Farm Animals

Pig Dental Health Teeth Clipping Welfare

Teeth clipping or grinding in neonatal piglets is performed to prevent sow teat damage, but causes pain and stress that must be balanced against the welfare benefit of preventing teat injuries.

Key Facts

Neonatal piglets have eight sharp deciduous teeth (canine teeth or wolf teeth) at birth
Sharp teeth can lacerate sow teats causing pain that reduces milk let-down
Teeth clipping without anaesthesia causes acute pain to the piglet
Teeth grinding is less traumatic than clipping and reduces risk of infection
Good farrowing management reducing litter competition often reduces the need for intervention

Welfare Considerations

Teeth procedures cause acute pain to piglets. Good management reducing competition at the teat frequently eliminates the need for tooth intervention, preventing pain for all involved.

What You Can Do

Implement farrowing management practices reducing teat competition before resorting to teeth intervention
Use teeth grinding rather than clipping where intervention is necessary
Avoid clipping or grinding teeth without evidence of teat damage in specific litters
Support research into farrowing systems that reduce litter competition at suckling