Top 7 Common Diseases in Pigs and the Best Preventive Measures

Symptoms:

• Duration of illness: 2 – 4 days, possibly up to 21 days. Symptoms include excessive salivation, high fever, and the appearance of blisters on the feet. These blisters grow into large patches that eventually rupture. Infected pigs are lethargic and lose their appetite.

Prevention:

• Education: Raise awareness about the symptoms, dangers, and prevention methods. Maintain clean and dry pigpens and regularly disinfect the area.
• Ensure pigs' food and water meet veterinary hygiene standards.
• Follow the Animal Health Law for controlling foot-and-mouth disease.
• Vaccinate pigs starting at 2 weeks old, with a second dose 28 days later, and booster shots every 6 months.

Controlling Foot-and-Mouth Disease:

• Monitor animals: Farmers should observe their livestock regularly. If any unusual signs like fever, loss of appetite, salivation, or blisters appear, isolate the animals immediately.
• Contact local veterinarians and authorities to receive guidance on appropriate actions.
• Vaccinate animals around the outbreak area. Ensure proper biosecurity measures to prevent disease spread.
• Currently, there is no specific treatment. Care involves providing soft, easily digestible food, boosting the animal's nutrition, and ensuring a clean environment. Keep pens dry and sanitized.
• Treat sores by applying disinfectants to the wounds.
• As per regulations, infected animals must be destroyed, and the government will assist with approximately 70% of the livestock value.

Symptoms:

Incubation period: 10 – 16 days. Initial symptoms include difficulty breathing, with coughing appearing after 25 – 35 days or up to 65 days. There are 4 stages of the disease:

• Acute: Pigs may have a mild fever, isolate themselves, eat less, and either stand or lie in a corner of the pen.
• Sub-acute: The pig coughs a lot, breathes rapidly with mouth open, and has mild fever. The illness typically lasts 2 weeks.
• Chronic: The pig experiences dry coughs in the morning or after eating, coughs periodically, breathes fast and struggles to breathe. In some cases, there may be constipation followed by diarrhea.
• Latent: This form is rare and usually occurs in adult or market pigs. The pigs occasionally cough, making it hard to detect, often leading to sudden death.

Prevention:

• Regularly clean and disinfect the pen and feeding areas. Ensure a stable temperature in the pen—warm in winter and cool in summer.
• Always maintain hygiene for food and water, ensuring they are nutritious and clean.
• Avoid over-exerting pigs, and provide them with appropriate rest periods.
• Purchase pigs from trusted, disease-free sources.
• If there is any suspicion of the disease, isolate the pig immediately and monitor its condition closely to apply treatment as needed.

Treatment:

• Protocol 1: Mix Plastilin with food or water at a dosage of 1g per 2-3 kg body weight.
• Protocol 2: Inject Cefadoc at 1 ml per 5-7 kg body weight and Polyvit at 1 ml per 3-5 kg body weight (to boost strength).
• Protocol 3: Inject Tylo Tialin at 1 ml per 5-7 kg body weight and Polyvit at 1 ml per 3-5 kg body weight (to boost strength).
• Protocol 4: Administer Tylosin at 10 mg per kg body weight per day combined with Kanamylin at 20 mg per kg body weight per day. Inject twice a day until recovery.

Swine Pasteurellosis is caused by the bacterium *Pasteurella multocida*, which leads to septicemia, hemorrhaging, and respiratory issues (primarily pneumonia). This disease is highly dangerous for intensive pig farming operations with high stock density. The pathogen is commonly found in the soil, trachea, and lungs of pigs. Under normal conditions, pigs rarely fall ill, but when their immune system weakens, the bacteria activate and cause infection.

Symptoms:

The incubation period is between 1 and 5 days, with the disease manifesting in two forms:

• Acute form: Pigs experience high fever (41 – 42°C), swelling in the throat and jaw area, difficulty breathing, rapid respiratory rate, dry coughing, and excessive nasal discharge, which becomes thicker over time. Red or purple spots appear on the ears, snout, abdomen, and other areas with thin skin. Some pigs may exhibit neurological signs like circling, shivering, frothing at the mouth, and leg spasms. In the early stages, pigs often suffer from constipation, which later turns into diarrhea. Without prompt intervention, death can occur within 12 – 36 hours.
• Chronic form: Pigs also develop a high fever, continued difficulty breathing, persistent coughing, and joint swelling. They lose weight rapidly and become weak. If untreated, they usually die after 1 – 2 months.

While swine pasteurellosis typically occurs sporadically, it can sometimes spread rapidly, causing outbreaks. The disease is more common during the beginning and end of the rainy season and affects pigs between 3 to 4 months old and post-weaning pigs.

Prevention: Use Pasteurella vaccines for pigs. Vaccinate sows before mating and piglets at 40 – 45 days old. Vaccination should be administered at the base of the ear according to the manufacturer's instructions. The vaccine takes 8 – 14 days to become effective and provides immunity for 4 – 5 months, so booster shots should be given every 4 – 5 months. In addition to vaccination, it is essential to improve veterinary hygiene (keeping the pens dry and disinfecting regularly) and ensure good care and nutrition to boost the pigs' resistance to the disease.

Treatment: Early detection and treatment are crucial for effectiveness. Most antibiotics used in veterinary medicine are effective against the pathogen. Common treatments include a combination of Streptomycin at 20 – 40 mg/kg body weight and Penicillin at 20,000 – 40,000 IU/kg body weight or Terramycin at 10 – 20 mg/kg body weight. To enhance treatment outcomes, symptomatic medications such as fever reducers (Analgine), cough suppressants (Eucalyptin), anti-inflammatory drugs (Dexamethasone), and boosters (Caffeine, Vitamin C, B Complex) should be used in combination.

Coccidiosis in pigs is caused by the parasite *Isospora suis* and affects pigs of all ages, but is most commonly found in piglets under 2 weeks old. This disease is prevalent in farms with high stocking density and poor sanitation practices.

Symptoms:
The most common symptom is diarrhea in piglets, which is soft, watery, and contains air bubbles. The feces are yellow, orange-brown, and may contain traces of blood depending on the severity of the disease. This condition persists for 5 to 6 days, and the mortality rate is approximately 20%. The disease worsens when *E. coli* infection occurs concurrently.

Prevention:
In addition to maintaining good pen hygiene, farmers should administer Mega Men digestive enzymes to combat *E. coli* bacteria. This organic supplement does not cause drug resistance and helps reduce the likelihood of coccidiosis outbreaks in pigs.

Treatment:
Affected pigs should be given plenty of fluids. Farmers can supplement water using Vime Electrolyte (1 gram per 2 to 4 liters of water) or administer saline solution (0.9% NaCl) at 2 – 5 ml per kg body weight daily.

Symptoms of African Swine Fever:

• Acute form: The disease progresses rapidly, with pigs losing appetite, becoming lethargic, and developing a high fever. Seizures may occur, followed by death within 1 – 2 days. The mortality rate is extremely high. In the acute stage, pigs exhibit symptoms such as red eyes with discharge, nasal discharge, mouth ulcers with yellowish mucus on the gums and throat, vomiting, irregular breathing, constipation initially followed by diarrhea, and foul-smelling feces that may contain blood. The body shows multiple hemorrhagic spots, and as the disease progresses, pigs may become disoriented or paralyzed.
• Chronic form: Pigs experience diarrhea and severe weight loss, ultimately succumbing to exhaustion. Pigs that survive may still carry the virus. Internal organs show signs of hemorrhaging and congestion, with the lungs, liver, spleen, and kidneys all showing visible damage, including blood clots and bruising.

Prevention and Control:

• Currently, there is no specific cure, but vaccination is key. Pigs should be vaccinated according to the recommended schedule. When introducing new pigs to the farm, they should be quarantined for at least 3 weeks to prevent the spread of the virus.
• Farm sanitation is critical, with regular cleaning and disinfection of pens. In the event of an outbreak, affected pigs must be isolated and dealt with promptly.

Symptoms:

• Acute form: Paratyphoid fever is commonly observed in piglets aged 20 days to 3 months. Affected pigs show symptoms like reduced appetite, less sucking, excessive thirst, wall chewing, a rough coat, and shivering as if suffering from malaria. They may also develop goosebumps, and their ears feel hot initially, but later become cold due to high fever. Their temperature rises significantly. Initially, the feces are hard and coated with black mucus. After 3-6 days, hemorrhagic spots appear on the ears, and the condition spreads across the body. Without timely treatment, pigs will experience coughing, difficulty breathing, weak heartbeats, and eventually death due to exhaustion.
• Chronic form: In chronic cases, pigs suffer from alternating diarrhea and constipation, with loose, foul-smelling, yellowish stools.

Prevention:

• Ensure proper cleanliness in the pigsty, and avoid raising pigs already infected with paratyphoid fever.
• Infected pigs should be isolated and treated, while healthy ones should receive specific antibiotics to prevent infection.
• Regularly disinfect the pens.
• Vaccination is essential; piglets should be vaccinated at 21 days old, with a booster shot a month later.

Treatment:

• Paratyphoid fever shares symptoms with swine fever and is often confused with it. Antibiotic therapy is needed to confirm whether it's swine fever or paratyphoid. Effective antibiotics against the Salmonella bacteria causing paratyphoid fever include: Oxytetracycline (less effective), Flumequin (very good), Colistin (Good), Amoxicillin (Good), Neomycin (poor), Enrofloxacin (good), Ampicillin (good), Florfenicol (good), and Kanamycin (moderate).
• Note: Streptomycin is ineffective against paratyphoid fever.

Symptoms of Swine Pox:

• Pregnant Sows: Common signs include premature birth, loss of appetite, higher risk of miscarriage, fever, and slightly bluish ears.
• Sows during birthing and nursing: Often experience milk loss, high mortality among piglets, and reduced appetite.
• Boars: Usually show lethargy, poor semen quality, and loss of appetite.
• Weaned and Adult Pigs: These pigs tend to have a rough, dull coat and lack of appetite.

Prevention of Swine Pox:

• For Healthy Pigs: Select pigs from reputable sources, maintain a clean and cool environment, and follow a regular vaccination schedule. Pay close attention to their dietary needs at each stage of growth.
• For Infected Pigs: No specific treatment is available, but strengthening immunity through disinfecting the environment and regular antibiotic administration can help.

Swine Pox is a severe disease, and it's essential to monitor your farm carefully and take preventive measures.