【Expert answer】The shell of the pig's trotter has a transverse crack, and it is lame to walk, what should I do?

Consultation: I am a farmer in Min County, I raise a gilt, recently to prepare to breed pigs, but found that the pig trotter shell appeared horizontal cracks, walking lame, please ask the expert What is this disease prevention and control?

Answer: According to the description, it is judged to be the split hoof disease of breeding pigs.

Breeding pig trotter disease, also known as keratosis imperfecta. It is a hoof disease with cracked hoof horn. It is common in highly selective lean pigs, reserve males to be mated or newly matched, and sows, especially breeding sows, and the incidence rate can reach 15% to 30%, and the incidence of individual farms is as high as 70%.

Cause of onset

The disease is more common in lean breeds and binary sows, such as York, Changbai, Duroc and so on. Pigs with slender limbs are most susceptible to this disease. Fast growth rate, high lean meat rate, thin dorsal fat varieties are more readily available, but the quality of the feed is high, the tolerance to coarseness is poor, and the nutrition does not meet the feeding standards will cause the disease. Pigs of endemic breeds that are crossed with lean pigs rarely develop disease. Gilts and young pregnant sows have thin and tender trotter shells, cannot withstand rapid weight gain, and are prone to cracked hooves. Nutritional factors Overnutrition and undernutrition can affect the health of the breeding herd, because the normal functioning of the immune system of the pig herd is based on good nutrient metabolism.

Clinical symptoms

The main clinical features are hoof fissure, local pain, and lying low movement. Mildly affecting the pig's feeding, serious will lead to the pig's gait instability, muscle trembling, forelimb crawling, hindlimb shaking, lying on the ground, unable to eat normally, screaming during forced eviction and slowing down growth rate and other basic symptoms. Boar herds usually have limbs that are difficult to bear their own weight, resulting in inability to breed and decreased libido, and some pigs are prone to paralysis in the end. In addition to the above symptoms, sows can also lead to serious problems such as prolonged labor, weak childbirth, increased difficult birth rates and postpartum milk.

Treatment

Sick pigs are transferred to dry, warm pens, the ground is covered with soft hay, and the ground is kept dry and hygienic during treatment to prevent contaminated skin.

Lay sacks on the playground of the pigsty, soak the sacks with 3% Lysul solution or other disinfectant, and use the movement of the pigs on them to disinfect the hooves of the pigs.

For hoof shells that have dried and cracked, cod liver oil or erythromycin ointment can be applied 2 to 3 times a day to moisturize the hoof shell and promote healing.

For the hoof shell with abscesses and damage, the hoof fork is rotten and has a foul odor, it can be rinsed with 0.1 potassium permanganate solution, and then the potassium permanganate crystal is ground into a powder and coated on the affected area, and appropriately bandaged, 2 to 3 times a day.

For porcine trotter disease with calcium and phosphorus imbalance, vitin gum calcium injection 10 to 30 ml can be used intramuscularly once a day for 3 to 5 days.

In cases of severe inflammation, in addition to local disinfection, antibiotics should be used for symptomatic treatment according to the condition.

For swine trotter disease caused by parasites, ivermectin 2000 g/1000 kg of feed can be used for 7 to 9 days. Rub the hooves with external sulfur ointment.

Adding 1% of fat and cod liver oil to the daily feed amount of the diseased pigs, combined with the daily feeding of 0.5 kg of carrots to the sick pigs, has a certain auxiliary effect on prevention and cure as soon as possible.

For sick pigs that lie on the ground, do not lie down for a long time, drive away regularly, and force exercise, on the one hand, it can promote local blood circulation, and can prevent secondary muscular rheumatism.

Precautions

1. After the autumn weather turns cool, the pig house and the facilities in the house should be carefully and universally inspected. Cement and square bricks are laid on the ground too rough, and can be smoothed with bricks or machinery, but not too smooth to prevent pigs from slipping. Sharp parts of the trough, railing, and partition wall should also be smoothed. The barn is covered with hay or fine sand to protect the hooves, keep warm and insulate, and prevent muscle rheumatism.

2. From the end of autumn to winter, often check the surface of the hoof shell of the pig, and apply vegetable oil, or petroleum jelly, or cod liver oil, etc. every 3 to 5 days for too dry, so as to protect the hoof shell and prevent dry cracking.

3. In the winter, add vitamins and trace elements to the feed to prevent hoof cracks. (Provincial 12316 animal disease expert Mao Shude)

Edit: Mao Shude