Table Of ContentF a c u l t y o f V e t e r i n a r y S c i e n c e
VETS
4223
Pig
Health
and
Production
UNIT
OF
STUDY
HANDBOOK
2009
This
handbook
belongs
to
_________________________
C O P Y R I G H T
This unit of study handbook is copyright of the various source
textbooks and the contributing staff members of the Faculty of
Veterinary Science, University of Sydney.
The handbook and associated printed teaching materials, is
distributed to enrolled students on a non-profit cost recovery
basis. Where illustrative material in the manual is taken from
standard textbooks it is on the assumption of fair usage for
teaching and is for non-commercial purposes.
Warning: Commercial use of any material in this teaching
manual is an infringement of copyright.
T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s
1. General Information.................................................................1
Welcome.....................................................................................................................2
Unit of Study Aims/Goals............................................................................................2
Learning Commitments..............................................................................................2
Learner Preparation....................................................................................................2
Learning Outcomes....................................................................................................3
Group Exercise on WebCT.........................................................................................3
Assessment................................................................................................................4
References.................................................................................................................4
2. Practical Classes......................................................................5
General Information....................................................................................................6
Practical Class 1: Animal Husbandry.........................................................................7
Practical Class 2: Recognising Normal from Abnormal..............................................21
Practical Class 3: Tutorial...........................................................................................28
3. Lecture Notes ...........................................................................39
Definitions & Concepts...............................................................................................40
Module 1: Pigs as Individuals.....................................................................................43
Module 2: Sustainable Pig Production........................................................................47
Module 3: The Breeding Herd (Management)............................................................53
Module 4: Reproductive Failure..................................................................................63
Module 5: Farrowing Herd Issues...............................................................................77
Module 6: The Growing Herd.....................................................................................81
Module 7: Disease (General Issues)..........................................................................87
Module 8: Enteric Disease..........................................................................................89
Module 9: Respiratory Disease..................................................................................107
Module 10: Diseases/Conditions of the Central Nervous System..............................119
Module 11: Locomotory Diseases of Swine...............................................................125
Module 12: Skin Diseases..........................................................................................131
Module 13: Toxicities..................................................................................................137
Module 14: Processing & Marketing...........................................................................139
Module 15: Treatment Options...................................................................................143
Module 16: Disease Eradication.................................................................................149
Module 17: Exotic & Emerging Diseases...................................................................153
Module 18: Veterinarians in the Pig Industry..............................................................163
4. Past Exam Questions...............................................................165
Chapter
1
N
O
I
T
A
M
R
O
F
N
I
E
S
R
U
O
C
L
A
R
E
N
E
G
1
WELCOME
“Dogs
look
up
at
you,
cats
look
down
at
you,
while
pigs
look
you
straight
in
the
eye”
–
Churchill
We welcome students to “Pig Health and Production”. It’s been a long time since you
were first introduced to pigs via “Animal Husbandry”. In this 4 credit point Unit, we will
build on and apply principles and learning methodologies from previous disciplines to the
study of all things porcine. The pig industry is dynamic and challenging. Veterinarians
who choose to devote themselves to it have to become cognizant of factors driving its
sustainability-from cost-effective production of pig meat to welfare-friendly housing of
pregnant sows. Not only will you have to act as veterinarian, but also be nutritionist,
economist, geneticist, environmentalist and reproductivologist! I hope that at the end of
this Unit you will have the confidence to consider a career in the pig industry and an
understanding of how the industry works.
UNIT
OF
STUDY
AIMS/GOALS
Pig Health and Production takes basic principles learnt in the first three years of the veterinary course,
and applies them to one particular species-the pig. Students will gain an understanding of the role that
veterinarians play in the pig and pig meat industries and within the general public. This Unit has a
high commercial focus, so that graduates will be empowered with the ability to assist pig producers
produce low-cost, quality-controlled food made from pork. Students will also become familiarized
with the major external factors driving the sustainability of the industry, particularly from the
consumers’ standpoint.
LEARNING
COMMITMENTS
Students are expected to participate in all scheduled classes and to engage in learning activities,
independently and in groups, outside timetabled hours.
• Daytime attendance – 1-4 hours of lectures per week plus 2 practical sessions (2-3 hours
duration) and a 2-hour tutorial during the semester
• On-line commitments - 6 hours of computer-based independent learning (1 USYD
eLearning/formerly WebCT exercise). This is a group exercise.
• It is also anticipated that each student will spend time outside of daytime attendance in
lecture preparation and/or revision (approximately 30 minutes per lecture)
LEARNER
PREPARATION
All students should have basic skills in handling, restraining and performing simple management
activities with pigs (covered in Animal Husbandry). They should also have completed some
professional experience on farms or animal management properties.
It is assumed that students will be able to utilise and apply the concepts and information introduced in
Animal Husbandry.
Students should have well developed skills in seeking and obtaining information from a variety of
sources, including the University library electronic resources, the internet, textbooks and journals.
They should be able to communicate effectively (written and oral) in English.
2
• Students should be able to use a personal computer to access the University of Sydney web
sites, search electronic databases in the University library, type up an assignment and use
USYD eLearning/formerly WebCT.
• Students should be able to communicate effectively in English to a variety of different
audiences. They are expected to be proficient in written and oral communication.
• Students must understand and abide by the University of Sydney’s policies on plagiarism.
• It is expected that students will adopt a mature, independent approach to manage their own
time and ensure that they actively engage in learning during the Unit. Students who
experience difficulty in time management, assessment stress, learning disabilities or personal
problems should seek assistance from the University’s counselling and disability services.
LEARNING
OUTCOMES
1) Problem-solve poor biological productivity and excessively high pork production costs on pig
farms.
2) Diagnose, treat, control and eradicate common pig diseases in Australia.
3) Understand factors that affect the sustainability or the pork production industry, including
food safety, welfare, prudent antibiotic use and meat quality.
4) Explain how exotic diseases can be introduced into pig herds and be able to recognise and act
appropriately to minimise their spread.
5) Undertake clinical interventions in pigs (blood collection, pregnancy diagnosis, intravenous
catheterization).
6) Necropsy a pig and conduct health checks at processing for disease diagnosis.
GROUP
EXERCISE
ON
USYD
eLearning/formerly
WebCT
Students will work in groups of 4-5 (you select your own group members) to undertake a USYD
eLearning/formerly WebCT problem-solving exercise. You must answer the questions and submit
your answers to the Unit of Study Co-ordinator (maximum of 2000 words plus references). Due date
for this will be advised during the semester, but it is anticipated that you will have about 5 weeks to do
this exercise. Groups who do not submit reports by the due date will lose 10% of their mark for each
day they are late. Students should refer to class notes and published literature in peer reviewed
journals when resourcing reference materials. Reference material from Web Sites is a less preferred
option for this.
The Harvard Flinders Referencing System is recommended for faculty assignments. Check this style at:
http://www.lib.flinders.edu.au/services/infolit/nureference.pdf or
http://vip.library.usyd.edu.au/elibrary/citation.html#harvard
The Library has an amended Harvard Flinders output style file that can be used with EndNote. Go to
the library website: http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/databases/endnotex/faq/stylelist.html
and download the Harvard Flinders style from: harvardflinders_usyd.ens and put it in your Endnote
XI/styles folder.
3
ASSESSMENT
Students will be assessed using the following guidelines:
Task No. Component Weight
1. USYD eLearning/formerly WebCT 15%
exercise (group assessment)
2. 1 hour multiple choice exam 35%
(intrasemester)
3. 1 hour final written exam 50%
TOTAL 100%
REFERENCES
Core
references:
• Diseases of Swine, 9th edition (2006) BE Straw et al
• Managing Pig Health and Treatment of Disease (1997) MR Muirhead and TJ Alexander
• Pathology of the Pig (1996) LD Sims and JRW Glastonbury
Useful
references:
• Care and management of miniature pet pigs (1993) DE Reeves
• Animal-to-human transplantation research: A guide for the community (2003). Australian
Govt. NHMRC (http://www.dcita.gov.au/cca.)
• PigStats –Australian Pork Ltd Publication
• Mating and Reproduction-Australian Pork Ltd Publication
• Farrowing-Australian Pork Ltd Publication
• Weaning to Sale-Australian Pork Ltd Publication
• The Managers Toolbox-Australian Pork Ltd Publication
• The Good Health Manual-Australian Pork Ltd Publication
• Eradicating Diseases of Pigs-Australian Pork Ltd Publication
• Plan it-Build it-Australian Pork Ltd Publication
It is not a requirement that students purchase the textbooks listed above for this course.
Web
Links
http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/VIP/
http://www.vetmed.iastate.edu/departments/vdpam/swine/
4
Chapter
2
S
E
S
S
A
L
C
L
A
C
I
T
C
A
R
P
5
General
Information
The class will be divided up into eight groups (A1-D2), each consisting of approximately 15 students.
Practicals will run for 2-3 hours. See the timetable for group times.
It is a requirement that by the completion of the course you will have the following basic handling
skills and management techniques (A=must have undertaken, B=must have observed, C=must have
knowledge of).
Practical skill A B C
Identification of common breeds X
Catching and restraining pigs X
Intramuscular injection X
Subcutaneous injection X
Teeth clipping X
Tail docking X
Moving pigs with a stockboard X
Estimate liveweight and carcass weight X
Ear notching X
Branding X
Handling boars X
Cleaning, disinfection X
Euthanasia X
Intravenous injection X
Intraperitoneal injection X
Stomach tubing & bottle feeding X
Castration X
Pregnancy diagnosis (visual, RTU) X
Backfat measurement X
Blood collection X
Condition scoring X
Oestrus detection X
Natural mating supervision X
Artificial insemination X
Assisted farrowing X
Semen processing X
Fostering piglets X
Colostrum milking & split suckling X
Recognising sick pigs X
6
