Swine Medicine

Clinical Reference Values (Adult)

Critical Alerts

• African Swine Fever (ASF): No vaccine, no treatment, nearly 100% mortality in naive herds. Any sudden increase in high-fever mortality must be reported to the State Veterinarian immediately.
• Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED): Devastating to neonatal piglets (<7 days). Nearly 100% mortality in naive litters.
• PRRS: Reproductive failure in sows + respiratory disease in growing pigs. Modified-live vaccines available but strain-dependent efficacy.

Husbandry Principles

• All-In/All-Out (AIAO): Strict management to break disease cycles between groups.
• Pig flow: Understand the production pipeline (breeding, gestation, farrowing, nursery, grow-finish) as disease timing relates directly to production stage.
• Companion pigs: Potbellied and miniature pigs have different metabolic profiles, obesity predisposition, and behavioral needs compared to production breeds.

Key Species Differences

Production swine vs. companion/pet pigs differ substantially in body condition expectations, normal behavior, nutritional requirements, and clinical approach. Miniature breeds (Vietnamese Potbellied, Juliana, Kunekune) are prone to obesity, arthritis, and tusk-related injuries. Do not apply production herd protocols to individual companion animals without modification.

Limitations

• Focuses primarily on herd-level outcomes for production settings; individual pet pig medicine requires clinical judgment beyond production templates.
• Drug withdrawal times are critical for food-producing animals; always verify with FARAD before prescribing.
• ASF status and regulatory requirements vary by country; always check current OIE/WOAH status for the relevant region.
• Swine-specific pharmacokinetic data is limited for many drugs; consult Plumb's or FARAD for current withdrawal information.