Doc's Blog

When it comes to raising a pig, whether it’s for a show or for profit, the environment you keep them in can be a determining factor in whether or not you succeed.

There are many different systems for pig housing, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Obviously the number of pigs you have, as well as the size of the pig (or pigs) will impact your decision.

Raising and breeding pigs can bring great satisfaction and reward – if you know what you’re doing.

Whether you’re raising pigs for junior fair, for market, or for breeding, there’s a lot to be prepared for. Many variables stand between you and a blue ribbon or profit. Diseases, health care, nutrition and housing, for starters.

Simply put, if you don’t know what you’re doing, a lot can go wrong.

Photo by Angela Bowman

Summer is my favorite season, and it isn’t just because of the warm weather and weekend trips to the beach. For me, summer has always been county fair season. Some of my best memories are from early mornings on the washrack, late nights playing cards in the barn and of course showing off a year’s worth of hard work in the show ring.

From the AABP April 2016 Newsletter:

Click on the link to learn more and view the April 2016 AABP Newsletter

What can YOU do for AAPB?

What is this lesion identified at autopsy section of the nasal cavity from this 10-week-old pig?

Atrophic Rhinitis

Cytomegalovirus rhinitis

Pseudorabies rhinitis 

Wow, what a development! Through new gene editing technology named CRISPR-Cas9, researchers have developed a method to make pigs resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS). This is a huge game-changer!

Like the old saying there is a new sheriff in town, there is a new virus threatening swine operations across the U.S. Only a few herd cases of Seneca Valley Virus (SVV) has been reported but it is causing a major consternation among veterinary diagnosticians and regulatory authorities. You see SVV symptoms are identical to Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) – one of the most feared diseases around the world. The FMD virus was eradicated in the U.S. in the late 1920’s. U.S. authorities have been diligent in keeping it out of the country since then. FMD would be catastrophic to U.S. agriculture. Consequently anything that mimics FMD causes great alarm to our government animal health agencies and state and federal regulatory veterinarians. Space and time prevents form describing the significance of the economic losses if FMD were to enter the U.S.