ANSCI56

Unit IX
DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL

Unit Objectives

 Evaluated a healthy hog

 Categorized the common pest and diseases of swine including its prevention and control
 Employed effective swine healthy program

Many hog raisers have suffered tremendous losses on swine farming due to pest and diseases causing
high mortality and morbidity.
These diseases may be brought about by any singular factor or a combination of the different factors
such as infectious agents, management errors, nutritional deficiencies, defective housing, and many other
stressors in the environment of the animals.
The effects of these factors on the animals’ health can be minimized if not totally eliminated by
promulgating and strictly enforcing reasonable health program.

Classification and Causes of Diseases

If ‘Health’ in human is define as the state of optimal well-feeling in relation to the body as well as to the
mind. In Animals, a healthy pig means the tissue and organs are functioning normally in harmony with each
other and with its environment. Disease results when this harmony is disturbed and the pig is not able to
maintain the balance between its body functions and its environment. The degree of the disease is
determined by the degree of imbalance between the animal’s body functions and its environment. Thus, the
cause of a disease can be the animal itself or in the environment.
1. Animal as a Cause – These are the causes, which can be attributed to the pig itself.
Primarily, there is something inside or within the pig which is wrong, such that problems or
diseases occur.
 Inborn defects- heritable and non heritable
 Acquired defects-tail biting
 Breed characteristics- crossbreeds have better constitution than purebreds
 Age of animal
 Constitution-it refers to that ability of pig to cope with diseases. It also determines
the general susceptibility of the pigs to diseases.
2. Environment as a Cause- Environmental causes of diseases generally refer to those external
to the animal. The things outside the animal’s body that may cause harm are called
‘environment’ or external factors.
 Infectious Causes of Diseases-refer to the involvement of microorganisms as
the main cause of the disease or problem. Generally, infectious organisms enter
into the pig’s body only if something goes wrong with the non-infectious
environment.
 bacteria – swine plague, colibacillosis and brucellosis
 Viruses – hog cholera, FMD and enzootic pneumonia
 Protozoa – toxoplasmosis and coccidiosis
 Ectoparasites – mange, ring worms and lice
 Endoparasites – gastrointestinal parasites
 Fungi/molds – ringworms and aflatoxicosis
  Yeast - candidiasis

 Non-infectious disease- The non-infectious causes of diseases refer to the

different management practices implemented in the farm. It includes the
following:
 Feeds and feeding – deficiencies/excesses, sudden changes in the feed quality
and quantity, overfeeding/underfeeding, spoiled feeds or toxic components
in the feed.
 Drinking water – availability of fresh/clean drinking water at all times.
 poisons and toxic substances – improper/incorrect medication, toxic plants, and
chemicals (organophophorus compounds)
 management – faulty management practices, especially in newborn and newly
weaned animals can cause chilling/crushing and / or diarrhea, heat stroke
and accident
 housing – poor ventilation, wet/dirty floors, bad flooring.
 Trauma/stress – trauma, like fighting resulting injuries, predispose the pig to
other diseases. Stress (castration, transport/transfer) lowers the pig’s
resistance, rendering it more susceptible to diseases.

Transmission of Infectious Diseases

1. Feeds and Water

2. Air
3. Vectors and carriers
i. man
ii. equipment
iii. predators, rodents and other animals
iv. insects and worms
4. Soil

Disease Prevention

1. Select healthy animals (Signs: shiny hair and smooth skin; good appetite; active and moves
around without difficulty and showing no signs of lameness or other defects; normal
breathing, respiration and body temperature; no abnormalities, unsoundness, boils or
wounds in any part of the body; no eye discharge and no signs of scouring.
a. Quarantine
b. Housing
c. Proper nutrition
d. Vaccination
e. Parasite control
f. Breeding, selection and culling
g. Proper and timely disposal of all animals
h. Sanitation and disinfection
i. Management practices
i. clean and disinfect pigpens
ii. control people movement
 iii. control other animals
iv. brooms
v. disposal of hog manure
vi. handling of medicine
vii. footbath and wheel bath
viii. stress
ix. animal health programs
x. grouping of animals

Economic Importance of Diseases

 increased cost of preventive measures like vaccination

 additional costs of treatment like drugs, instruments, and laboratory
 loss of production due to:
 increased mortality
 decreased growth and production
 deteriorated feed conversion
 decreased quality of products
 disturbed production planning
 problems in marketing
 poor liveweight
 risk for contamination
 export limitations

Biosecurity Measures

Biosecurity means keeping your herd safe from the introduction of diseases from the environment
and other pigs. Hog raisers as producers should discuss with their veterinarian the procedure to minimize the
risk of diseases transmission from outside the production unit. Effort should be directed towards reducing the
likelihood of transmission of disease-causing organisms from one group to another within the same farm.
Good biosecurity is more like a complete culture or way of working which means doing whatever a raiser can
at the farm to prevent the entry and spread of infection.

Areas of Biosecurity concerns:

 Location – pig density in the area, distance from the nearest farm, pig slaughterhouses, sale barns,
and roadways with pig traffic. Pig farm must be 1 km from the main road.
 Perimeter – farm boundary fences or blocked driveway, warning information signs, locked doors, and
clean area next to buildings.
 Entrance – no entry for non-essential people, no contact with pigs outside etc.
 Buildings – surroundings, bird-proof, rodent and fly control, and no stray domesticated animals.
 Shipping – empty and clean vehicles only, no truck coming from contaminated barn, owned
truck/trailer, truck/trailer washed and disinfected, special boots and overalls.
 New stocks – isolation of incoming stock
 Feed and water – safe delivery methods, chlorinated water of farm well at 15 m minimum depth,
water tested every year.
 Dead stock – secured disposal
 Manure removal – secured storage and disposal
  Disinfection and vaccination program

External Biosecurity – it aims to prevent the entry of new disease from the outside of the farm to enter into
the farm. The most important aspect of external biosecurity is quarantine of replacement animals which are
the usual sources of new diseases from the farm of origin.
 Quarantine – it is recommended to all replacement animals purchased outside from the farm. This
would mean that they should not be allowed to be mixed with the herd. This is to observe newly
purchased animal for any possible disease they possessed. The quarantine period should not be
shorter than one month. The pens intended for quarantine should be 100 meters away from the herd.
Internal Biosecurity – it aims to prevent or control the microorganisms present in the farm to proliferate that
will cause adverse effect to the performance of the reared pigs.
 Disinfection – it is the most important component of internal biosecurity. It has two parts: proper
cleaning and disinfection (regular and terminal disinfection).

Suggested Medication Program

Gestating Sows
 External Parasite option
- Injectable (e.g., ivermectin, doramectin, etc.): 10-14 days before farrowing
- Topical (pour-on/spray): 14 and 7 days before farrowing
 Deworming Option
1. Injectable (e.g., ivermectin, doramectin, levamisole, etc.): 10-14 days before farrowing
2. In-feed: 10 days before farrowing
 Vaccination Option
1. Current vaccination program instituted are Hog Cholera, E. Coli, Atrophic Rhinitis, APP, FMD
Mycoplasma.

Suggested Health and Vaccination Program for Pregnant Sows (ITCPH-Basic Pig Keeping Manual)
Activity When?
Deworming 7-14 days before expected date of farrowing

Mange Treatment 14 and 7 days before farrowing

*(If one is using an ivermectin or doramectin as dewormer, there is no need to

do mange treatment using ivermectin, doramectin, or another drug:
ivemectin/doramectin is both for internal and external parasites)

*always wash and scrub the animal before the application of a topical (pour-
on, spray, dip) anti-mange drugs

Washing, scrubbing and Just before expected date of farrowing and before transfer to the farrowing
spraying with disinfectant pen
 In-fed medication
3-10 days before breeding
Pseudorabies
3 weeks before farrowing
E. coli Bacterin
2 weeks before farrowing

Lactating Sows
 Antibiotic Administration
- Injectable: given once or as indicated after farrowing.
- In-feed: given for 10-14 days from the day of farrowing
 Flushing/Lavage
- Given for 3 consecutive days after farrowing; the following may be used:
a. Herbal: guava decoction
b. 5% normal saline
c. 2% potassium permanganate
d. Iodine
 Vitamin A, D, E injection – given before, on, or after weaning
 Vaccination
- Current vaccination programs include Parvo-Lepto, Hog Cholera, and FMD depending on
prevalence of the disease in a particular locality

Suckling Pigs
 Medication
- Iron administration: 3 days after birth; generally, dosage is As follows:
1. 100 mg Fe/ml – 2 ml/piglet
2. 200 mg Fe/ml – 1 ml/piglet
- Multivitamin/Vitamin B12 administration
Given 10-12 days after birth (or after castration) to be repeated before, on, or after weaning.

- Antibiotic medication
Some farms institute pre-weaning antibiotic injections to reduce bacterial load on piglets.

Weaners
 Provide water medication for seven consecutive days (I week) starting on the day of weaning.
 Deworming
- In-feed: given at 2-3 months of provided the sow was dewormed, otherwise it can be done 1-2
weeks after weaning
- Drench: follow similar schedule as in # 1.
 Vaccination
Usual vaccinations are done against APP, Hog Cholera, FMD, depending on the local veterinarian’s
recommendation.

Growers/Finishers
Pulse medication is recommended if one was able to establish periodicity of a certain disease
(especially pneumonia).
Suggested Health and Medication Program for Growers/Fatteners (ITCPH-Basic Pig Keeping Manual)
Activities What to do?
A. Pulse Medication 1. Recommended if one was able to establish periodicity of a certain
disease (pneumonia)
B. Vaccination 1. Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD): given from 2-3 months of age
2. Pseudorabies: given from 2-3 months of age
3. Pneumonia bacterin: from 2-3 months of age

C. Deworming/Mange
Treatment is In highly risk areas, repeat after 7 days, because the first mange treatment
optional only kills the mites and not the eggs. There is no need for treatment if they
are treated as indicated above and if the pens are properly cleaned and
disinfected.
Note: Subsequent deworming and mange treatment of growers and fatteners are instituted as the need arises

Replacement Gilts/ Replacement Boars

 Water/in-feed medication for seven consecutive days
 Deworm, as soon as possible, to be repeated two weeks before expected breeding schedule
 Mange treatment
 Vitamin ADE before breeding
 Vaccination
1. Hog Cholera
a. Given twice before breeding with 2 weeks interval
b. If the animal is vaccinated at six months then one shot before breeding would be enough
2. FMD
- Follow similar vaccination scheme for hog Cholera
3 Parvo-Leptospirosis
- Given before breeding
Suggested Health and Vaccination Program for Gilts (ITCPH-Basic Pig Keeping Manual)
Activity When?
Deworming 7-14 days before breeding

Mange Treatment 14 and 7 days before breeding

*(If one is using an ivermectin or doramectin as dewormer, there is

no need to do mange treatment using ivermectin, doramectin, or
another drug: ivemectin/doramectin is both for internal and external
parasites)

Vitamin ADE Injection Once before breeding

Hog Cholera Vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine

Parvovirus Vaccine Can be scheduled at 6-8 months of age

Pseudorabies Vaccine

E. coli Bacterin

Boars
 Deworm every six months
 Mange treatment every six months
 Vitamin ADE every six months
 Vaccination every six months

Suggested Health and Vaccination Program for Boars (ITCPH-Basic Pig Keeping Manual)
Activity When?
Deworming 3 to 4 times a year

Mange Treatment 3 to 4 times

*(If one is using an ivermectin or doramectin as dewormer, there

is no need to do mange treatment using ivermectin, doramectin,
or another drug: ivemectin/doramectin is both for internal and
external parasites)

Vitamin ADE Injection 1 t0 2 times a month

Hog Cholera Vaccine 6 months of age

Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine 6 ½ months of age

Parvovirus Vaccine 7 months of age

Pseudorabies Vaccine 7 months of age

1. Revaccination for boars is done every 6 months.

2. Blood Testing for the disease enumerated above, at least once a year (including sows), should be
done to monitor antibody level (it will determine increase in antibody level if it is due to field infection
or vaccination).