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Bloody Back, Cracked Back, Dippity Pig

Whatever name you've heard used this syndrome is a common problem in show pigs and something we get asked about almost daily.  What is it: Pigs that develop painful bloody sores on the back, hind end weakness, and fever.  It tends to be sudden onset so your pig may be fine at evening chores and have a bloody painful back by the next morning.  The “dipping” that people observe is a reaction the pig has to pain in its back. That reaction is responsible for the “dippity pig” name. On a personal note, I can’t tell you how much that silly name grates my nerves so you’ll only hear us calling it bloody or cracked back.    The following picture is a pig that is affected just before he was treated. His temp was 103.5 and he ate about 1/3 of his feed.  What Causes it:  The first thing I want to say is no one knows for certain the cause. But here are some of the theories.  Some folks want to look at existing swine diseases and apply it to this syndrome.  A couple of the common things that fol
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Ulcers in Show Pigs

 One of the topics that always come up are ulcers in show pigs.  There are some infectious diseases that cause vomiting along with scours and certain mycotoxins can cause vomiting.  With those exceptions when you see a show pig vomiting they almost certainly have a gastric ulcer.  So what are the causes of gastric ulcers?      1. Anything that makes pigs go off feed.         2. Feed that is too small particle size. (Ground too fine)     3. Vitamin E/ Selenium deficiency     4. Copper toxicity     5. Significant parasite load  Helicobacter pylori is often found in the mucus lining of the pig stomach and is believed to be an infectious component of gastric ulcers in pigs. Of the five common causes we listed by far the most common one is anything that makes a pig go off feed.  In studies that were meant to measure the effect of out of feed events in finishing pigs they found that about 80% of otherwise healthy pigs that were out of feed for 24 hours developed ulcers. When they extended th
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What You Need in Your Show Pig Medicine Cabinet

One of the frequent things I get asked is what medications show pig families should have on hand. Administering medications to food animals is serious business and proper care should be taken to use the right product at the right time the right way. Make sure that people that are doing so are properly trained and keep appropriate records. The goal here is not to replace the advice you get from your veterinarian. Some of the drugs that we will discuss are prescription and some you will use extra label so your relationship with your local veterinarian is critical. This is meant to provide some baseline information on a few common medications and how they are used.  Before we get to the medications let’s talk equipment. Having the right gear is mission critical and will save you time, money, and frustration.   Syringes: I really like the nylon syringes Ardes is one common brand for giving individual animal treatments. The fit in your hand and are lots easier than try
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