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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: ramireza@iastate.edu

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

54Extensive production

55Intensive production

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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