Sows as an animal category in the various monitoring tools
Sows’ health is important because it can also indirectly affect the health, welfare and growth of the piglets. Information about the sow is collected in the various monitoring tools, with variable results. About a quarter of the questions asked through the Veekijker hotline are about sows; they are often about PRRS.
It is striking that 91 per cent of the reports in the Online Monitor’s data for the third quarter, for example, state that there were no health complaints in the sows. September 2024, however, has a clear spike in the number of health problems among sows, as was the case in the autumn months in previous years (see Figure 1).
Animal health monitoring
Since 2002, Royal GD has been responsible for animal health monitoring in the Netherlands, in close collaboration with the veterinary sectors, the business community, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, vets and farmers. The information used for the surveillance programme is gathered in various ways, whereby the initiative comes in part from vets and farmers, and partly from GD Animal Health. This information is fully interpreted to achieve the objectives of the surveillance programme – rapid identification of health issues on the one hand and monitoring trends and developments on the other. Together, we team up for animal health, in the interests of animals, their owners and society at large.
More than half the health complaints reported are about reproductive issues. Abortion, too many stillborn piglets and sows that do not get impregnated are reported relatively frequently. Based on the most likely diagnoses that were filled in, it seems that there is no unambiguous cause for this peak; the reports suggest that it may stem from zootechnical factors such as nutrition and the accommodation. Management factors such as managing serving the sows were also noted frequently.
In summary, the data from the Online Monitor and from pathology suggests that relatively few problems are seen in this animal category. Even so, the Veekijker hotline gets questions about sows fairly often. Some of those questions are about the effects of the sow’s health and treatments (such as vaccination) on the piglets.
Figure 1: Percentage of reports in the Online Monitor involving a health problem for the animal category ‘sows’ (period 2021 to 2024Q3).
Specific findings
The Veekijker Varken was asked by a veterinary practitioner for assistance in a complex case in the third quarter of 2024 involving persistent high losses among weaned piglets. On a breeding farm with 900 sows, there were high losses of weaned piglets from about two weeks post-weaning onwards. The weaned piglets were placed in groups corresponding to weekly age groups, about 600 to 700 in each group. ‘All in, all out’ was not applied strictly. The problems were caused by a combination of infections by PRRS virus, Streptococcus suis, Influenza, PCV3 and E. coli F4. Previous necropsies of piglets showed indications of Glässer disease and oedema disease. However, the pathogens in question could not be shown to have been present recently. Additionally, the climate in the weaned piglet sty played an important role. An impression was obtained during the farm visit that there was too much ventilation and that there was a cold air trap. The incoming air was not being preheated. This was later confirmed during investigations by a climate control expert.
The sows, a rotational crossbreed between Danish sows and a Duroc sire were vaccinated with an autovaccine for S. suis and Glässerella parasuis and intensively against PRRSv. On top of that, they received vaccinations against App, Pasteurella, Influenzavirus, Rotavirus, E. coli, Parvovirus and Erysipelothrix (swine erysipelas). The number of live-born piglets was very high, with litters regularly containing more than twenty piglets. The piglets were also vaccinated with PRRSv as part of the first treatment in the farrowing pen. Before the end of the farrowing period, they were also inoculated for PCV2 and Mycoplasma. The weaned piglets also received acidified and drinking water to keep E. coli under control after weaning. Additionally, the weaning feed and the piglet feed were continuously medicated with doxycycline and ampicillin.
The approach includes the following key points:
• Creating a crawlspace beneath for the weaned piglets or adding an intermediate ceiling to avoid cold trap formation;
• Adding extra troughs for feed and drink immediately after weaning and leaving them in the pens for longer (until all the piglets had a proper intake of feed and water);
• Leave the pens in the groups with the very smallest piglets and the pens with sick animals that have not yet switched over on weaning feed for longer;
• Treat sick piglets individually with painkillers and antibiotics;
• Observe a strict ‘all in, all out’ policy for weaned piglets;
• Consider a different line of sows to reduce the number of live-born piglets and increase the number of teats available.
CCTV images later showed that the piglets were not lying down on the closed floor. Measurements showed that the floor was too warm because it was on permanently to keep the room temperature up. As a result of this, the ventilation flow was reduced to a maximum of 25 m3 per piglet per hour. The floor heating was adjusted downwards. This led to the temperature for the group rising to 28°C; the piglets also lay down more often on the closed floor. The colostrum check result was good. There were fewer losses in the first groups that were weaned after the ventilation and heating were adjusted, although the figure was still too high. Further optimisation of the ventilation and heating should yield additional improvements so that the use of antibiotics can eventually be reduced to a minimum.
This case study demonstrates that a combination of factors such as a large number of new-born piglets with marginal colostrum intake, a high risk of infection and incorrectly adjusted climate control can lead to significant problems that are awkward to resolve.
T. +31 (0)570-63 33 91
info@gdanimalhealth.com www.gdanimalhealth.com
Health of pigs in the Netherlands, third quarter of 2024
Disease/disorder/health characteristic Situation in the Netherlands/Europe
Article 15 diseases (notifiable and controlled)
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) The Netherlands has been disease-free since 2001. No outbreaks in Europe in the third quarter of 2024. Classical swine fever (CSF) The Netherlands has been disease-free since 1997. No outbreaks have been reported in Europe since 2015. African swine fever (ASF) The Netherlands has been disease-free since 1986. Brucellosis The Netherlands has been disease-free since 1973.
Aujeszky’s disease (ADV ) The Netherlands has been disease-free since 2007.
Article 100 diseases (notifiable)
Salmonella Detected twice in pathological examinations. Detected once in submitted manure samples.
Monitoring: Veekijker
PRRS Increase in the number of queries in the third quarter of 2024. Lawsonia Increase in the number of queries in the third quarter of 2024.
Monitoring: pathological examinations
Streptococcus suis Septicaemia and meningitis due to infection by Streptococcus suis are the second and third most common diagnoses respectively.
Respiratory disorders Among finisher pigs, the majority of diagnoses are in the category of respiratory complaints.
Online Monitoring
Presence of health problems In 79 per cent of the reports in the Online Monitor there were no health complaints. Sows Sows are least likely to be diagnosed with health problems, with 91% of visits revealing no health issues.
