Diseases are a serious threat for any pig operation, especially when you have many pigs sharing the same environment. But by following proper disease control measures and vaccinations procedures, you can keep your pigs safe and healthy.

Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) is a national program that provides safety standards for swine nutrition, health, and disease control. Following their standards isn’t just a good idea; it’s mandatory for commercial operations, 4-H, and FFA if you expect to market pigs to commercial meat packers.

PQA requires the establishment of a veterinarian-client-patient relationship  (VCPR) for medication decision-making, disease control and animal welfare.

In this case, medications must be prescribed by a veterinarian under Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) rules or injectable medication rules for each specific diagnosis.

One of the most important things a person can do when raising swine is to establish a VCPR prior to acquiring pigs or at least as soon as the project begin. A vet will provide indispensable professional advice and guidance to keep your hogs healthy.

This includes (but is certainly not limited to) vaccination guidance. For example:

PRRS Vaccinations

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome is a highly contagious, life threatening disease that can cause pneumonia in young hogs and lead to death. When purchasing a pig, you should check the PRRS history of the seller’s farm.

There are generally two vaccinations available for this disease:  killed PRRS vaccines and MLV (modified live) PRRS vaccines.

While MLV can be more effective in treating pigs that come from a history of PRRS, it may cause PRRS in non-vaccinated pigs around it. Ultimately, it’s a management decision that’s best determined between you and your veterinarian.

Other Recommended Vaccinations

Vaccinations for mycoplasma and swine influenza are simple, but important vaccinations. Erysipelas vaccinations should be mandatory for show pigs, but they’re not always needed for commercial swine  following good health and segregation practices.

If you can, try to ascertain if the pigs have been vaccinated for circovirus before you purchase them.

Additional Vaccinations

There are a variety of other vaccinations available in certain situations. For example, if you purchase club pigs with symptoms of atrophic rhinitis, they should be vaccinated for it twice, with a two-week gap in between. This vaccination is preferably done prior to weaning.

To determine other vaccinations, you should be talking to your vet regularly, while also keeping a close eye on pig appearance and performance.

Biosecurity is Always the Best Defense

A healthy, well maintained environment is always the best prevention again diseases. If you follow strict protocols, you won’t find yourself needing many other vaccinations.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to pig health. For more information on vaccinations and creating a healthy environment for pig breeding, be sure to check-out Doc Sanders Goes Whole Hog.  It’s available now!