Content
Piglets falling on their feet is one of the most common problems among all pig farmers. This pathology can affect both small piglets that have just been born and adult pigs. Treatment of foot diseases can be lengthy and labor-intensive.
Why do pigs and piglets lose their legs: a list of reasons
Many pig breeders sometimes encounter the problem that a piglet's hind legs fail. This can happen for a number of reasons, from simple mistakes in keeping animals to serious diseases. Before you begin to solve the problem, it is necessary to find out the factor that caused such a situation and only then select adequate treatment.
Infectious diseases
There are a number of diseases, one of the symptoms of which may be falling on your feet. The most popular of them:
- Teschen's disease (enzootic encephalomyelitis), which most often affects young piglets aged 2 to 6 months.Symptoms of the disease are: rhinitis, vomiting, hyperthermia, diarrhea. As a result of the decrease in body temperature, the piglet falls to its feet. First the hind limbs fail, and then the forelimbs;
- Plague, which can affect pigs at any age. This disease is extremely dangerous and can lead to complete paralysis. The pig suddenly stops eating, loses vitality, and its legs give out. You can also observe how the pig wheezes and does not get to its feet;
- Erysipelas, affecting piglets aged 3 months to one year. A bacterial infection also manifests itself in inflammation of the joints, which leads to the pig sitting on its feet;
- Swine flu, the symptoms of which are practically no different from those in humans. Falling on your feet is a consequence of complications that have arisen.
Lack of vitamins and microelements
There are many reasons why piglets get sick and cannot stand on their back and front legs. Among them is a banal lack of microelements and vitamins that the animal does not receive with food. Treatment of this pathology is a complex process, so you need to know what a pig that has fallen on its feet most often needs:
- Iron deficiency (anemia) - can most often be observed in weaned piglets, since the sow's milk does not have enough iron, and all its reserves in the body are used up within 72 hours. The breed most susceptible to this disease is the Vietnamese, since there is practically no this element in the milk of these sows;
- Lack of vitamin D and calcium. As a result, rickets may develop (the treatment of which is long and difficult) or hypocalcic tetany, which negatively affects the condition of the piglet’s limbs.
Stress
Stressful situations can also cause a pig's hind legs to fail. Most often, a similar fate befalls weanlings who are left alone.
Parasites
Worms are an equally common reason why piglets do not stand on their feet. Small piglets suffer especially severely, whose bodies cannot withstand the toxic effects exerted on the body by the waste products of parasites. Metabolic disorders occur, depletion of vitamin and mineral reserves, which is difficult to treat.
Violation of containment conditions
If the piglet is sitting on its butt and cannot get to its feet, then you should pay attention to the conditions of its detention, which can cause such a problem:
- dampness;
- drafts;
- cold floor without bedding;
- frequent temperature changes.
These unfavorable factors can lead to the development of various diseases and general weakness of the body. Most often, owners do not even understand what treatment should be in such cases and what will help the pig get back on its feet. 2
How to treat if a pig or pig does not get to its feet
If a pig is limping on a front or hind leg, treatment should be selected adequately based on the causes of the pathology.
Treatment of infectious diseases
Not all infectious diseases are treatable. Teschen's disease is currently incurable. But the piglets are not destroyed: the meat of an infected pig can be used for making sausages and canning.
Other diseases are most often treated with antibiotics.There are many drugs developed for pigs that not only help overcome the disease, but also improve the general condition of the piglet. The most popular treatment is Bicillin.
Replenishment of vitamin deficiency
If a piglet suffers from a lack of vitamins and microelements, lies more and more often and does not get up on its feet, then to treat the resulting pathology, choose means that can replenish the body’s reserves:
- For anemia, parenteral administration of iron supplements is indicated. The first injection should be administered in the first 96 hours after birth in the muscular part of the thigh or in the ear area. The second injection is given a week later. In this case, it is recommended to parallel feed iron supplements to young animals along with milk. You can also use prestarter feed, which can be given to piglets from the fifth day of life;
- Rickets requires an integrated approach: a single supply of vitamin D and calcium is not enough for treatment. It is important to organize the pig’s “leisure” in such a way that it often spends time in the sun. If this is not possible, then you need to use an ultraviolet lamp;
- Supplements such as fish or bone meal can replenish phosphorus and calcium reserves.
There are a number of drugs that can help heal an injured piglet:
- Tricalcium phosphate. Powder obtained from minerals. It contains more than 30% calcium, and more than 15% phosphorus. When treating a deficiency of these elements, the recommended dose is 60 - 120 grams per head, for prevention - 40 - 60 grams. The drug can also be given throughout the year. The dosage regimen is simple: the supplement is included in the diet for 10 days, followed by a break for the next 14 days.If the piglet falls on its feet, it is not recommended to interrupt the drug.
- Fish fat, which allows you to cope with rickets and anemia. It contains not only essential vitamins, but also polyunsaturated fatty acids. For therapeutic purposes, fish oil is used in 50-70 g per piglet, for preventive purposes - from 5 to 20 ml.
- Vitamins A and D, without which phosphorus and calcium will not be absorbed. They can be added to food, or they can be injected.
Among the treatment preparations containing essential vitamins are:
- Tetravit and Trivit. Piglets are given an injection of 1 ml per week, and the dosage for adults is 5 ml. For treatment, drugs are administered in the same doses, but 3 times a week. For those who do not want to give injections, the best option would be to add drugs to the food. Small piglets can drip 5 drops a day, adults - 15. Therapy lasts until complete recovery. As a preventive measure, the dose is not changed; you just need to take the drug for 10 days and take a six-month break.
- Multivitamin or Introvit. Adults are prescribed 5 ml for the treatment of pathology, and children are prescribed 2 ml once.
- Oligovit. The drug is prescribed once a week, 5 ml for every 100 kg of animal weight (the dosage is indicated for treatment).
There are also stimulants that affect metabolism. Among them are:
- Phos-Bevit;
- Katozal;
- Vitazal.
The drugs are administered in doses of 2 cubes for 10 days - for young pigs and 10 cubes - in adult pigs.
Stress management
In stressful situations, pigs fall on their front and hind legs, and the owners do not know how to help them. Even numerous anti-stress medications do not always come to the rescue and have the desired treatment effect. Therefore, it is best to prevent piglets from developing stress. To do this, young animals must be accustomed to solid feed even before weaning from the pig, and the sow must be periodically removed from the pen, leaving the children for a short period of time.
Control of parasites
Piglets are also treated for parasites with special preparations.
- If a pig has trichuriasis, strongyloidiasis, ascariasis, metastrongylosis, esophagostomiasis and metastrongylosis, the drug Levamisole is used for treatment, which is prescribed in a dosage of 0.75 ml for every 10 kg of live weight of the piglet. It is injected once into the knee fold;
- For pulmonary and gastrointestinal parasites, hyperdmatosis, ocular nematodes, psoriasis, estrosis and scabies, Ivermec is prescribed. It is injected into the neck or inner thigh intramuscularly, at a dose of 300 mcg per 1 kg of weight (1 ml per 33 kg).
Improving conditions of detention
When a piglet does not stand up on its hind legs, this does not mean that it is terminally ill. Sometimes such complications are caused by improper maintenance of the animal. Eliminating negative causes and treating emerging health problems will help correct the situation:
- the floors in the barn must be warm, the bedding must be changed daily so that it fulfills its main function;
- sources of drafts should be kept eliminated;
- if there is dampness in the room, then the barn must be dried and treated with a lime solution to kill fungi that appear on surfaces at high humidity levels;
- Temperature changes should not be allowed; it is best to have a comfortable microclimate in the room.
Prevention measures
To prevent the piglet from becoming dehydrated, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with preventive measures in a timely manner. Since the treatment of this pathology can be difficult and lengthy, it is easier to prevent the problem by following a number of recommendations:
- Pigs should definitely go for walks - even in winter in the absence of severe frosts. In addition to fresh air, the pig gets the opportunity to spend more active time, can find a healthy piece of treat (even in the snow, frozen), soak up the sun, which is one of the best sources of vitamin D;
- Add vitamins to the feed, which almost all pigs often need. It is best to purchase them ready-made to eliminate incompatibility of vitamin complexes and avoid the need to select treatment for their excess;
- The diet of piglets should also contain chalk, eggshells, red brick, and charcoal. All these delicacies are especially necessary for those pigs that do not receive specialized feed, but eat homemade compound feed;
- Regular worming is required. To prevent helminths from causing the piglet to become dehydrated, their appearance must be prevented;
- Vaccination is also a necessary condition for the prevention of leg pathology. All piglets must be vaccinated from birth according to the vaccination schedule.
Conclusion
When piglets fall on their feet, it is a common and often dangerous problem.Therefore, all livestock breeders should know why this happens, how to solve the problem and what will help avoid such a pathology.
