The Library

A cross sectional study of prevalence, risk factors, population attributable fractions and pathology for foot and limb lesions in preweaning piglets on commercial farms in England

Tools

Kilbride, A. L. (Amy L.), Gillman, Claire E., Ossent, P. and Green, Laura E.. (2009) A cross sectional study of prevalence, risk factors, population attributable fractions and pathology for foot and limb lesions in preweaning piglets on commercial farms in England. BMC Veterinary Research, Vol.5 (No.31). ISSN 1746-6148

Preview

PDF
WRAP_Green_Piglet.pdf - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Download (1685Kb)

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-5-31

Abstract

Background: In a cross sectional study of 88 indoor and outdoor English pig farms, the prevalence of foot and limb lesions in 2843 preweaning piglets aged 1–4 weeks from 304 litters was recorded. The environmental risks for the prevalence of lesions and population attributable fractions were calculated. The risks for lesions in piglets were compared with those for limb and body lesions in their mothers. A small number of piglets with each type of lesion were examined post mortem to elucidate the pathology of the clinical lesions observed. Results: The prevalence of sole bruising, sole erosion, skin abrasion and swollen joints or claws in 2843 piglets was 49.4% (1404), 15.5% (441), 43.6% (1240) and 4.7% (143) respectively. The prevalence of all foot and limb lesions was higher in indoor housed piglets than in outdoor housed piglets. The prevalence of sole bruising (OR 0.3) and skin abrasion (OR 0.6) decreased with each week of age from 1–4 weeks, but there was no significant association between piglet age and the prevalence of sole erosion or swollen joints and claws. There was an increased prevalence of sole bruising (OR 3.0) and swollen joints or claws (OR 3.0) and a decreased prevalence of skin abrasion (OR 0.3, piglets ≤ 1-week old), in piglets housed on slatted floors, compared with those on solid concrete floors with bedding. There was an increased risk of sole erosion associated with piglets housed on partly slatted floors with no bedding (OR 2.4) and partly slatted floors with small amounts of bedding (OR 2.9) compared with piglets housed on solid concrete floors with bedding in all areas of the pen. Post mortem examination of feet with lesions indicated that internal pathological changes were frequently more severe than the degree of external damage suggested. Conclusion: Piglets housed outdoors had a very low prevalence of foot and limb injuries. Indoors, no one floor type was ideal to minimise all piglet foot and limb injuries and the flooring requirements of sows differed from those of piglets.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions:	Other > Institute of Advanced Study Faculty of Science > Life Sciences (2010- ) > Biological Sciences ( -2010)
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Piglets -- Health aspects, Hoofs -- Wounds and injuries, Swine -- Housing, Veterinary pathology
Journal or Publication Title:	BMC Veterinary Research
Publisher:	BioMed Central Ltd.
ISSN:	1746-6148
Date:	24 August 2009
Volume:	Vol.5
Number:	No.31
Identification Number:	10.1186/1746-6148-5-31
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
Funder:	Great Britain. Dept. for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
References:	1. Furness SJ, Edwards SA, Spechters HH: The effect of floor type in farrowing pens on pig injury. I. leg and teat damage in suckling piglets. British Veterinary Journal 1986, 142:434-440. 2. Mouttotou N, Green LE: Incidence of foot and skin lesions in nursing piglets and their associated with behavioural activities. Veterinary Record 1999, 145:160-165. 3. Mouttotou N, Hatchell FM, Green LE: The prevalence and risk factors associated with forelimb skin abrasions and sole bruising in preweaning piglets. Preventative Veterinary Medicine 1999, 39:231-245. 4. Penny RHC, Edwards MJ, Mully R: Clinical observations of necrosis of the skin in suckling piglets. Australian Veterinary Journal 1971, 47:529-537. 5. Svendsen J, Olsson O, Nilsson C: The occurrence of leg injuries on piglets with the various treatment of the floor surface of the farrowing pen. Nordic Veterinary Medicine 1979, 31:49-61. 6. Smith WJ, Mitchell CD: Observations of injuries to suckled pigs confined on perforated floors with special reference to expanded metal. The Pig Journal 1976, 1:91-104. 7. Zoric M, Sjölund M, Persson M, Nilsson E, Lundeheim N, Wallgren P: Lameness in piglets. Abrasions in nursing piglets and transfer of protection towards infections with Streptococci from sow to offspring. Journal of Veterinary Medicine Series B: Infectious Diseases and Veterinary Public Health 2004, 51(6):278-284. 8. Gardner AI, Hird DW, Sullivan NM, Pierce RJ: Clinical, pathological and microbiological findings of foot abscess in neonatal pigs. Journal of American Veterinary Medicine Association 1990, 25:386-391. 9. Gardner AI, Hird DW: Risk factors for development of foot abscess in neonatal pigs. American Veterinary Medicine Association 1994, 204(7):1062-1067. 10. Rantzer D, Svendsen J: Slatted versus solid floors in the dung area: Comparison of pig production system (moved versus not moved) and effects on hygiene and pig performance, weaning to 4 weeks after weaning. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica – Section A Animal Science 2001, 51:175-183. 11. Christison GI, Lewis NJ, Bayne GR: Effects of farrowing crate floors on health and performance of piglets and sows. The Veterinary Record 1987, 121:37-41. 12. KilBride AL, Gillman CE, Green LE: A cross sectional study of prevalence, risk factors and population attributable fractions for limb and body lesions in lactating sows on commercial farms in England. BMC Veterinary Research 2009, 5:30. 13. Dohoo I, Martin W, Stryhn H: Veterinary Epidemiological Research Publisher AVC, Charlottetown; 2003. 14. Rasbash J, Browne W, Goldstein H, Yang M, Plewis I, Healy M, Woodhouse G, Draper D, Langford I, Lewis T: A users guide to MLwiN, Version 2.1. Education MMPIo: University of London; 2000. 15. Cox DR, Wermuth N: Multivariate dependencies; models, analysis and interpretation Publisher Chapman and Hall, London; 1996. 16. Bateson P: Do Animals feel pain? New Scientist 1992, 134(1818):30-33. 17. Phillips PA, Fraser D, Pawluczuk B: Effects of cushioned flooring on piglet leg injuries. Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers 1995, 38(1):213-216.
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/2175