Respiratory disease is a major source of suffering in pigs, with significant welfare implications for both affected individuals and the wider herd.
Respiratory disease in pigs causes suffering that ranges from acute pneumonia with labored breathing and fever to chronic subclinical infection that impairs growth and welfare without obvious clinical signs. The welfare burden of respiratory disease is substantial — affected pigs breathe with difficulty, have reduced appetite, and experience constitutional illness that affects their entire quality of life. Prevention through good housing design, adequate ventilation, appropriate stocking density, and effective vaccination programs reduces both the welfare burden and the economic costs of disease. Antibiotic treatment of established respiratory disease is important but should be paired with investigation and resolution of the underlying risk factors.