25 Story Idea? Contact Paul.Nolan@Farms.com Better Pork | April 2024 (low blood sugar) and hypothermia (low body temperature) can cause weakness, shivering, and tremors. Other viruses that may cause similar signs and should be ruled out in cases of neurologic disease tremor include porcine circovirus associated disease, pseudorabies (Aujeszky’s disease), Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus, otitis media (inner ear infection), and African swine fever. Treatment There is no specific treatment for pigs affected by congenital tremor. During outbreaks of congenital tremor, increased oversight and management may be required to minimize associated mortality. Barn staff should pay extra attention to affected litters to ensure that all piglets receive colostrum within the first 12 hours of life. Assisting severely tremoring piglets to suckle may be necessary to prevent starvation. In cases of splay leg, taping the hind legs loosely together (“hobbling”) can help improve piglets’ ability to move around until they recover. The tape should be removed before it becomes tight as the piglet grows. Prevention Control strategies depend on the cause of the congenital tremor. If a genetic cause is suspected, avoid selecting pigs that have been affected by congenital tremor as breeding stock. If exposure to a toxin is suspected, ensure that the source of exposure is removed. As we are still learning about viruses, such as APPV, that may be playing a role in congenital tremor, there is currently no vaccine or “silver bullet” solution. Semen can be tested for APPV prior to insemination using PCR testing. This method can identify infected boars and prevent infection of sows and gilts at breeding. One potential strategy is to expose gilts to the virus (or viruses) before they are bred. This can be accomplished through acclimatization of incoming breeding stock. In outbreaks of congenital tremor associated with APPV, material from affected piglets can be fed back to gilts and sows prior to breeding. These types of early exposure act a bit like vaccination, allowing pigs to develop antibodies to APPV so that their piglets are less likely to be affected if they are exposed during pregnancy. Always work with your herd veterinarian when developing a protocol for gilt acclimatization or feedback as there are inherent risks to be managed. For example, feeding tissues from piglets to gilts may result in transmission of other pathogens accidentally. BP DR. HAYLEY BOWLING Dr. Hayley Bowling is a veterinarian with Prairie Livestock Veterinarians in Red Deer, Alta. HERD HEALTH
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