While their schooling focused on pigs, veterinarians on the job spend a lot of time working with clients and members of their staff. After all, they must carry out a veterinarian’s health or production plan for the pigs. 

“Our whole training in veterinary school is about the pigs, and we don’t spend a lot of time on the people,” reported Ross Kiehne, DVM, Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, Minnesota. 

Tracheal sampling is a good way to determine if M. hyo is present in a herd, but it’s an invasive procedure that can be difficult to accomplish.

The post Tracheal sampling for M. hyo may hold new benefits appeared first on Pig Health Today.

 Tracheal sampling is a good way to determine if Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo) is present in a herd, but it’s an invasive procedure that can be difficult to accomplish. The procedure, however, may offer a valuable benefit, said Brandi Burton, DVM, swine veterinarian with Suidae Health and Production. The fluid from the tracheal sampling could become an alternative to the lung homogenate that has typically been used for animal inoculation in M. hyo control, she told Pig Health Today. 

Grow-finish farms are the last segment of hog production to enact strict biosecurity protocols. That needs to change, reports Mike Eisenmenger, DVM, Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, Minnesota.

The post Time to invest in market-transport biosecurity appeared first on Pig Health Today.

Taking care of sick animals is no fun for anybody. For that reason, and so many more, biosecurity is a high priority for Clayton Johnson, DVM, with Carthage Veterinary Service headquartered in Carthage, Illinois.

The post Veterinarians serve as biosecurity champions appeared first on Pig Health Today.

The first case of Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (Strep. zoo) was identified in the US pig population last fall, and it’s not an organism to be taken lightly.

The post Researchers ‘look beyond the normal’ to identify emerging disease appeared first on Pig Health Today.

Influenza-A virus of swine (IAV-S) is a thorn in the side of US pork producers, and it’s a difficult thorn to remove. If the virus were more pathogenic, veterinarians and producers would probably talk about it more.

The post New approaches to influenza control look promising appeared first on Pig Health Today.

Bacterial pathogens like Streptococcus suis and Haemophilus parasuis continue to cause major issues for growing and adult pigs. Dr. Brad Leuwerke offers some good solutions.

The post ‘Controlled colonization’ builds immune response to bacterial pathogens appeared first on Pig Health Today.

Sow mortality has been on the rise in the US pork industry, reaching upwards of 15% in many sow-production systems, said Ashley Johnson, DVM, technical services veterinarian with Zoetis.

The post Addressing ‘unknown factors’ in sow mortality appeared first on Pig Health Today.

For the past 18 months Scott Dee, DVM, director of research at Pipestone Veterinary Services, has been investigating whether feed mitigants can protect against the transmission of certain swine viruses.

The post Feed mitigants offer positive production and virus protection results appeared first on Pig Health Today.