MORBIDITY/MORTALITY AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT OF SWINE IN THE UNITED STATES

A national survey on swine health was conducted by the National Animal Health Monitoring System ( NAHMS ) from December 1989 through January 1991. The survey sample was designed in collaboration with the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS ) in order to provide inferences about the nation's hog population, 95 percent of which was represented. The program consisted of two parts: the first was a general farm management and policy questionnaire that was completed by 1,661 producers. The second part of the program was a monitoring phase that took place over a three-month period for each of 712 participating producers. Per litter estimates for the national population showed an average of 9.9 piglets born alive and 8.4 weaned. Estimates attributed 57 percent of all illnesses in piglets born and weaned to scours; forty-two percent of scours cases occurred in piglets between 1 and 3 days old. Estimates attributed 43 percent of piglet deaths to being crushed (laid on) ; sixty-four percent of such deaths occurred in piglets between 1 and 3 days old. National estimates for preventive or treatment action showed that tail docking and teeth clipping were performed on approximately 87 and 84 percent of piglets, respectively, while approximately 44 percent of piglets received vaccinations of any kind. It was estimated that eighty-nine percent of piglets received iron shots and sixty percent of piglets received antibiotic injections. Nearly fifteen percent of swine farms were estimated to have nitrate levels exceeding human limits established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Contact for this paper: Eric Bush