Personal protective equipment, including face masks, helps protect swine farm workers from infected air particles, including those carrying influenza A virus particles. Results of a study presented by Joaquin Alvarez-Norambuena and colleagues with the University of Minnesota during the recent Leman Swine Conference show face masks limit exposure of IAV in farm … [Read more...]
Avian flu updates
Staying abreast of the latest on high-path avian flu is time-consuming and often confusing. Multiple media sources share information along a rapidly progressing timeline of discovery, opinions and responses. We aggregated some of the more recent updates at these links. Sources: Detections of HPAI in livestock, USDA, July 9, 2024. Link. The most current information and … [Read more...]
$1 million grant funds agencies to detect new strains of PRRS
A $1 million USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative grant will help researchers leverage the Swine Disease Reporting System to detect new strains of PRRSV. A new, web-based tool called the SDRS BLAST tool, allows veterinarians, producers and other users to compare genetic sequences of PRRSV with those in the SDRS. Source: The Pig Site, May 9, 2024. Link. “For the … [Read more...]
Locomotion and reproduction issues top reasons for sow mortality
A nine-year study revealed prevalent risk factors associated with sow mortality, a growing concern for hog producers. The average annual replacement rate is around 50 percent, with most removals occurring on parity-zero or parity-one females before a positive net present value is achieved. Chris Wright observes the majority of deaths occur during summer. He shares the … [Read more...]
Bigger is not always better
A high rate of piglet mortality is a consequence of selecting for sows that have large litters. New research will focus on breeding for survival until weaning and survivability to slaughter. Source: The Pig Site, January 18, 2023. Link. The negative side effects of sows giving birth to large litters, often with more piglets than productive teats, means that managerial … [Read more...]
African swine fever . . . catching up
Commentary It is a rare day without some media reference to ASF. Foreign countries are experiencing active infections in domestic herds and wild hogs. We believe it is important to expose all animal health pros to the efforts in the U.S. to block ASF from entering the country. ASF is a potential One Health issue paralleling HPAI and FMD in its potential effect on food … [Read more...]
Using fecal metabolites as biomarkers for pigs
Sanitary conditions alter the composition of the microbiome in pigs which affects their productivity, health and welfare. Researchers in the Netherlands believe the use of biomarkers could provide the basis for monitoring subclinical health status in pigs or formulating targeted nutritional interventions aimed at balancing the immune system in young pigs without being … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – May 19, 2022
Last week’s THREE most read posts Celebrate graduations. Link. Pandemic lessons for all. Link. 30 is not the new 20. Link. Last week’s AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin, Thursday, May 12, 2022. Link. =================================== CAPC 2022 annual pet parasite forecast Source: Vet Advantage, April 2022, page 50. Link. AHD first … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – April 7, 2022
Last week’s most read AHD posts How to follow up with someone who’s not getting back to you. Link. Last week’s AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin, Thursday, March 31, 2022. Link. =================================== Feral pigs are biological time bombs. Can California stem their ‘exponential’ damage? Source: Los Angeles Times, April 1, … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – March 24, 2022
Last week’s most read post Preconditioning starts when the calf hits the ground. Link. Last week’s AHD Bulletin Animal Health Digest Bulletin, Thursday, March 17, 2022. Link. =================================== Click here for a free 7-day trial --> Link #TalkatooTerry Your dog can go vegan – but cats are natural born killers Source: The Guardian, … [Read more...]
Smart farming with free access stalls
Complimentary Commercial Content Food animal producers and the companies that support them continue to research and develop ways to improve animal welfare and optimize each individual animals’ production potential. Laurence Williams shares how free access stalls are deployed in sow units. Source: The Pig Site, January 7, 2022. Link. … [Read more...]
Iowa State University to test teaching with telehealth technology
A USDA grant allows veterinarians at Iowa State’s Swine Medicine Education Center to partner with precision farming company Dystinct and the VetNOW veterinary telehealth platform to test the learning platform. The partnership proved the concept works as students learned how to draw blood from a pig while being taught from a veterinarian using telehealth technology. Source: … [Read more...]
Dead sows are co$tly
Complimentary Commercial Content Sow mortality has nearly doubled in the past 15 years to approximately 13 percent. Ron Ketchum estimates a midpoint cost of $1,125 per dead sow. This amounts to an estimated $2.25 per pig weaned in incremental production cost. Source: The Pig Site, November 11, 2021. Link. Also see: Sow to sales: mortality breakdowns, National Hog … [Read more...]
ASF in one third of Dominican Republic provinces, pigs will be slaughtered
The Dominican Republic will slaughter tens of thousands of pigs after detecting outbreaks of African swine fever in 11 of the country’s 32 provinces, according to authorities. Reports indicate the government will pay pig farmers the market price of each animal slaughtered. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Associate Administrator Jack Shere said safeguards are … [Read more...]
Worth a Glance – July 22, 2021
Last week’s most read post The hurrier we go . . . Source: Animal Health Digest, July 13, 2021. Link. Germany reports first ASF case in farm pigs Source: The Pig Site, July 16, 2021. Link. Asian swine flu was found in pigs on one organic farm with 200 animals and on a smallholding with only two pigs. All have been slaughtered. Pet dog brain banking … [Read more...]
Porcine circovirus type 2; where do we stand?
First seen in the 1990s in swine, PCV2 has been observed to be involved in a wide variety of clinical presentations. Thirty years later with millions of dollars lost by producers and millions spent chasing this virus, it is still a conundrum. The most common form of the disease is considered to be subclinical, write the authors. The evolution of the virus has followed a … [Read more...]
New PRRS 1-4-4 L1C variant deserves vigilance, preparations
PRRS has been challenging swine producers for nearly 35 years. In late 2020, a variant strain surfaced from the PRRS 1-4-4 L1C lineage. It can be extremely virulent, although not the only variant strain circulating in swine herds. We’re sharing articles with different perspectives about the significance of this variant. It is clear, however, that biosecurity protocols at … [Read more...]
Uniform body-condition technique helps improve sow herd management
Body condition scoring is common in beef, dairy and equine settings. It is not that easy in sow herds and human variables add complexity. Cary Sexton, DVM, working with a sow caliper device designed by Mark Knauer, PhD, were able to standardize sow body condition instead of relying on visual scores after training staff members. Employees using the sow caliper regularly also … [Read more...]
National Pork Board launches AgView to respond to disease outbreaks
The National Pork Board launched AgView, a tool to help the pork industry respond quickly to a foreign animal disease outbreak. The voluntary system is designed to enable producers to input premise identification data, diagnostic data and pig movement data for pig contract tracing in the event of a disease outbreak. Source: The Pig Site, November 11, 2020. Link. “AgView is … [Read more...]
Is feed a Trojan horse for the ASF virus?
Feed ingredients are the new “Trojan horse” that helps move the African swine fever virus and they could bring the worst pig virus in the world to North America, according to Scott Dee, DVM and director of applied research at Keystone Veterinary Services. Speaking at the recent Animal AgTech Innovation Summit, he says the way grain is dried in Asia allows it to get contaminated … [Read more...]
Chinese ASF vaccine enters new development phase
China’s agriculture ministry reports positive results on a trial vaccine for African swine fever developed by the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, according to the South China Morning Post. Officials say it is still too early to estimate when a vaccine will be available. Source: The Pig Site, August 19, 2020. Link. Results from the studies suggest that the increased … [Read more...]
ASFV quickly detected by new cell line
A way to detect the presence of African swine fever virus minimizes the need for samples from live animals and provides easier access to labs needed to diagnose the virus. Developed by the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the new cell line can be continuously replicated and frozen to create cells for future use. The new cell line is commercially available. Source: The Pig … [Read more...]
Global ASF update: China outbreaks continue
Dr. Dave Pyburn, head veterinarian at the National Pork Board, shares that ASF virus is still causing outbreaks in China and cash pig prices have doubled. In Europe, Poland has had an ASF outbreak that puts the virus right on Germany’s border, an important swine producing country in the EU. Learn more about how the U.S. Customs and Border Protection team is working to keep ASF … [Read more...]
New tech protects piglets from crushing mortality
If one of your swine operator customers has a problem with piglet mortality due to lay-ons, a new AI-based technology may offer a solution. SmartGuard can locate exactly where a piglet is getting crushed and alert the sow to roll over or stand up using vibration. The new technology has reduced the incidence of crushing and mortality of piglets by 35 to 40 percent in commercial … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Alarm bells going off for African swine fever
Dr. Bob Rowland, co-executive director of the North American PRRS Symposium, reveals two big headlines from the recent conference. He also explains how the symposium has evolved to include all emerging diseases and offers an update on diagnosing challenging diseases. Source: The Pig Site, November 26, 2019. Link. “You can almost see the alarm bells going off in terms of … [Read more...]
VIDEO: Ready to advance PRRS control? Time to target grow-finish
Montse Torremorell, with University of Minnesota, spoke to attendees at the North American PRRS Symposium about the need for research in grow-finish. She set the stage for the next speakers about why it’s the next step to advance PRRS control. Source: The Pig Site, November 4, 2019. Link. “We have evidence from other diseases, and even from PRRS itself, that what happens in … [Read more...]
African swine fever decimates 20 percent of Vietnam herd
Ted McKinney, USDA undersecretary, reported from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, during an agricultural trade mission that the country’s swine herd death toll is estimated at 20 percent. Vietnam’s officials said the outbreak appears to be slowing. However, McKinney is unsure of outbreak containment. Learn what this means for the US. Source: The Pig Site, September 18, 2019. Link. … [Read more...]
ASF likely to reach U.S.
As African swine fever (ASF) spreads to more Asian countries, it increases the chance that it will make it into the U.S., Canada or Mexico. One of the key things U.S. producers can do now is to work with their local veterinarian to gather the data and paperwork the state veterinarian will need, if there is a U.S. outbreak that would allow for continued pig movement. Other top … [Read more...]
China’s pig herd continues rapid decline
Reuters reports China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs is showing a 6.4 percent higher decline in the total Chinese swine herd due to the spread of African swine fever (ASF). September’s data shows a 38.7 percent decline, while July’s data indicated 32.3 percent. ASF is now endemic across every province in mainland China. Learn what this is doing to pork prices and … [Read more...]
Three possible pathways for African swine fever to enter US
How easy is it for African swine fever (ASF) to enter the U.S.? Patrick Webb, DVM and National Pork Board director of swine health Programs, explains three ways it can enter. Dr. Scott Dee’s studies on feed ingredients coming in from China are discussed, as well as the important role diagnostics play in trying to rule in or rule out a foreign animal disease. Source: The Pig … [Read more...]