What should I do if piglets get foot-and-mouth disease?

Foot-and-mouth disease is an acute, febrile, highly contagious disease of even-toed ungulates caused by the foot-and-mouth disease virus. It is characterized by the appearance of blisters, followed by ulcers on the oral mucosa, hooves, udders, and skin. It is a rapidly spreading infectious disease. So what should we do if piglets get foot-and-mouth disease? Let’s take a look below.

1. Symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease

Foot-and-mouth disease is caused by the foot-and-mouth disease virus and usually occurs in winter and spring. The main symptoms are the appearance of white blisters on the pig's mouth, nose, hoof crown and udder, which will then bleed after the blisters ulcerate. Pigs may also show symptoms such as loss of appetite, poor spirits, and fever. The disease is highly contagious and has a very high incidence rate. When piglets become ill, the blister symptoms are not obvious, and the main manifestations are myocarditis and gastroenteritis. If they are not treated in time, the disease will develop quickly and cause a large number of deaths. The younger the piglets, the higher the mortality and morbidity rates. The mortality rate of suckling piglets within one month of age can reach about 60% to 80%.

2. Treatment of foot-and-mouth disease

1. When symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease are discovered, strict disinfection must be carried out immediately, the straw in the pen must be removed, and replaced with short, thick straw or clean, bacteria-free fresh soil.

2. If piglets are found to have foot-and-mouth disease, they can be treated with high-immune blood in the early stage, with a dosage of 2 ml per kilogram of body weight, injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly.

3. Rinse the sick pig's mouth with 0.1% potassium permanganate or vinegar. 1% to 2% iodine tincture and glycerin mixture can be applied to the eroded surface. The hooves can be rinsed with 3% Lysol, and then dried and coated with zinc oxide cod liver oil ointment or ichthyol ointment.

4. Koukexing can also be used for pigs infected with foot-and-mouth disease. According to the information, intramuscular injection is also very effective.

5. Treat sick pigs with the immune enhancer "Foot-and-Mouth Disease". Inject 1 ml for every 5 kg of body weight, once every other day. Use the medicine 3 to 5 times continuously to achieve recovery. The drug can also be injected into pregnant sows, but it must be combined with intramuscular injection of progesterone (according to the indicated amount). You can also use "Koukang Injection" and Dute 2000 for intramuscular injection respectively for treatment. One course of treatment is 3 days, and 2 courses of treatment can cure the disease.

3. Prevention of foot-and-mouth disease

1. In winter and spring, we must strengthen the insulation measures for pig pens, and the playground and pig pens must be disinfected regularly and strictly. The commonly used disinfectant is potassium permanganate mixed with vinegar for spraying, or caustic soda solution can be used for spraying.

2. Isolate and handle the situation immediately when an epidemic is discovered, and strengthen quarantine at other times. If an epidemic occurs in the area, in addition to taking emergency measures for the entire pig herd, it is also necessary to strengthen the nutrition of the pig herd, enhance its disease resistance and prevention capabilities, and improve its overall physical fitness.

3. Strengthen close contact with county and city animal husbandry and quarantine stations and nearby veterinarians, obtain timely feedback on the epidemic situation, and inject vaccines in advance for epidemic prevention.

That’s it