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Practice tip

July and August, 1998

Ear necrosis

Ear necrosis in nursery pigs is caused by one or more of a combination of:

One or more of these conditions, along with high humidity in the room, retard healing of ear suckling lesions because of secondary infection predisposed by the high humidity. Correct this by:

Even though pigs may sneeze (from dust) and utility bills will be higher when the humidity is low, it is worth reducing humidity by increasing airflow. High humidity is a predisposing factor to greasy skin disease and pneumonia. In my opinion, the reduction in humidity is the reason wean-to-finish building pigs generally outperform conventionally housed nursery pigs.

–submitted by Ralph Vinson, DVM
Oneida, Illinois