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