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Tailbi-ng:      Triggers,    Preven-on,  &  Treatment  

MARK  WHITNEY,  PHD  ASSOCIATE  EXTENSION  PROFESSOR  UNIVERSITY  OF  MINNESOTA  EXTENSION  WHITN007@UMN.EDU  (507)  389-­‐5541  

A world of knowledge brought directly to you

Grow-Finish Educational Series

2011-12

PorkBridge    Program            April  5,  2012  

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© 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

TAILBITING  -­‐  INTRO  

§  Pigs naturally tend to chew –  Normal inquisitive investigation with mouth –  Also attracted to blood –  “Accidental” bleeding due to biting, once started,

becomes infectious §  Damage to pig tails by pen mates contributes to

major losses in pig industry –  Constant low-grade problems –  Explosive outbreaks

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TAILBITING  -­‐  INTRO  §  VICE

–  Aberrant aggressive behavior in pigs (BPEX October 2007)

–  Can take form of tail, ear, flank, stifle, or even vulval or penis biting

–  Tail biting generally viewed as the most widespread and serious of these problems

Types of Vice Weaned Pig Grow-Finish Pig Navel sucking Tail biting Prepuce sucking Ear necrosis Ear sucking Chewing feet Tail biting Flank biting

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SEVERE  TAILBITING  -­‐  EUTHANASIA  

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SEVERE  TAILBITING  –  CARCASS  CONDEMNATION  

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TAILBITING  -­‐  INTRO  §  Relationship between tailbiting in pigs and

disease lesions and condemnations at slaughter (Kritas and Morrison, 2007) – 7000 pigs in each of two studies – Association between the severity of tail biting

and the prevalence of lungs with abscesses and/or pleuritic lesions

– Associations between the severity of tail biting, and the prevalence of external carcass abscesses and carcass trimming

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TAILBITING  -­‐  CAUSES  §  Need to investigate and assess possible

trigger factors – Single rogue animal? Larger problem? – Huge range of environmental, dietary, and

husbandry factors identified as triggers – Tailbiting is a consequence of raising pigs

§ Attend to basic biological needs of pigs to minimize risk of damage

– Professional veterinary advice is essential to unravel the cause of these “unhappy pigs”

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TAILBITING  TRIGGERS  §  Curiousity/Behavior §  Production system type §  Tail docking §  Stress

– Stocking rates – Temperature variation – Nutritional

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CURIOUSITY  §  Tailbiting as a vice activity

– Frustrated foraging activity? §  Environment enrichment

– Teeth changes §  3-4 weeks and 7-8 months of age §  Desire to chew during during teething

– Normal inquisitive investigation with mouth § Can result in “accidental” bleeding

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CURIOUSITY/  BEHAVIOR  

– Attraction to blood (Fraser, 1987) §  Strong but highly variable response

– Gene expression effect (Brunberg, 2011) §  Selection for production may have inadvertantly increased abnormal

behaviours (i.e. tailbiting) §  Genetic line differences

– Gender differences §  Increased prevalence of tailbiting in castrated males vs. females (Kristas and

Morrison, 2007)

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EFFECT  OF  PRODUCTION  SYSTEM  

Source: NADIS Pig Health bulletin, October 2007

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TAIL  DOCKING  §  Greater tail biting when tails left long or

longer – Relative insensivitity of end portion of pig’s tail

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STOCKING  RATES  §  Increased pig density increases

competition for food and water – Can result in forceful biting when feeder/

waterer space is limited § Pen layout

– Mixing pigs – Size variation within pens

– Variable results in studies

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TEMPERATURE  VARIATION  §  Excessive heat or cold

–  Misting pigs in hot weather has shown to reduce tail biting

§  Drafts –  Pigs may huddle and end up getting overcrowded and stressed

§  Other air quality issues: –  Low ventilation rates in cold weather –  High humidity –  Dustiness –  Noxious gases

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NUTRITIONAL  CAUSES  §  Insufficient/poor feed quality

– Out of feed events §  Low salt levels §  Dietary tryptophan for biters? §  Vitamin E deficiency

– High fat diets

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HEALTH  COFACTORS  §  Presence/outbreak of PRRS and PCV §  Greasy pig disease or exudative

epidermititis §  Diseases involving diarrhea

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PREVENTION  OF  TAILBITING  §  Overall: ensure you are meeting the pigs

biological needs and minimizing stress! §  Identify and reduce risks, monitor, and

react quickly §  Address causes/triggers we have already

mentioned – Use chewable objects in pens – Use of straw if system allows

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© 2011 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved.

PREVENTION  OF  TAILBITING  – Tail docking to 1/4 - 1/3 of original length

§ Minimize range of lengths §  Increase in ear biting may occur

– Avoid overstocking – Ensure correct ventilation rates and

environmental temperatures – Proper lighting (keep down to 60 lux and

provide at least 6 hours of darkness)

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PREVENTION  OF  TAILBITING  – Ensure freely available feed and water that is

of proper quality § Quality control § Feed management to avoid “out of feed” events

– Review pen layout and hygiene – Review stocking rates, health control SOPs

and overall health management of the herd

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TREATING  TAIL  BITING  §  Spray-mark suspected biters §  Remove/treat bitten pigs ASAP

– Prevent behavior pattern from extending to other pigs

– Avoid turning into full-blown systemic disease § Dress/spray bitten tail with antiseptic

–  “Antibiting” sprays can be applied – Use of Stockholm Tar or similar products to minimize

further damage to affected areas –  Consult with vet about use of broad spectrum antibiotic

to prevent spread of the infection

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