Abstract
BackgroundMink are an important animal commodity group in Canada and excessive kit mortality represents a significant loss to production. National biosecurity standards have been developed for Canadian mink farms, but it is unclear how well these standards have been implemented as there are no studies correlating management practices of mink producers with causes of death in mink kits. To that end, we surveyed Ontario mink producers on their biosecurity and management practices and conducted almost 5660 post mortem examinations on found-dead, preweaned kits to characterize mink farm biosecurity practices and causes of death in preweaned kits.ResultsWe found that very few biosecurity and management practices were uniformly used by producers, despite good awareness of appropriate practices. Use of personal protective equipment was implemented by fewer than 50% of respondents, while control of mink shed access, disinfection of feed containers after use, and use of a rodent control program were the only practices implemented by greater than 70% of respondents. Only 18% of producers reported regular use of antimicrobials in feed or water, although 91% stated they used antimicrobials for treatment of bacterial diseases on a regular basis. On post mortem examination, no gross abnormalities were noted in 71% of the kits, 45% were thought to be stillborn or aborted, 27% had some form of abnormal fluid distribution in the body, and 2% had a congenital malformation. A subset of 69 gastrointestinal tract samples was submitted for bacterial culture, of which 45 samples yielded sufficient growth. Most interesting was the identification of Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg in 11% of samples.ConclusionsThe results of this study will provide a benchmark for Canadian mink producers and their veterinarians, defining the areas to which greater attention should be given to ensure more rigorous biosecurity practices are in place. Ultimately, these improvements in practices may contribute to increased mink production and animal well-being.
Highlights
Mink are an important animal commodity group in Canada and excessive kit mortality represents a significant loss to production
Mink are purpose bred for their pelts and are an important animal commodity group in Canada
Part I—preweaned kit mortality surveillance Farm recruitment and sample collection Between April 1 and 30, 2013, all mink producers in Ontario were contacted through the Ontario Fur Breeders Association and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) for enrollment and a total of 21 of 44 producers were enrolled
Summary
Mink are an important animal commodity group in Canada and excessive kit mortality represents a significant loss to production. We surveyed Ontario mink producers on their biosecurity and management practices and conducted almost 5660 post mortem examinations on found-dead, preweaned kits to characterize mink farm biosecurity practices and causes of death in preweaned kits. Historical preweaning mortality rates on mink farms range from 20 to 25% in Canada and Argentina, respectively [2, 3], somewhat higher than that noted for other food animal commodity groups, such as swine at 15%. Two previous studies identified systemic infection as the most common cause of death in unweaned mink kits >4 and 7 days of age, respectively, specific diseases were not further characterized [2, 3]. Other gross pathology findings in these studies included evidence of starvation, hypothermia, dystocia, anasarca, and congenital defects [2]
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