Dealing with the challenge of herniated pigs

Sunday, November 3, 2013

There is no really good treatment for belly hernias in pigs. Prevention and good sanitation are the best solutions

by DON STONEMAN

Belly hernias can be an expensive problem on pig farms.

Dr. George Charbonneau of Southwest Veterinary Services, Stratford, says farms report that as many as five per cent of pigs shipped in some weeks have hernias. In Denmark, where there have been extensive studies, the incidence of hernias is 3.7 per cent of the national herd or 800,000 hogs a year.

Marketing herniated pigs in Ontario as commercial hogs is a challenge, Charbonneau says. Federal transportation regulations forbid transporting animals with significant hernias because of animal care concerns. It is both an animal welfare issue and a food safety issue, he says. Blood flow to the area is compromised and affected pigs are in a lot of pain. At packing plants, herniated animals must also be treated differently. Slicing into the intestines during disassembly can contaminate the carcass with fecal matter.

Detecting herniated animals early can be hard because the weakness in the umbilical cord area doesn't begin to show until the young animals are weaned from milk and start eating dry feed, which puts more pressure on the belly.

But not every "bulge" is a hernia. Charbonneau says as many as two thirds of these bulges result from a bacterial infection instead.  

Genetics aren't as much of a cause for hernias as previously thought, Charbonneau says. A predisposing factor is a stress on the umbilical cord after birth. This can be as simple as the mother stepping on the umbilical cord whilst the baby pig is moving away from her. A weakness in the tissues in the region of the umbilical cord results and it fails in response to increased abdominal pressure, often when pigs weigh 30 kilograms or more.

Suspect pigs should be examined to determine if they truly have a hernia, Charbonneau says. Flip a pig onto its back. If the contents of the bulge fall back into the belly cavity, it is a hernia. If they don't, it may just be an abscess. There is some possibility that the intestines may have adhered to the sides of the hernia and that can cause grief at the packing plant.

Drying the umbilical cord as soon as possible is one way to reduce hernias in your herd.

Charbonneau recommends putting half a pound of commercial drying powder on the heat mats as sows are placed in the farrowing crates. "It costs a couple of cents per pig," he says.  The baby pigs track their cords through it. As a prevention, all piglets can be injected with antibiotics at birth, but that's not an option for producers of "free from" pork, Charbonneau notes. Iodine spray doesn't seem to work. Sanitizing farrowing crates does help.

There is no good treatment. Surgery is too costly. Taping affected animals with duct tape is inconsistent, Charbonneau says. The good news is that pigs with small hernias pass inspection at packing plants. Those with pendulous hernias that touch the floor should be euthanized at the farm. It is pigs in the "grey area" that are a concern, Charbonneau says. An inspector at one commercial plant may condemn an animal, while another inspector may allow it to pass.

Stepped up sanitation is the best prevention, asserts Janet Alsop, an Ontario agriculture ministry swine veterinarian. It takes care of both the abscesses and the hernias. Alsop recommends marketing herniated pigs already on farms as barbecue pigs before the hernia can grow too large and the pigs have consumed too much feed. BF