Three weeks ago I came down with an awful cough and chest
congestion. I “stuck it out” for just
about as long as I could stretch it but finally broke down and went to the
doctor late on a Thursday afternoon. It
turns out there was some fluid building up in my lungs and I was put on an
antibiotic (that I should have been on three days before if I wasn’t so
stubborn.) By Friday night I could
breathe again, the pain of coughing was gone, and I was able to get some decent
sleep. I’m sure this story isn’t much
different from anyone else’s early wintertime woes.
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| Our vet and I share a selfie in the pig barns |
So let’s turn the tide and apply this story to the pigs on
our farm. The big difference in between the farm and the people situation is
that we do not allow that animal to “stick it out” to see if it will get
better. We want to keep that animal
comfortable and healthy and not allow it to develop into a more painful problem
(much like I foolishly did). If an
animal on our farm shows signs of becoming ill we do exactly the same as we
would do for ourselves, but rather than calling a doctor we consult our
veterinarian. Our veterinarian is an
extremely important part of our farm and really is like a part of the
family! He is the one person that we can
call on at any time of the day, on any day of the week, with questions about
the health of our herd. We work with him
so closely that at times I think I talk to him more than I talk to my own
family members!
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| An "Animal Treatment Card" |
Once the health issue with a pig is discussed, our
veterinarian prescribes the proper course of antibiotic to be used. After we administer the medicine to the
animal, that animal is then identified individually with a special
marking. In the sow farm, we also use
“treatment cards”. These are special
cards that are placed with a sow once she has been treated with something that
describes several things for us. We are able to keep track of the animals
treated and make it simple for everyone on the farm to identify them. On the card we record the type of product
used, the amount administered, the route we gave it to her (intramuscular,
subcutaneous, orally, etc.), the date it was given, and the proper withdrawal
date for that particular product according to the date it was given. This card then stays with the animal until
that withdrawal date is met. This way of
recording treatments is and extremely effective way for us to treat and monitor
each animal on an individual basis.
Remember that all animals that are sold to the packer must have
all proper withdrawal dates met.
It is important to remember that pigs get sick just like you
or I might get sick. We as farmers are
committed to being outstanding animal caretakers as well as being responsible
with the tools that we use to raise a healthy pig on our farm.
