Causes of sarcoptic mange in pigs
Such a disease as sarcoptic mange of pigs, among the people, has another name - itchy scabies. It is an invasive animal disease that most commonly causes itch mites in pigs. It also causes various types of chronic foci or large areas of skin inflammation. The main symptoms are severe scabies, the appearance of various folds and very dense and very painful crusts.
Sarcoptic mange of pigs
Causes of the disease
Sarcoptic mange of pigs is a disease that appears due to the penetration of a small mite into the body of a pig, which immediately makes its way under the skin and multiplies there. In the body of a pig, the mite feeds on dead cells of the epidermis. When he gains strength, he begins to penetrate into healthy cells of the epidermis and lay larvae there. Ticks cannot live longer than 2 weeks outside the body of a living creature. But 2 weeks is a very long time, and during this time they can infect absolutely all livestock. In addition, mites cannot tolerate high temperatures. If the indicator reaches above 50 ° C, the tick dies after 30 minutes. If the temperature is above 80 ° C, the parasites die instantly.
Possible sources of infection
Sarcoptic mange in pigs appears due to other members of the family. The main source of infection is a sick pig, especially if it is a sow or a boar. A tick can be transferred from a healthy organism to a sick one absolutely through any object. It can be accessories for caring for animals, and clothes of people who come into contact with pigs. Also, the disease is spread by rodents living in the pigsty. According to experts, most often the disease progresses and spreads very quickly in winter, when all animals live in the same and rather cramped room. In summer, the disease occurs when pigs live in improper and unsanitary conditions due to the heat.
In a hot period, there is a high probability that all ticks will die and the disease will go into a dormant (latent) mode. Any photo on the Internet can show what a pig infected with sarcoptic mange looks like. If the animal does not eat well or does not receive the necessary food, especially vitamins, the disease progresses very actively in the body. In addition, a poor immune system can lead to ailments.
Infection occurs in several stages:
- The parasite penetrates the skin of the pig and begins to create tunnels that cannot heal due to the weakness of the body. Most often, the parasite finds the thinnest places for penetration: hair lines and previously damaged areas.
- At the site of penetration, small pustules appear, after a while they begin to burst, as a result of which small, very itchy abscesses form in their place. Sometimes pigs comb them to meat.
- If the owners did not pay attention to the pig in time, the disease is aggravated, then the skin cells are completely destroyed, in addition, the hair follicles and iron are affected. The worst thing is that mites attack the ears of the pig and provoke necrosis.Over time, the pig's ear partially or completely falls off.
- If sarcoptic mange affects most of the skin, then the pig's immune system is very poor at resisting other diseases and infections that can enter the body. If you start the treatment of the animal, the pig will die with one hundred percent probability.
Symptoms of the disease
Sarcoptic mange is most common in adults of the breed. Also, many experts advise paying special attention to piglets up to 5 months old. A couple of weeks after the pig was infected, it begins to itch badly, red spots begin to appear sharply, and the body temperature rises rapidly. To understand whether a mumps is infected or not, one should look at the skin around its eyes. Veterinarians claim that brown spots appear at this place - future pustules.
In addition, a fairly common phenomenon is an increase in body temperature. Animals completely lose their appetite, as a result of which they slowly gain weight or stop developing altogether. All this leads to death.
There are cases when sarcoptic mange affects the health of the pig locally and affects only the ears with necrosis. The pigs, who are not more than six months old, get already a chronic form of the disease: the parasites are on the head or back of the pig.
It is very difficult to make a diagnosis on your own. It is necessary for the veterinarian to take a scraping from the skin and send it for tests, which will definitely be able to confirm or deny the diagnosis.
Treatment of the disease
Swine sarcoptic mange is a disease that, unfortunately, is very difficult to cure. Before you start working with an animal, you need to prepare it. The lesions must be softened, the growths removed. Sick individuals should be constantly sprayed or bathed in a special medicinal composition, the main components of which are:
- chlorophos;
- drug SK-9;
- TAP - 85;
- creolin.
These components help the body fight the disease.
Especially carefully it is necessary to examine and process the ears of animals, since this area suffers most from infection. In addition, veterinarians advise using a drug such as ivermec. It is administered intramuscularly to pigs. There is still a new thing, it should be injected under the skin.
Sick animals can be slaughtered after several weeks or months of antibiotic treatment.
Prophylaxis
The main preventive measures are to keep the pen clean, monitor the health of each pig, vaccinate on time and keep newly purchased pigs under quarantine for 2 weeks.
Sarcoptic mange is a disease that can be combated. The main reason for its appearance is a complete violation of hygiene and sanitary standards. It's easier not to bring animals to such a state than to rake the consequences later. It is extremely important to carry out all the necessary preventive measures in time and monitor the condition of the pigs.