JOHN GADD ▶▶▶ Udders (part 2) A


galactia is the ceasing of milk production, while hypogalactia is a noticeable reduction in milk supply. Agalactia is quickly noticeable, but hypogalactia is more insidious as it only slow- ly becomes obvious when the piglets get hungrier and the


weaker ones fall into lassitude.


Get to know your udders! Stockpersons should familiarise themselves with the sow’s udder. A good farrowing attendant is always quietly stroking the cisterns for signs of ex- cessive heat, looking for redness and palpating them (the veterinarian’s term for “feeling” by touching). Talking to the sow during palpation will al- low her to come to enjoy it as a form of stress-relief – as in a massage par- lour! A normal udder is quite soft and the subsurface should give on firm pressure from the palm of the hand used with a slight sideways move- ment. The healthy sow will not object to this pressure or shift her stance.


Why palpate the udder? So why do it? Firstly to pick up any abnormalities such as lumps or knots, which can indicate the presence of infection leading to mastitis. The cis- tern should feel smooth when gentle pressure is applied. If there is a slightly granular feeling underneath, this could be an early sign of masti- tis. Prompt treatment will stop this infection quickly. If any swelling is apparent, then inflammatory drugs should be given.


How to palpate Start palpating the udder as soon as the sow has farrowed. This is done by placing a teat in the palm of the hand, the index finger between the two parts of the udder and the thumb to the outside. Be quite firm but gentle. The normal udder should be quite soft, whereas the diseased gland will show varying degrees of hardness and unevenness


Well-known for his writing on pigs across 38 years, John Gadd has writ- ten over 2,600 articles and papers. His speciality is the cost-effectiveness of pig technology. Prior to be- coming an inde- pendent writer and consultant, he had a long ca- reer in the British pig industry, from being stockman to chief pig advisor.


leading to a knobbly feeling. It is important to select a gland which you know to be normal and apply sufficient gradual pressure until the sow notices it. This same pressure should be applied to all other glands. al- lowing the abnormal ones to be detected. Are one or more glands in- fected? Are they hard and painful? A stockperson can pick up these signs early on by palpating twice a day for three days after farrowing.


The reward It is well worth making the time to check your sows’ udders. Attendants generally do not spend enough time looking after sows in this way. Sev- eral surveys, including mine, suggest that only 2.5 hours per year are spent with the farrowed sow and her litter, when treble this is needed. Sow who were given this extra time got only 1% MMA of all types, had one more piglet weaned per litter, had 20% less udder problems and 15% lower returns to service. Non-infectious causes are likely to result in a poorly developed udder with fluid present. This can be confirmed by applying firm pres- sure with a finger, which will pick up hollows filled with fluid. Get your veterinarian to teach you the feel of this. An overall hardness rather than a knotty feeling could be an engorged udder. This may be noticed in the first few days after farrowing and is caused by overfeeding shortly before it. An engorged udder is painful and the sow will tell you so. Some of the genetically lean pigs of today, especially in parities 1 and 2, can have too much fat in the udder caused by feeding too much ener- gy before farrowing. This gives the udder a feeling sometimes described as “slipping jelly” when palpated. Finally – it is always a good idea to have a pig vet demonstrate these sensations to you.


Table 2 – Lack of milk, a checklist I use on farm (not in priority order).


Non-infectious causes


1. Udder oedema (fluid congestion) 2. Hypoplasia (poorly developed udder) 3. Age


4. Breed 5. Lack of fibre 6. Lack of exercise


7. Water shortage 8. Acute stressors 9. Mycotoxins 10. Overfeeding 11. Overfatness 12. Prolonged farrowing 13. Wet, dirty floors 14. Lack of exercise * Seek veterinary advice


▶PIG PROGRESS | Volume 28, No. 1, 2020 13 Infectious causes


1. Mastitis - all pathogens* 2. Udder infection from cuts 3. Metritis (womb)* 4. Nephritis kidney*


5. Vaginitis (reproductive tract)* 6. Cystitis (bladder)*


What the textbooks don’t tell you about…


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28