Gut issues in pigs cost producers money, time and lost production. There are many common diseases that cause gut issues including Colibacillosis, Rotavirus, Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea/Transmissible Gastroenteritis, Clostridium, Coccidiosis, Post-weaning Diarrhea, other grow-finish diarrheas, Spirochaetal Colitis, porcine intestinal adenomatosis, enteric salmonella, porcine haemorrhagic enteropathy and swine dysentary. These diseases are further discussed. To diagnose, many factors need to be looked at. These include the affected age, prevalence, what it looks like and if there is a presence of blood. Histopathology provides the best diagnosis but involves sacrificing some animals. Prevention of these diseases are crucial so proper biosecurity protocols should be in place. Vaccinations can also be used to help prevent disease. Antibiotics should only be used when necessary to avoid resistant strains of the disease forming. Nutrition also plays a role in disease prevention. In the future, genetic modification may also help in disease prevention.
Gut Health Issues not a Pretty Picture (full article)
