Figure 1 from: Galina Pantoja L, Kuhn M, Hoover T, et al. Impact of a Husbandry Education Program on nursery pig mortality, productivity, and treatment cost. J Swine Health Prod. 2013;21(4):188–194

Plain text version of Figure 1 from: Galina Pantoja L, Kuhn M, Hoover T, et al. Impact of a Husbandry Education Program on nursery pig mortality, productivity, and treatment cost. J Swine Health Prod. 2013;21(4):188–194

Figure 1: Coaches called Husbandry Educators (HEs) were assigned to two production systems to determine if caregiver training could positively affect mortality, productivity, and treatment costs in groups of pigs 7 weeks post weaning. Production outcomes were compared between groups of pigs raised by caregivers who provided standard care without coaching, or by caregivers who received coaching by a HE during the first 2 to 3 weeks post weaning. The HEs employed a disease-severity system that focused on encouraging caregivers to provide daily examination of every pig and trained them to differentiate suboptimal pigs. The system classified suboptimal pigs at early (A), moderate (B), or advanced stages of clinical disease (C), or pigs requiring humane euthanasia (E). The classification system trained caregivers to determine which pigs needed an intervention and when to intervene, and allowed prompt treatment of sick pigs. The Husbandry Education program (Zoetis, Madison, New Jersey) encouraged execution of preexisting treatment protocols established by the herd veterinarian.

Normal healthy pig

• Comfortable posture and movement

• Smooth, somewhat shiny hair

• Full or rounded flanks

• Alert eyes

• Moist pink nose; no discharge

• Upright pink ears

• Smooth effortless breathing

• Clean tail area

• No intervention necessary

A. Early signs of clinical disease

•  Often looks normal until examined individually

•  Usually full flesh

•  May be slightly gaunt

•  Slightly depressed expression or posture

•  Drooping ears

•  Dull, red, or weepy eyes

•  Hard breathing or respiratory thumping

•  High success rate (~70%) with therapeutic or management intervention

•  Critical to identify in first 24-36 hours of illness

•  Intervention: Treat, retain in nursery pen

B. Moderate signs of disease

•  Noticeable gauntness, some loss of spinal flesh

•  Thinner than “A,” slab-sided

•  Rough or soiled hair coat common

•  Black exudate around eyes

•  Drooping ears

•  Depressed, reluctant to move or stand

•  Moderate success rate (~50%) with therapeutic or management intervention

•  Intervention: Move to sick pen for treatment

C. Advanced clinical disease

•  Severely gaunt, thin; spine showing

•  Black exudate around eyes

•  Drooping ears

•  Severe depression

•  Low success rate (~25%) with therapeutic or management intervention

•  Intervention: Move to sick pen for treatment

•  Euthanasia candidate

E. Euthanasia

•  Fails to show adequate treatment response

•  Severely injured or non-ambulatory

•  Progressive failure to thrive

•  No likelihood of success with therapeutic or management intervention

•  Intervention: Remove, humane euthanasia