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VDPAM 445Swine Topics
Part 1: Introduction
Dr. Alex RamirezVeterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine
Iowa State University
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Introduction
Course overview Swine practice Production systems
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Focus will be: Structure and function of swine practice Necessary skills and approaches to
problem solving Rule out lists Diagnosis and treatment
Course Introduction
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Course Introduction
Schedule 14 Lectures 1 slide set ≠ 1 day’s lecture
Readings Merck Manual: baseline information (boards) WebCT – VDPAM 100S
Couple questions from Quiz on exam Slides
Should be on WebCT
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WebCT – VDPAM 100S
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WebCT – VDPAM 100S
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Course Introduction
Questions E-mail: [email protected]
Office: 2231 Lloyd Vet Med Center Food Supply Veterinary Medicine
Old PAM (Production Animal Medicine) Office is always open
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Attributes of a Swine Practitioner
What should you know? What should you be able to do? How should you behave? Why is swine practice different?
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What should you know?
#1 thing! Know what you know as well as what
you don’t know Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” But ……. always get back to them
with an answer!!!
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Information Sources: Client Focus
External to the client’s operation Experiences at other clients’ operations Reading, meetings, other vets, etc. VET SCHOOL
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Information Sources: Client Focus
Internal to the operation (often overlooked) Records Observations of animals, facilities and
workers Opinions of farm personnel Producers’ goals and objectives
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What should you be able do?
Solve problems, create opportunities and maintain success Successful clients/vets: manage all 3
elements Unsuccessful clients/vets only solve
problems Survival of clients
Growth Improved Efficiency
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What should you be able do?
Process of problem solving Identification - problems,
opportunities Record analysis “Gumshoe” approach
Formulation - strategy, plan Implementation - biggest challenge Monitor - records, observations,
questions Refine
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What should you be able to do?
Be the pigs’ advocate What’s best for the pigs Does NOT exclude consideration of
producer’s economic health Be the producer’s advocate
Avoid conflict of interest Chain of custody “Standard of practice”
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What should you be able to do?
Assess risk Risk = consequence x probability
Risk perception Perceived risk ≠ assessed risk
16Slovic, 1987
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What should you be able to do?
Understand financial terms and indicators “Equity position” P&L statements Net worth reports Cash flow
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Communicate Ask the right questions Seek the right information Listen to the client and farm
personnel Know when to stop talking
Present clearly defined recommendations
Short – usually 1 page max (bullet points) Take time to communicate Communicate with enthusiasm
Your advice is important to the client
What should you be able to do?
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Thought Organization
SOAP S = Subjective O = Objective A = Assessment P = Plan
DAMNIT D = Degenerative A = Auto-immune, Anomaly M = Metabolic N = Neoplasia I = Infectious, Iatrogenic T = Toxicity
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Thought Organization
Five Production Input Model1. Nutrition2. Environment3. Disease4. Genetics5. Management
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Thought Organization Five production input model
1. Disease - diagnosis, treatment, control• Veterinarian’s primary responsibility
2. Nutrition - minimally quality control at farm level
• Feeder adjustment, feed intake monitoring, particle size
3. Genetics - Good luck, confusing area4. Environment - minimally, problem
identification5. Management - records and PEOPLE
(quality control)• Husbandry practices• Finances, production and intervention costs
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Fishbone (Venn) Diagramfor piglet diarrhea
Genetics:Receptors
Nutrition:Agalactia
Disease:Sanitation
Environment:Draft
Management:Transferring
PigletDiarrhea
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Risk Factor Analysis X is associated with Y
WAG or SWAG approach Mathematical approach: Odds ratio
(retrospective) Strength and significance of association From 2 by 2 table: AD/BC = Odds ratio
Philosophy: recognize limitations of WAG’s
Fact: World is becoming more mathematical If you are not, you won’t be involved in
making decisions in any business
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How should you behave?
Necessary behaviors Caring Make them feel important Flexible Understanding Humble Creative: artistic part of swine practice Reliable Knowledgeable Others: clean, polite, dressed appropriately,
early riser?
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Future of Swine Practice
Amount of work is not diminishing May be increasing New diseases: PCVAD, “agent X”,
MRSA, SIV New management practices:
wean-to-finish New objectives:
xenotransplantation Less experienced stockpersons Lack of professionals in other
disciplines
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Production System Overview
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SowUnit
Finisher1
Finisher2
Nursery
M
A
R
K
E
T
Isoweans
FeederPigs
Fat Hogs
Finishers
Fats
MarketHogs
M
A
R
K
E
T
Weaners
Basic Flow
8 – 15 lbs35 – 75 lbs
220 – 290 lbs
220 – 290 lbs
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Three Site
Site 1
Site 3
Site 2
Site 1
Site 3
Site 2
29Market Pigs Fat hogs / Fats
The BIG Picture
FinishersMarket Pigs Finishers Fat hogs / FatsMarket Pigs Finishers Fat hogs / Fats
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Swine Production: Phases
Breeding Herd: Produces weaned pigs Wean-to-estrus: 5 days is normal (4 - 30+) Gestation: 115 days (3M, 3W, 3D) Lactation: Variable average and range, 16 – 21
days Finishing Herd: Produces market pigs
or replacements Nursery: 6-8 weeks Grow-Finish: After nursery until market
usually 16 – 18 weeks Birth to market : 3 + 8 + 18 = 29 weeks = 6½
months
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Breeding/Gestation: Pens
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Breeding/Gestation: Pens
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Breeding/Gestation: Pens
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Breeding/Gestation: Stalls
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Breeding/Gestation: AI
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Farrowing
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Stalls
mswelding.com
bsagri.com
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Farrowing
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Nursery: Small Pens
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Nursery: Large Pens
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Finisher: Small Pens
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Finisher: Large Pens
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Wean-to-Finish Barns
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Performance Measures: Growing Pigs
Parameter Nursery FinisherStart weight 12# 66#Days in phase 54 120 (270#)Daily gain 1.0 1.75Daily feed 1.6 4.9Feed:gain 1.6 2.8Mortality <2.0% <2.0%Culls NA <2.0%Lights NA <4.0%
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Genetics Overview
Females are crossbreds: maximize heterosis
Boars are often purebreds or synthetics Phenotype closely reflects genotype 100% artificial insemination
Straight line pyramids Great grandparents and grandparent
females are pure lines Roto-terminal programs
Females are made by 2 or 3 breed rotation Disease versus genetic implications
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Nutrition Overview
Young pigs (<25-40 #’s) are fed complex diets Porcine plasma protein Dried whey, skim mild Fish meal
Older pigs are fed simple diets Corn, soybean meal, macro minerals, trace
minerals, and vitamins
Ad lib versus controlled intake Meal versus pellet form Highest component cost of production
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Facilities Overview
Extensive: Outdoors Pasture or dirt lots Concrete lots Shelter needed Inexpensive, poor efficiency, high operating
costs Intensive: Indoors (confined)
Pigs kept inside Environment is controlled to a point Expensive, good efficiency, low operating
costs Variable performance: design and stockperson
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Husbandry Overview Stockperson performance is key to
success in any regard: Pig performance, welfare, and food safety Human performance depends on:
Knowledge and skills - training Motivation - rewards and encouragement Job design - often overlooked, stockperson is expected
to compensate for poor working conditions Specific tasks: must be easy and
repeatable KISS approach
Organization of tasks: difficult part on large farms
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Food Safety/Meat Quality
Meat quality: taste, color, pH, water holding capacity PSS/PSE gene Handling procedures: rest before slaughter
Antibiotic residues US – FDA International - MRLs
Bacterial contamination On-farm versus at the slaughter plant Antibiotic resistance
Broken needles and other foreign matter
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Environmental Issues Waste management
Phosphorus build-up in soils Lagoons versus deep storage Ground and surface water contamination
Odor and air emissions From facility During manure application
Neighborhood issues Traffic Work force
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Welfare Issues Stalls for gestating sows currently
#1 Stall size (width and length) versus sow size Pens: number per pen and space per pen
Other issues include: Farrowing crates for lactating sows Castration, tail docking, ear notching Transport Care of disadvantaged pigs
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Evolving Veterinary Roles
More involved in production Consulting versus managing Holistic approach to animal care
Increasing requirements for auditing production practices with regard to welfare and medication usage Auditing versus advising function Will veterinarians specialize into consulting
versus auditing? Societal expectations
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System structure impacts cost of production
Extensive: LOWER capital investment, LOWER fixed costs, LOWER efficiency, HIGHER variable costs
Intensive: HIGHER captial investment, HIGHER fixed costs, HIGHER efficiency, LOWER variable costs
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“How do you get paid?”
Know producer goals Profitability? Market niche?
Taste differentiation Brand name Antibiotic free
Adding value to crop operations?
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A targeted throughput drives most production systems
Generally measured not calculatedA number
Efficiency measures diagnose problems within system
Generally calculated rather than measuredSubject to definition of equation
Percentage, ratio, rate, etc.
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18 pigs/sow/year
82% conception rate
867 pigs produced
18 pigs/sow/year
82% conception rate
286,761 pigs produced
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HEALTH_______________________
genetics
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Practical Implications
If number of pigs produced declines due to poor efficiency (such as low
conception rate), sows are added to herd using additional gestation space
to get back up to pigs produced target until conception rate problem
is corrected.
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Mortality Spiral
Poor health / throughput
Short term fix to throughput
Further deterioration of health
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Practical Implications
So, if throughput from sow farm drops, pigs from another source get added at nursery phase
If throughput from nursery drops, pigs from another source get added to the group at finisher phase
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Commingling
Adding sources is called “commingling”
Commingling requires matched age, matched immune status, identical
PRRSV viruses (if positive), matched genetics….a lot like organ donation!
Otherwise, commingling adds variation
to production
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Commin-gling
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Acknowledgements
I would like to recognize others for their significant contributions to this presentation: Dr. Brad Thacker Dr. Locke Karriker