Porcine respiratory disease complex (PRDC) is a multifactorial respiratory syndrome affecting intensively housed pigs, causing significant pain, growth retardation, and welfare compromise.
PRDC causes significant suffering through respiratory distress, fever, and the general malaise of systemic illness. Pigs with active PRDC show labored breathing, reduced activity, and clearly diminished quality of life. Chronic cases suffer from ongoing respiratory compromise that limits normal behavior and growth. The syndrome is fundamentally driven by management conditions - overcrowding, inadequate ventilation, poor hygiene, and the stress of intensive production - that compromise immune function and create conditions for pathogen amplification. Addressing these root causes provides genuine welfare improvement rather than just treatment of the resulting disease.