COMMON DISEASES OF SMALL PIG HERDS

Malnutrition (poor condition)

Malnutrition is one of the most important problems of small pig herds

The pigs will appear thin and show poor growth
The only bones that you should see are the shoulder blades, which should be covered by a layer of flesh so that you cannot actually feel
If the backbone, hip bones or ribs can be seen, the pig is too thin
There may be a number of reasons for malnutrition. These are:
Not enough food
Poor-quality food
Parasites eating too much food or causing pigs to scratch instead of eating
Growing pigs need more or better quality food than adult pigs
Sows feeding piglets need extra food to feed the piglets, otherwise they will start to
lose weight themselves in order to produce milk. It may be difficult to regain this weight loss
Pigs grow quickly. If there is not much difference between the size of piglets at 2 and 4 months, there is a problem

Skin conditions

Mange

Mange is one of the most important problems in small pig herds

It is caused by small parasites called mites that live in the skin
The pig becomes itchy, and scratches and rubs against the walls of the sty and other objects
The coat looks dull, and there are bare patches, heavy crusts, and lines on the body that look like ribs
Treatment is with spray-on or pour-on preparations or injections that also treats worms
If you have only a few pigs, you and your neighbours should buy the medicine together and treat the pigs at the same time
Treat adult pigs regularly; you then do not have to treat piglets, as they will not be infected

Lice

Fly damage

Greasy pig disease

The pig develops yellowish crusts on the snout, around the mouth and behind the ears. These can spread all over the body
The disease is treated with antibiotic injections

Diamond skin disease

Diamond skin disease was named this way because affected pigs develop large dark-red patches on the skin
This disease can cause death
It is treated with antibiotic injections
You can vaccinate pigs to prevent the disease

Worms

Roundworms

Roundworms live in the gut and take food from the pig. The pig can therefore become thin
Roundworms also move through the body and may cause lung problems
They cause “milk spots” in the liver
Treat with worm remedies. Control with medicine in the food is useful
When the worms die suddenly after treatment, they can block the gut and cause sudden death

Tapeworms (measles)

Pork measles is caused by tapeworms which live in the muscles of pigs
They do not usually affect the pig, but can lead to pain and the pig may find it difficult to move around
When people eat undercooked measly pork, the worms develop inside the people, and can make them very sick
These worms can be controlled by preventing the pigs from wandering about where they can feed on human faeces, and by making sure that people working with pigs use toilets
Pigs cannot be treated for this disease

Lameness

Pigs are heavy compared to the size of their feet and can easily hurt their feet if there are cracks in the floor or sharp surfaces
Pigs can also develop arthritis (sore joints) fairly easily from damage or diseases
They will not place weight on the sore leg
Pigs that sit or lie and do not get up when food is given, are lame
Examine the pig for sores and swellings
If there are no obvious sores or swellings, get help from a veterinarian, because it may be best to slaughter the pig

Abscesses

Fever

Many serious diseases start with fever
Pigs stop eating, lie around, may huddle together, and may become red or purple on the belly, legs and ears. They stay close to water, and prefer to be in the shade
African swine fever is the most serious disease of pigs in Africa. Most pigs die after having a fever. This disease should be reported to a veterinarian. There is no treatment or vaccine, and the pigs must be killed. In South Africa, pigs may get African swine fever in parts of the Northern, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga provinces where warthogs are infected. These areas are known as the African swine fever control zone
Other fevers may be cured by treatment with antibiotics

Heatstroke

Pigs that have no shade can suffer heatstroke in hot weather because they become too hot easily
They lie down, breathe heavily (pant), foam at the mouth, become red (flushed), and can die quickly
Spray with water to cool them down and provide shade

Salt poisoning

Some feeds, especially swill from restaurants, may contain a great deal of salt
If pigs can drink as much water as they like, this is not a serious problem
If the pigs cannot drink water, they can die of salt poisoning
Pigs appear to be blind, fall over, and may vomit and have seizures resembling epileptic fits. They die quickly
A good water supply prevents this disease

Diarrhoea

Diarrhoea is most likely to occur when many pigs are crowded together
It is usually seen in piglets
It may occur after a change in food, and the piglets may still look healthy and continue to eat
It can result from a disease, and the pigs then stop eating and look sick. You should get help from a veterinarian or animal health technician
Piglets can die quickly from diarrhoea if they stop eating and drinking
If a pig dies and you open up the carcass, the intestines may look red and the contents are usually watery and even bloody. The lining may look rough with dry, yellowish material sticking to it

Pneumonia

Pigs with pneumonia have difficulty in breathing, may stop eating, and there may be discharges from the eyes and nose
You should get help from a veterinarian or animal health technician, because not all antibiotics are good for treating pneumonia
If a pig dies from pneumonia and you open up the chest of the carcass, the lungs look solid and red, and there may be pus

Preventive measures

In conclusion

If you know about the different diseases which pigs can get, you can either prevent or treat them in time and avoid pigs dying from disease

(April 7, 2022. From “ Nigeria Farming”)

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Post time: Apr-07-2022