Farmscape for March 4, 2022

The Manager of the Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network is advising pork producers to consult with their veterinarians when they encounter any cases of sow mortality.
The Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network has released its Swine Disease Surveillance Report for the Fourth Quarter of 2021.
CWSHIN Manager Dr. Jette Christensen notes practitioners participating in the quarterly conference call observed several cases of sudden sow mortality.

Clip-Dr. Jette Christensen-Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network:
Practitioners brought forward one issue that has been surfacing a couple of times in different shapes and forms.
It's sow mortality and torsions.
We had 10 practitioners on the quarterly call and there were five cases.
One practice developed an option for their producers to take pictures when they do post mortem on farm.
This process resulted in a surprise finding and that was cases of liver or stomach torsions where the organs twist around and it can sometimes be quite difficult to detect.
Another practice had seen high sow mortality, also with stomach torsions but also with prolapses.
Their experience was that converting to loose housing initially could result in high sow mortality until the sows were accustomed to these new housing facilities.
Another saw a case of sudden sow mortality in farrowing crates.
They had 10 sows that died, also with intestinal torsions.
They suspected that the cause was feed that fermented too quickly.

Dr. Christensen says these cases of sow mortality and torsions were the result of multiple causes so you really need to contact your vet to conduct a thorough investigation to see what is going on.
She says many complex issues can lead to these torsions and prolapses.
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Bruce Cochrane.

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