Farm Animals

Farmed Pig Acute Disease Recognition and Welfare

Recognising and responding to acute disease in pigs to minimise welfare costs of illness.

Key Facts

Early disease recognition is critical to reducing welfare impact and treatment costs
Clinical signs including fever, respiratory distress, and lameness indicate welfare emergencies
Stockperson training in disease recognition improves early detection
Veterinary clinical assessment scores enable consistent disease severity classification
Treatment within 24 hours of symptom onset significantly reduces welfare impact

Welfare Considerations

Rapid recognition and treatment of acute disease is one of the highest-impact welfare interventions available to pig producers, reducing both suffering duration and treatment costs.

What You Can Do

Support stockperson training in acute disease recognition
Advocate for veterinary herd health planning requirements in welfare assurance
Encourage farms to maintain treatment protocols for common acute diseases