During the third module, the speakers focused on two main issues pre-weaning diseases and diseases of sows.
In his presentation, Justin Brown, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University, emphasized that in the United States, the most common causes of sow deaths (according to 350 farms with more than 685,000 sows) are lameness and injuries — 30%. A large proportion is pelvic organ prolapse — 21%. The causes of about 40% of mortality are unknown. Diseases kill 2% of sows. The speaker also spoke about the sow monitoring system implemented on 40 farms. As a result of comparing the data before and after the implementation of the system, a significant reduction in mortality was observed. Prevention of pre-weaning disease is possible due to a high level of hygiene and compliance with basic biosafety standards, Dr. Brown said. To protect piglets, sows should be vaccinated.
The same opinion was supported by Daniel Sperling, PhD, member of the Czech Society of Veterinarians in Pig Production, who emphasized that passive immunization of piglets is a proven effective tool for controlling neonatal diarrhea on farms. Dr. Sperling shared the results of a study on coccidiosis, which aimed to identify the presence of the parasite on pig farms and evaluate the management steps associated with this disease. A total of 1785 samples from 80 farms (37 of which used toltrazuril) were examined, and in general, 67.5% of farms were positive for C. suis at least once. The speaker stated that toltrazuril is the key to effective control of C. suis.
Dmytro Masyuk, Doctor of Veterinary Sciences, Professor, Director of the Research Center for Biosafety and Environmental Control of Agricultural Resources of the State Agrarian University "Biosafety Center" focused on models of intestinal barrier function formation, spoke about the role of adhesive contacts in barrier function, as well as the leaky gut syndrome. The speaker emphasized that modern strategies for assessing intestinal health are based on a comprehensive determination of indicators of key functions of the integumentary system and shared an alternative to antibiotic therapy.
The training of veterinary medicine specialists of pig farms is carried out within the framework of the project "Ensuring Animal Health in Ukraine", which is implemented by the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders together with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The program of the veterinary school consists of five modules, each of which contains four presentations on related topics. Teaching materials are prepared by leading domestic and foreign experts. Participants who pass the full course of training will receive certificates.
The Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders is a non-profit, voluntary organization founded by Ukrainian pork producers. The main purposes of the association are representation and protection of rights and interests of farms of the association, assistance in development and introduction of new technologies for efficient production of pork, expansion of sales markets, and protection of domestic sales market.
