Abstract:

Preweaning morbidity and mortality in the United States swine herd

Roderick C. Tubbs, DVM, MS; H. Scott Hurd, DVM, PhD; David Dargatz, DVM, MS; and George Hill, MS

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In the first comprehensive, national effort to explore the scope and severity of swine disease and mortality, the USDA National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) conducted a National Swine Survey to gather data on preweaning morbidity and mortality in the United States swine herd. States were chosen on the basis of prior involvement in NAHMS programs and on the percentage of the nation's hogs they contained, so that the states selected to participate represented 95% of hogs in the nation. Data collectors and producers were trained to enhance the likelihood that the data was valid. The most common cause of preweaning morbidity was scours, 42% of which occurred during the first 3 days postpartum. The most common causes of mortality were trauma (causing 43.2% of mortality starvation (causing 20% of mortality), "unknown" causes (13.1%) and scours (10.8%). These common morbidity/mortality causes all suggest that management factors are responsible for the majority of preweaning morbidity/ mortality in the United States swine herd.

Keywords: mortality, morbidity, preweaning, management

RIS citationCite as: Tubbs RC, Hurd HS, Dargatz D, et al. Preweaning morbidity and mortality in the United States swine herd. J Swine Health Prod 1993;1(1):21-28.

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