Prevalence of lesions and body condition scores among female swine at slaughter

Abstract

Objective To determine prevalence of foot lesions, dermatitis, shoulder lesions, mammary gland abnormalities, and visceral lesions, and body condition scores among culled female swine at slaughter. Design Observational study. Animals Culled gilts and sows killed during a 1-week period at a Midwest slaughterhouse. Procedure Carcasses were examined, and lesions were recorded. Body condition was scored on the basis of standard criteria. Results 58.9% (1,029/1,747) of the carcasses had foot lesions, 67.3% (1,178/1,751) had dermatitis, and 4.6% (80/1,751) had shoulder lesions. Body condition score was significantly associated with detection of dermatitis and shoulder lesions. Mean ± SE number of teats (n = 1,432 carcasses) was 13.86 ± 0.02. Mean numbers of normal-appearing teats in the left and right mammary chains were 6.57 ± 0.02 and 6.58 ± 0.02, respectively. Feet from 48% (688/1,433) of the carcasses were condemned. Visceral lesions were found in 48.8% (624/1,278) of the carcasses; of the carcasses with lesions, 412 (66%) had liver spots, and 268 (42.9%) had pneumonia. Clinical Implications Lesions that potentially could have adversely affected production were found in a large percentage of culled gilts and sows at slaughter. Knowledge of lesions commonly found at slaughter may help direct changes in herd health programs. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 1999;214:525–528)