Umbilical Outpouchings in two Danish herds raising pigs with minimal use of antibiotics – Results from a field trial evaluating the efficacy of autogenous vaccines and iodine application

Larsen, Inge; Bækbo, Poul; Nielsen, Jens Peter

doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2023.105905

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The apparent higher occurrence of UO among female pigs has also been found in other studies [ 10 , 11 ]. The reasons for this are unknown.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…The main reason behind fewer pigs showing outpouchings in this study compared to previous Danish studies [ 10 , 11 ] lies in the use of different definitions of umbilical outpouchings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…We cannot, however, tell what caused the differences, a possible explanation is different weaning ages between the herds and as such more or less healed/ inflamed umbilici and concurrent swellings. We know from other studies that UOs might disappear/ appear as the pigs grow [ 6 , 9 , 10 ] thereby affecting the observed prevalence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Larsen et al [ 10 ] examined pigs in two herds not using systematic antibiotics at birth and found an incidence of UOs of 9.5% including every finding of a firm protrusion or a rounded protrusion at the umbilicus. More than half of the UOs found at 5 weeks of age had disappeared when the pigs were 12 weeks old.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Umbilical outpouchings in Danish piglets and weaners: prevalence and clinical characteristics—a cross-sectional study at herd level

Hansen,

Jensen,

Kristensen

et al. 2024

Porc Health Manag

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Umbilical outpouchings (UO) in pigs present a welfare concern because of ulceration risk and complications. Danish legislation requires pigs with larger UOs to be housed in sick pens with soft bedding, and some UO pigs might not be suited for transport. Because of this, many UO pigs are euthanized, adding to the costs of pig production. The true prevalence of UO is unknown as no scientific reports with randomly sampled herds exist. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of UO in Danish piglets and weaners and describe their clinical characteristics: size, texture, reducibility, and occurrence of ulcers. Lastly, risk factors for the occurrence of ulcers on UOs were investigated. Results A cross-sectional study was conducted in 30 Danish conventional herds, with at least 800 weaned pigs and 200 sows. The herds were selected randomly from the Danish Husbandry Register and visited once between September 2020 and May 2021. Piglets were examined during their last week in the farrowing unit, and weaners were examined between weeks three and eight after weaning. The abdominal area was palpated on all pigs, and all irregularities were recorded; the results presented are umbilical outpouchings measuring at least 2 × 2 cm. The within-herd prevalence of piglets with UO averaged 4.2% with a range from 0.8 to 13.6% between herds. The within-herd prevalence of weaners with UO averaged 2.9%, ranging from 1.0 to 5.3% between herds. Approximately 80% of the UOs were classified as small or medium (< 7 cm piglets/ < 11cm weaners). Large outpouchings had significantly higher odds of ulcer occurrence (OR = 9.9, p < 0.001). Conclusion UOs are common in Denmark, with a prevalence of 2.9% in weaners and an estimated annual production of 32 million Danish pigs almost a million pigs are affected yearly. Most of these pigs will have a small or medium UO. If the pigs have large UOs the odds of ulcer occurrence increase significantly. Numerous of these pigs are wasted, challenging sustainability and economy. UOs might also affect the welfare of the pigs. More research is therefore needed, especially in the prevention of UOs.

show abstract

“…The apparent higher occurrence of UO among female pigs has also been found in other studies [ 10 , 11 ]. The reasons for this are unknown.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…The main reason behind fewer pigs showing outpouchings in this study compared to previous Danish studies [ 10 , 11 ] lies in the use of different definitions of umbilical outpouchings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Umbilical outpouchings in Danish piglets and weaners: prevalence and clinical characteristics—a cross-sectional study at herd level

Hansen,

Jensen,

Kristensen

et al. 2024

Porc Health Manag

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Prevention of umbilical outpouchings and mortality in pigs: Meloxicam, tying, cutting, and chlorhexidine versus amoxicillin or no treatment? A clinical field trial

Hansen,

Larsen,

Jensen

et al. 2024

Porc Health Manag

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Umbilical outpouchings (UOs) are common in Danish pigs. Neonatal antibiotics are therefore used with the hope of reducing umbilical infections and subsequently UOs. However, the effect of neonatal antibiotics on preventing UO has been the subject of mixed conclusions, and secondly, treating all animals with antibiotics might exacerbate the development of antimicrobial resistance. This study analysed the effects of different treatments on the prevalence of umbilical outpouchings and mortality from birth to nursery unit. All treatment was on the day of birth. The groups were: a negative control group, an antibiotic group receiving amoxicillin, and an experimental group where the piglets had their umbilical cord disinfected with chlorhexidine, followed by tying and clipping, and lastly, injection with meloxicam. The pigs were examined six weeks after weaning, and all pigs that died during the study were autopsied. Results There were 5494 pigs divided across the three groups. There were no statistically significant differences in UO prevalence between the groups: control 3.9%, antibiotic 4.2%, and experimental 4.0% (p = 0.87). The only variable affecting the prevalence of UOs in this study was sex with females being at higher risk. There were no statistically significant differences in mortality between the groups from birth until departure from the nursery unit: control 22.9%, antibiotic 21%, and experimental 21.4% (p = 0.33). The variables affecting mortality were sex, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), birth weight, and cross fostering. Males had higher odds of dying, as had piglets recorded with some degree of IUGR. Also, low birth weight increased the odds of dying for all weight quartiles compared to the fourth (the heaviest piglets > 1.6 kg), as well as cross fostering increased the odds ratio of dying. Conclusions This study found no significant differences in the prevalence of UOs and mortality following different treatments at birth. The study showed that the prevalence of UO and mortality was not reduced following the administration of amoxicillin or meloxicam in combination with disinfection and tying of the umbilical cord.

show abstract

Umbilical Outpouchings in two Danish herds raising pigs with minimal use of antibiotics – Results from a field trial evaluating the efficacy of autogenous vaccines and iodine application

Cited by 2 publications

References 19 publications

Umbilical outpouchings in Danish piglets and weaners: prevalence and clinical characteristics—a cross-sectional study at herd level

Umbilical outpouchings in Danish piglets and weaners: prevalence and clinical characteristics—a cross-sectional study at herd level

Prevention of umbilical outpouchings and mortality in pigs: Meloxicam, tying, cutting, and chlorhexidine versus amoxicillin or no treatment? A clinical field trial

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About