Interactive lesson

Pig health, step by step

Interactive lesson: prevention, checking a healthy and a sick pig, when to call the vet at once, African swine fever, parasites and the medicine cupboard.

Free sample Chapters 1 and 2 (8 steps) are free. The full lesson comes with the Natural health care for pigs module. Already bought? Unlock

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The whole lesson as text

1. Prevention before cure

Five things prevent most diseases in a small pig unit.

A dry bed — A pig needs a dry, warm bed without draughts. In summer it needs shade and mud.
Clean ration and water — A ration with premix, no mould and no leftovers with meat. Water is there all the time.
Fence and boots — A fence with no gaps, boots only for the pig house and no strangers. Pigs have no contact with wild boar or feral pigs.
Look at every pig — Every day, look at every pig while it eats. The one that doesn't come to the trough is ill.

Why: The pig is a hardy animal and rarely falls ill when it has a dry bed, clean water and a good ration. Most problems come from the same causes: a wet pig house, mouldy feed, parasites, and disease brought in with a bought pig, on boots or in food.

Herbal and home remedies are support and prevention, not a substitute for the vet.
Every new pig goes into quarantine for 30 days before it joins the herd.

2. A healthy pig and a sick one

The best time for a check is feeding time.

Check at feeding time — A healthy pig eats straight away and clears it. A sick one lies alone, buried in the straw, shivering or hunched.
Take its temperature — Hold a digital thermometer in the rectum for roughly 1–2 minutes. Normal is roughly 38.5–39.5 °C (101–103 °F), and above 40.5 °C (105 °F) is a fever.
Breathing and skin — At rest a pig breathes quietly, roughly 15–25 times a minute. The skin is pink or clean and smooth, with no patches or scabs.
Droppings and gait — Droppings are formed and soft. A healthy pig walks steadily on all four legs.

Why: A healthy pig runs to the trough, pushes and eats. A sick one stays lying down, comes last or only sniffs the food. Temperature, breathing, skin, droppings and gait tell you the rest.

A pig that has been running or lying in the sun has a slightly higher temperature. Measure it at rest.
If one pig has a fever, take the others' temperatures too.