Three-step approach for spotting sick sows .

A three-step approach for spotting sick sows. A three-pronged approach to observing sows can help identify illness, lower mortality and increase productivity. When more attention is given to pigs,taking a closer look during farrowing, gestation and lameness can reveal potential problems before they become serious.When staff are trained to look and respond to signs of sickness quickly, producers can improve animal well-being and their bottom line in one move. Farrowing watchfulness. Farm staff should regularly check to see how the gilt or sow adjusts to being in a farrowing crate and whether she is eating and drinking, cleaning the feeder, or is in distress. Most operations have someone in the room during the farrowing process, checking the sow regularly. If too much time passes between pigs being born (more than 20 or 30 minutes), someone should manually check the sow. Post-farrowing care. Make sure all the afterbirth has passed and that the sow is well and eating normally — especially during lactation,also check that sows are comfortable and monitor their body condition, especially at warmer times of the year. At some farms rectal temperature is checked routinely at 24 hours post-farrowing to make sure there is no residual complications and that she’s properly cleaned. Uterine infections will show up on temperatures of 103 degrees or more. If a sow has a high temperature, it will be put off from eating and drinking, which will affect milk production. Eliminate lameness. More than 50% of sow deaths are caused by lameness, but early intervention and aggressive treatment could reduce that figure significantly. In a 2,500-sow operation if you’re not treating 8 to 10 sows on a daily basis, you’re probably not treating enough. Lameness can be caused by housing, diseases, injury, nutrition, environmental issues or genetics. Check for sows that have difficulty standing or rising, and if animals shift their weight or tap their feet, look for swelling, cuts or bleeding. If an animal avoids the group or is walking slowly thats an indicator to check them out more closely.

How to reduce sow culling due to lameness.

How to reduce sow culling due to lameness.Lameness is a growing problem on swine farms with sows being culled from the herd in the most severe cases. The causes of lameness can be reduced and eliminated by following these simple tips. Lameness and hoof quality issues are becoming an increasingly common problem on a greater number of swine farms, leading to more culling of sows. Health problems associated with limb injuries are most common in bedding-free systems where uneven, wet and slippery floors increase the risk of both limb injuries and infections.#sows Lameness reflects pain of an injury . For example, incorrect slat widths in slatted floors can cause inflammation if hooves get stuck between them, resulting in abrasions or injuries. Analysis of hoof and limb condition in the sow herd, and the level of sow culling due to hoof and limb issues, provides us with important feedback on the correct husbandry and management of a herd, which directly impacts production efficiency. #sow How to reduce sow culling due to lameness.

HEALING HORSES WITH A LIFT.

A New device gives healing horses a lift,researchers and engineers in Saskatchewan hope that a robotic lift system will help to improve the odds for horses recovering from limb fractures and other traumatic injuries. The researchers teamed up with Saskatoon's RMD Engineering to design and build the lift. It is designed to help rehabilitate horses suffering from injuries and other musculo-skeletal problems by providing mobility, weight distribution and support. Research team members include engineering experts, an equine biomechanics specialist and a veterinary radiologist. Hundreds of horses are fatally injured and euthanized every year in North America due to racetrack injuries, a large majority of which are fractures. The horses used for pleasure riding can also break a leg. After a horse undergoes surgery to fix a broken leg, it's normally confined to a stall and given pain medication. However, due to a horse's heavy weight and its strong flight response, recovery is often with complications and secondary issues such as supporting-limb laminitis. The famous racehorse, Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner shattered his right hind fetlock while racing in the Preakness Stakes in 2006. Surgeons successfully repaired his leg, but eight months later, Barbaro was euthanized after developing laminitis in his other feet. Veterinarians regularly use slings to help support injured horses, but current designs significantly limit the animals' normal activity and support all of their weight on the thorax and abdomen. This leads to further problems because of compression on the lungs and development of pressure sores. Dr. Julia Montgomery, a large animal internal medicine specialist at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S),said the new lift system allows clinicians to dynamically reduce and redistribute the weight the horse is carrying. This allows the animal to be mobile with its weight partially or fully supported. Montgomery noted that the horse is allowed to move around so there is no issues with muscle wasting, adding that this function will also allow for more controlled rehabilitation of horses.Leg fractures are one of the most common injuries that will benefit from this new technology, but the lift can also be used with equine patients suffering from other musculoskeletal and neurological problems Montgomery and her team have been conducting initial trials with the lift on three healthy horses to see how they tolerate hanging out for extended periods of time in the sling and prototype system. Next, they will use it with horses with limb fractures that would otherwise be euthanized. These trials will help them find out how the lift affects horse behavior and physiological parameters such as muscle enzymes and blood flow. Materials from University of Saskatchewan

MOTION SENSORS DETECTS LAMENESS IN HORSES.

A research carried out in the university of Missouri-Columbia has come up with a motion sensor called a lameness locator that effectively detects lameness faster than the subjective eye-test. The study published in the Equine Veterinary Journal, Keegan and co-author Meghan McCracken, an equine surgery resident at MU, put special adjustable shoes on horses that temporarily induced symptoms of lameness. The horses were then monitored by the Lameness Locator as well as by a number of veterinarians using any lameness testing methods they wished. If no lameness was detected by either the veterinarians or the Lameness Locator, the special shoes were adjusted slightly to increase the symptoms of lameness. This process was repeated until both the Lameness Locator and the participating veterinarians properly identified in which leg of the horse the lameness was occurring. Keegan and McCracken found that the Lameness Locator was able to correctly identify lameness earlier than veterinarians using subjective eye test methods more than 58 percent of the time and more than 67 percent of the time when the lameness occurred in the hind legs of the horse. Keegan attributes this to the sensors' high sensitivity levels. There are two reasons why the Lameness Locator is better than the naked eye, It samples motion at a higher frequency beyond the capability of the human eye and it removes the bias that frequently accompanies human subjective evaluation. The most common ailment to affect a horse is lameness , equine lameness may begin subtly and can range from a simple mild problem affecting a single limb to a more complicated one affecting multiple limbs, veterinarians and horse owners know that early detection is the key to successful outcomes.If veterinarians can detect lameness earlier, before it gets too bad, it makes treatment much easier. Lameness often goes undetected or undiagnosed entirely, which can cause owners to retire horses earlier than needed, simply because they cannot figure out why the horses are unhealthy. The Lameness Locator, which is now in commercial use, places small sensors on the horse's head, right front limb and croup, near the tail. The sensors monitor and record the horse's torso movement while the horse is trotting. The recorded information is then transferred to a computer or mobile device and compared against databases recorded from the movement of healthy horses and other lame horses. The computer is then able to diagnose whether or not the horse is lame. diagnostic kits # sensor # equine health # computer

AGRIBUSINESS: LAMENESS IN BROILERS LINKED TO BACTERIA.

Researchers at the University of Arkansas have identified a species of bacteria that had never before been associated with lameness in broiler chickens, bringing scientists closer to finding a way to prevent infections. Douglas Rhoads, University Professor of biological sciences and director of the Cell and Molecular Biology interdisciplinary ,used genetic tools and chicken raised on wire flooring to identify staphylococcus agnetis linked to causing lameness in broilers.The bacteria had been associated with inflammation of the mammary gland in cattle but not in the legs of broiler chickens. Lameness causes the chickens to suffer and the diseased birds are not fit for human consumption. Rough estimates are that lameness in the Arkansas poultry industry could cost growers about $20 million a year due the loss of birds.Lameness in broiler chickens is a significant animal welfare and financial issue. Bob Wideman, professor of poultry science at the U of A, had shown that growing young broilers on wire flooring is a contributing factor to lameness in broiler chickens. This study, which included Wideman, shows that S. agnetis is also a contributing factor for lameness in those chickens, Rhoads said. Bio security measures such as cleaning, washing with disinfectants and spraying plays a vital role to prevent diseases.Housing,feeding and medication also are factors to consider in the poultry value chain to ensure disease free stock. pic and portions of story courtesy of world poultry.

LIMB LACERATION IN HORSES.

. Handling hemorrhaging is basically,the same in every animal, the key being to stop the bleeding and prevent animal from going into shock.A wound is basically a break in the continuity of the tissues of the body,which could be internal or external. wounds could be deep or superficial and they could also involve vessels, this will be evidenced by spurting of blood in contrast to oozing of blood from break in integument. Wounds no matter the structures involved, are emergency situations and should be given immediate attention. The first step is to stop the bleeding by applying pressure on site,using a clean gauze or cloth ,absorbing the blood and allowing it to clot.When blood soaks the cloth do not remove just continue to add more absorbent cloth and continue adding pressure. Its important not to remove clots when formed,do not disturb the clotting process. Elevation is another means to stop bleeding, ensure the limb level is above the level of the heart, a combination of elevation and applying direct pressure will stop bleeding effectively. Ensure you seek veterinary assistance immediately . Read more here;http://www.thehorse.com/articles/36755/how-to-manage-limb-lacerations-in-horses?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=lameness&utm_campaign=11-25-2015

PROMOTING EQUINE JOINT HEALTH.

Horse owners are aware that the predominant factor limiting a horse's athletic longevity is musculoskeletal injury--particularly joint problems. A common assumption is that these injuries result from wear-and-tear and age. Consequently, owners further assume there's not much to be done about it. But think again: Using sensible strategies you can promote healthy equine joints capable of withstanding athletic demands. Balanced nutrition, sensible exercise, and prompt treatment can help a horse's joints function comfortable past their prime. Exercise management is crucial for the rapidly growing horse and is best coupled with a balanced feed ration. "Articular cartilage manages its nutrition and waste product production via normal use and weight bearing, . "Exercise is good but in excess could lead to -problems."Avoiding excessive exercise strain helps reduce potential injuries in foals that could result in growth plate trauma or subchondral (under the cartilage) bone cyst formation within joints. "Moderate exercise with gradual increases in intensity and duration results in better cartilage health and fewer injuries than that imposed by sudden, high-intensity loading.However, it is equally important not to limit a growing youngster's exercise too much since strain-force application (from loading the limbs) helps bone and soft tissue develop properly. There's evidence that articular cartilage responds in a 'handed' fashion--if a young horse works in one direction more than another, cartilage development can differ between limbs .The objective should be to familiarize the young horse with the longe line or round pen rather than attempting conditioning-training work. Implement early exercise in a thoughtful, deliberate manner that limits excessive repetition, which is challenging not only to joints but to tendon, ligament, and muscle as well. Preventing injury is the primary objective in long-term joint health management in horses of all ages. For the grown horse in training ,good body weight and muscle strength are the most important goals, along with conditioning for the specific exercise demands the horse will be performing. When a joint injury does occur, the owner plays an essential role in rapid detection. Close observation and knowing a horse's structure and personality are helpful. Get veterinary attention at the first notice of abnormal clinical signs; such as swelling, heat, pain, and/or lameness; joint effusion (excess fluid in a joint space) is typically the first abnormal sign seen after joint injury. With time and progression, a steady decline in performance associated with gait changes or a horse's reluctance to perform expected athletic efforts. read more here;http://www.thehorse.com/articles/29798/promoting-lifelong-equine-joint-health?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=older-horse-care&utm_campaign=11-27-2015

COMMON MUSCLE PROBLEMS IN HORSES AND THE EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE.

Muscle pain and soreness affects horse performance. Read more about common causes here;http://www.thehorse.com/articles/29363/muscle-problems-can-cause-poor-equine-performance

HORSES AND LAMINITIS.

Early detection gives better prognosis; watch out for these signs; http://www.thehorse.com/articles/35322/10-early-warning-signs-of-laminitis?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=lameness&utm_campaign=02-18-2015

HOOF ABSCESSES IN HORSES

Hoof abscesses are a common cause of severe lameness in horses. Find out how to manage one in our step-by-step visual guide.