Swine Management News WHEN HOGS GET SICK Dr. Richard Barczewski Agricultural Agent University of Delaware Just like people, hogs get sick. The illness can take the form of a mild fever or a high one, a respirat ory disease such as pneumonia, a gastric disease such as ulcers, lameness, and any number of other disorders. In many instances, hogs are treated similarly to people a little tender loving care and medi cation is necessary to bring them back to good health. A successful hog business requires keeping your animals healthy. But when fate deals you a different situation, you must be able to recognize when one of your animals is not acting normally, investigate and, if required, treat the animal. The decision to treat an animal with an antibiotic or other medica tion must be based on several criteria. First, the hog producer needs to know what the problem is, cither from previous experience or through consultation with the vet erinarian. In cases in which the symptoms are unfamiliar, it may be necessary for the producer to call the veterinarian to their farm to examine the animal or animals in question. TERRA-TRONICS I Electronic Monitor Measures Working Acres And Ground Speed * Hasy-io-scc digital readout • Easy-to*opcratc touch sensitive keys t • Operates with any field implc ment requiring acre measurement - pulled, mounted, or sclf-propcll cd sprayers, combines, Reg si97 oo At Last! A Reliable, New Stainless Steel AG-CHEM FOAM MARKER Each Foam Marker \'Hl' Contain*: ssufoo • Mixing chamber for each boom, special • Drop hoses for each boom. s7Bo*oo jB • Electric harness for in-cab r I controls (on-off/left-right). L —^ ■ • Hose for boom lengths up to 47’. 'll The Ag-Chem foam marker offers you efficient operation with a 12 volt compressor that draws only 9 amps Independent left and right boom markers can be controlled from the cab for on-the-go operation That lets you operate either boom marker for precise, economical foam placement And best of all the Ag-Chem Foam Marker produces a dense foam within seconds of agitation, and has a dependable output that can be adjusted for volume Use with the new 80-to-l™ high concentrate foam Reg $9 85 24000 CALIBRATION KIT • Tee Jet Calibration Calculator • Tee Jet Calibration Container • Tee Jet Tip Cleaning Brush • Instruction Manual • Agricultural Spray Products Catalog • Tee Jet Nozzle Selection Antibiotics and other medicines are valuable tools available to livestock producers; however, care must be exercised to avoid the improper use. The entire livestock industry is working hard to avoid the presence of drug residues in the products they produce. Take care to adhere to label restrictions of a particular drug. If a drug is not labeled to be used for swine, then don’t use it to treat swine. Always use a drug at the rate prescribed on the label. All drugs have specific with drawal times listed on the labels to avoid residues. It is imperative that producers record when a drug is used and which animal it was used on, so that treated animals will not be sold prior to the withdrawal period. All producers have a legal obli gation to use these medicines prop erly. Since the label is the law, fai lure to abide by drug labels can result in prosecution. It would be nice if everything was as simple as observing prob lems, consulting with the veterina rian, and using a prescribed medi cine, but there are other things pro ducers should look at to ensure the health of their animals. The introduction of new animals into a herd has the potential to introduce disease as well. Actual ly, the introduction of anything, even new people, to a herd can result in a disease outbreak. Handy Half Gallon AG FOAM SPECIAL $8.90 Guide Reg SPECIAL Si# " $53.50 Self-Priming PACER PUMPS Centri Pumps ‘S’ Scrie: Pedestal 11/.I 1 /. ”or Ports Reg SI3SU SPECIAL $llB. • 3 H.P. ‘S’ Series 1" Or 2” P< Reg 52< SPEC! $lB2 Raven Tough Polyethylene Tanks Measure Speed, Area, And Distance Calculate “On The Go” Pressure Changes Large LED Display X4OtUU Sprayer Nozzles And Accessories PAUL ZIMMERMAN, INC. •UNMb Pseudorabies NAZARETH (Northampton Co.) Some of you may be aware that pseudorabies has recently spread to counties outside of the northern Lancaster County area. Because many producers are unsure as to what precautions to take. Dr. Larry Hutchinson, PSU, As an Extension agent, I often visit farms. Sometimes my pre sence is related directly to a prob lem with the livestock. Knowing that I can be a potential transmitter of disease when I go from one farm to another, I try to visit only one swine farm a day, making certain that my clothing is changed and my shoes are disinfected before arriving at another swine farm. It is best to limit visitors, but if you allow other swine fanners and industry representatives on your farm, insist that they have changed clothes and disinfected their shoes before going near your animals, especially near the farrowing house and nursery. The younger stock is most susceptible to disease. Hog producers, like any other livestock producers, need to take extra care to protect the health of their livestock. After all, a lives tock producer’s livelihood is dependent upon the health and well-being of the animals. In my next column. I’ll address how other factors in a hog opera tion can affect herd health and explain how producers should handle situations in which the causative agents in a disease are unknown. • SPRAYER TANKS - j J For New Or Replacement r&jM • STATIONARY ■mm TANKS For f Liquid Fertilizer Storage ki. AGRO METER SPECIAL Itock A Complete We Also Hyjoro' Pumps And Accessories (npbi actuking • awnc service Spreads Outside Lancaster offers the following recommenda tions to help reduce the chances of spreading the disease further. • Any producer within a 5 mile radius of the communities listed below should seriously consider testing their herd and starting a vaccination program. This will Not prevent the herd from getting pseudorabies, but it will likely reduce the initial losses if the herd does become infected. • The herd test is statistical sampling that is, a maximum of 30 animals are tested. The costs of taking the blood sample and the laboratory test must be paid by the producer. • One of the gene deleted vac cines should be used. This will enable the producer to continue marketing animals without subject to quarantine. The producer must obtain the vaccine through a County Berks Berks Bucks Columbia Dauphin/Lebanon/Lancaster Franklin Juniata Montgomery Northampton Northumberland Susquehanna There are also some additional herds south of route 30 in Lancaster County that are now positive. Contact Ken Kephart at (814) 863-3671 or Dr. Larry Hutchinson at (814) 863-2160 for more information. Features: • Self-pruning to 20 feet • Total heads to 120 feet • Capabilities to 200 U S GPM • Built in check valve • Equipped with VA ” or 2” female threaded connections, NPT ALL SIZES AVAILABLE FROM 25 GAL. to 2500 GAL. • #> • - • • i Line Of: • Sprayer Hose • Ball Valves • Nylon Fittings • Poly Tanks HOURS Mon Thurs Fn 7-4 30 Tuet Wed 7 5 30 Sat 1A 00 Uncasttr Farming Saturday, April 6,1991-D5 licensed veterinarian, who will advise the producer on proper use. The veterinarian will also official ly request the use of vaccine from the Bureau of Animal Industry. At present, Dr. Max Van Buskirk is requiring a letter from the local pork producers organization sup porting the use of vaccine outside the Lancaster area. (Such a letter has already been accepted for the Franklin County area, and another is being sent from the State Pork Producers to cover all of Pennsylvania.) • Any producer outside a 5-mile radius of the communities listed below should continue using strict biosecurity measures to prevent his herd from becoming infected with the disease. The counties and communities affected are as follows: Town Fritztown Oley Gardenville Rohrsburg Bellaire Duffield Millers town Harleysville Hellertown McEwensville Dimock B&B . SPRAY PAINTING Spray On 10 Years Experience In: , n Barns, Roofs, Fences, Houses, Exterior, Interior & Repointing, Masonry Restoration, Aerial Ladder Spray Painting — • ———— RD 1. Blrd-In-Hand. PA 17505 ”» (717)354-5561
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