs
With the fulminant form of this disease, piglets die quickly and without symptoms. The next morning, the owners simply discover the corpse of the animal. But most often, edematous disease in piglets proceeds nevertheless in an acute form. In this case, it can be determined by the following symptoms:
As a result, the piglet develops asphyxia, as a result of which he dies.
In a chronic form, edematous disease develops mainly in adult pigs. It is manifested in this case by a lack of appetite, a general depressed state.
Treatment of edema
To prevent the spread of the disease, all piglets with visible symptoms are transferred to a separate room immediately after their detection. At the same time, infected animals are prescribed a diet for 10-12 hours. At the same time, pigs are given a laxative.
In order to reduce intoxication in edematous disease, piglets are offered sulfate magnesia. At the same time, they constantly monitor that the animals always have enough water in the drinkers.
Swine erysipelas
This disease in piglets is caused by the bacterium erisipelotrix insidiosis. Its main carriers are infected pigs, birds and rodents. Flies that spread this bacterium mechanically can also infect pigs. Pigs at the age of 3-12 months usually fall ill with erysipelas. At the same time, this ailment develops most often in the summer, spring or autumn. In winter, pigs do not get rid of erysipelas. This disease does not develop in newborn piglets, to which immunity is transmitted from the mother with milk.
The causes of infection in this case, as in most others, are non-compliance with sanitary standards, poor animal welfare, and an unbalanced diet. Very often the causes of an outbreak are:
Pig erysipelas: symptoms and treatment
The acute form of this disease in pigs is characterized by the following symptoms:
Pigs with acute erysipelas refuse to move, burrow into the litter, breathe heavily. At the same time, their skin acquires a bluish color. At the next stage, the disease becomes subacute. At the same time, colorless and then dark swellings appear on the pig’s body first. Upon transition to a chronic form with erysipelas, piglets develop skin necrosis.
Of course, measures to save animals from this disease should be taken immediately after its symptoms are detected. The treatment and prevention of swine erysipelas implies, first of all, the creation of good conditions for piglets. Also against this disease in pig farms periodically vaccinated. A special serum is used in combination with penicillin antibiotics.
Inoculations are given to piglets from erysipelas on households from the age of 2 months. The vaccine is administered to animals twice with an interval of 14 days. Repeat the procedure after 6 months.
Sick pigs on farms are treated with antibiotics, and they are also given antipyretic drugs and medications that help remove toxins from the body.
Pasteurellosis
This disease in pigs is often diagnosed simultaneously with erysipelas. Pasteurellosis in piglets is characterized primarily by infection of the blood with pathogenic microorganisms, as well as inflammation of the intestines and upper respiratory tract. The causative agent of this disease is Pasteurella multicida.
The reasons for the development of this ailment are usually increased humidity in the pigsty, hypothermia, crowding. Defective feeding can also contribute to an outbreak in the herd.
What are the symptoms
Pasteurellosis is a rather dangerous disease of piglets that requires immediate treatment. And in any case, of course, every farmer should know her symptoms. This disease in pigs can be identified by the following signs:
When the disease becomes chronic, pigs develop the following symptoms:
cough;
swollen joints
eczema of the skin.
Sick pigs in the chronic stage, among other things, begin to rapidly lose weight.
Treatment and prevention of pasteurellosis
In order to prevent the development of this disease in pigs, vaccinations are periodically carried out on farms. They also regularly disinfect rooms. The treatment of pasteurellosis is quite effective when using antibiotics. For example, Tetracycline, Chloramphenicol, Terramycin, etc. can be given to pigs on the farm.
Gastroenteritis in pigs: causes
With this disease, the stomach and intestines become inflamed in piglets. Moreover, pathological processes are observed immediately in all three layers of the walls of these organs.
This non-communicable disease develops in piglets, usually due to violations in care technology. From what piglets of the Vietnamese, Lithuanian white, Duroc, etc. are fed, their well-being and developmental features depend directly. Pigs can get sick with gastroenteritis, for example, if they are offered low-quality, moldy, stale food. Also, such an ailment is often diagnosed in animals due to poisonous herbs and various kinds of irritating drugs. In small piglets, this disease often develops due to a sharp transition to dairy-free feeding.
Sometimes this problem also occurs in pigs due to stressful situations. Gastroenteritis in piglets can be diagnosed, for example, after transportation, hypothermia, overheating, etc.
The main symptoms of the disease
A sign of the development of gastroenteritis in a pig is primarily a violation of the gastrointestinal tract and intestines. The main symptoms of this disease are:
Treatment
In diagnosing gastroenteritis in pigs, first of all, of course, the cause of its occurrence should be eliminated. That is, poor-quality feed should be removed from pig feeders, exclude the possibility of eating poisonous grass, etc.
Actually for the treatment of patients, piglets are kept on a hungry diet for 12-24 hours. Then the animals are transferred to a special light diet. At the same time, pigs are given hay flour, meadow herbs, oatmeal chatters, carrots.
Of the preparations for gastroenteritis, saline laxatives, solutions of sodium chloride with glucose and gastric juice help well to piglets. In severe cases of the disease, the animal can also be injected intravenously or intraperitoneally with glucose-salt solution.
Peptic ulcer
With this disease in pigs, a defective lesion of the mucous membrane and underlying tissues of the stomach is observed. The causes of peptic ulcer disease can be:
In some cases, the ulcer in pigs can be perforated.
Symptomatology
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For the prevention and treatment of peptic ulcer is of great importance what feed Vietnamese piglets, durok, large whites and any others. The diet for sick pigs is designed in such a way that they receive enough protein, fiber and vitamin E. Also, make sure that the piglets menu does not include too many feeds that contain indigestible fats. It is very suitable for such animals, among other things, a whey and milk-based diet.