Pig dysentery causes and treatments
Pigs have long been valued by livestock breeders for their high productivity. However, like all pets, they are susceptible to various diseases. Dysentery is considered one of the most unpleasant infectious diseases. This disease can lead to the death of suckling pigs and young animals. Swine dysentery is a threat to all farm animals. Also, a recovered individual remains a carrier of the virus for some time. After treatment, infected pigs are most often allowed to be slaughtered, since they cannot be kept together with healthy brethren.
Dysentery in pigs
Causative agents of the disease
The causative agent of the disease is anaerobic spirochete, which affects the mucous membrane of the pig. This disease is characterized by profuse diarrhea, bloody discharge and necrosis of the gastrointestinal tract. There are several ways dysentery spreads:
- infected pigs or cattle;
- recovered individuals;
- poor quality feed and violations of sanitary standards of maintenance;
- dirty drinking water;
- a large number of pigs in small pens;
- manure from infected individuals.
Most often, the disease enters the farm through the introduction of new individuals. This is why newly arrived pigs must be quarantined for several weeks. During this period, it usually becomes clear whether the pet is sick or not.
Piglets are primarily affected by the disease. The pathogen can be transmitted to young animals through the milk of a sick mother or simply from contact with an infected individual. Piglet dysentery is usually fatal. The reason for this is the immature immunity of young animals, which is why the piglets do not tolerate such diseases well.
Recovered individuals remain carriers of the virus for five months. At this time, you need to isolate such pigs from the general herd and other domestic animals. If timely treatment is not carried out, then the disease can acquire a chronic form, periodically turning into an acute one. The pathogen can also be found in the manure of a sick cloven-hoofed animal, therefore, it is necessary to disinfect the barn after the infected individuals have been deposited.
This disease is dangerous for humans, therefore, after contact with infected pigs, the skin should be thoroughly disinfected. Overalls and gloves are used to work with diseased individuals.
Symptoms of the disease
The incubation period of the disease can last from 3 to 30 days. There are 3 forms of the disease:
- sharp;
- subacute;
- chronic.
The first symptom of swine dysentery is persistent diarrhea in the animal. Pigs quickly lose weight, they have apathy and appetite disappears. In the acute form of the disease, the following signs appear:
- body temperature exceeds 40 ° C;
- the animal stops eating normally;
- the pig cannot get to its feet, moves a little;
- vomiting and loose stools.
Fecal discharge in pigs' dysentery becomes liquid, gray in color, they often contain brown blood and mucus.
Bloody discharge in the early stages of the disease has a spotted color, but by the end of the first week, all stools become black. If the piglet's feces become liquid, the body temperature usually drops. However, the condition of the cloven-hoofed animal continues to deteriorate, and by 4-5 days, pig dysentery leads to the death of the individual. The cause is necrosis of the tissues of the gastrointestinal tract.
In weaning pigs, dysentery usually resolves in the form of catarrhal colitis. In suckling pups, liquid secretions are formed, but there is no blood in the feces. A nursing sow can infect the entire litter through milk, which usually causes piglets to die. Sometimes the infection can be benign. In this case, after the symptoms of the acute form, the disease passes into the subacute stage or into the chronicle.
Chronic form of the disease
For the subacute form of the disease, periodic bowel disorders are characteristic. Loose stools are observed in animals at intervals of several days. In the chronic form, bowel movements are small and contain a lot of mucus. There is practically no blood in the feces. Infected pigs quickly lose weight, their skin turns gray, and eczema may appear on the abdomen and flanks.
In addition to the anaerobic spirochete, various vibrios and balantidia can also be causative agents, but the disease has the same symptoms. The acute form becomes subacute, depending on the following factors:
- the age of the mumps;
- food quality;
- conditions of detention.
Among young animals, death occurs in 90% of cases, but the disease in adults is rarely fatal. Artiodactyls from 3 years old die from dysentery in 30% of cases.
Pathological analysis
At autopsy, the destruction of internal organs is observed under the influence of the disease. First of all, the gastrointestinal tract of the animal suffers:
- the gastric mucosa has a dark red hue, edema and foci of necrosis are observed;
- the mucous membrane of the large intestine also has a dark red color, the organ is collected in folds, inflammatory processes are observed;
- the surface of the blind and colon intestine is covered with a small rash due to the death of the mucous membrane;
- ulcers covered with fibrinous film may be present in the stomach;
- the liver is characterized by a speckled color;
- the heart has a dull color, the muscles are flabby.
Drug treatment
First of all, a restriction is imposed on the farm, where the epidemic of swine dysentery broke out. According to the laws of many countries, sick animals cannot be taken out of the infected farm, nor can they be used for breeding. Sick pigs are removed from healthy pigs immediately. The same is done with individuals who have been in contact with infected animals. Dysentery is treated with the following drugs:
- Osarsol;
- Tilan;
- Trichopolum;
- Nifulin;
- Vetdipasphen.
Osarsol is the most popular drug against dysentery in pigs. It is introduced into animal feed or bred in a special soda solution in proportions of 100 ml of water per 10 g of soda. The dosage of this medication depends on the age of the animals.
Osarsol should be fed to sick animals 2 times a day for 3 days. At the same time, it is forbidden to feed the pigs. Water can be given without restriction. Treatment continues until the cloven-hoofed animals are fully recovered.
If the animal died of dysentery, then its meat should not be eaten, and it is advisable to burn the carcass. Recovered individuals should be sent to slaughter in order to reduce the risk of contamination of the rest. Such pigs can be butchered, but the meat requires special heat treatment. In this case, the internal organs are also burned. The manure of sick individuals must be disposed of, it cannot be used for planting work.
Prevention of dysentery
This disease is easier to prevent than to cure. To avoid an epidemic of dysentery on a farm, you need to follow these rules:
- Observe the sanitary standards of maintenance, clean the pens every 3 days, monitor the humidity and temperature in the stable: this makes it easier to prevent the pathogen.
- Once every three months, as a prophylaxis, give pigs osarsol and tilan (treatment also includes the use of these drugs).
- Once a month, disinfect the pens with a sodium solution and whitewash.
- Select high quality pet food.
- Suckling pigs and young animals should be kept separate from adult pigs.
- New individuals need to be quarantined for 2-3 weeks.