Though most market-weight hogs show some degree of joint cartilage damage a t time of slaughter, the problem i s of no economic significance for slaughter hog production. Lameness is a failure of the pig to walk normally. Came out this morning and she's weak in her back end. Seemed fine yesterday and even this morning - however, noticed when I got back from work that her back legs keep going out under her. Each boar was clinically scored for 14 different leg traits on a scale from 1 (normal) to 4 (very severe changes) at a weight of approx. Pigs which are lame may stand with the back arched, all four feet tucked under the body and the head down to reduce the weight on … Leg weakness affects growers, finishers, sows and boars with various causes being genetic, rapid growth, lack of exercise and a nutritional imbalance. The easiest way to prevent anemia is to make sure your piglets are injected with 150-200 milligrams of iron dextran within a week of birth. Osteochondrosis is a generalised skeletal disease which leads to leg weakness. Aherne SUMMARY Leg weakness is a broad term used to describe lameness of pigs caused by cartilage or skeletal abnormality or foot lesions. The weakness and sensitivity in the back legs can occur in a matter of hours. Abstract Genetic relationships among leg and performance traits were estimated for 2495 Landrace and 1778 Yorkshire boars kept at the Danish breeding test stations between 1981 and 1983. Mildly affected pigs have disturbed gait with swaying of the hips or the legs may be bowed. She doesn't act injured and hasn't been near other animals except through a common fence. A perfectly normal pig can be incapacitated three hours later. It doesn't seem to be just one - or at least I can't tell which one. One such approach is to proceed from the bottom up and front to back of the pig, ie, the feet are evaluated first, followed by the limbs and torso in a front-to-back progression. The noticeable effects will be difficulty in rising or walking, swaying and misshapen limbs. The feet can be examined most easily when the pig is lying laterally recumbent or lifted (manually for small pigs or using a mechanical chute for sows). Periostitis - Inflammation of the periosteum. Administer iron shots at three to five days of age, doing so in the hind leg or into the neck. Culling on leg score would be expected to reduce the frequency of leg weakness. Affected pigs develop an ascending paralysis of muscles which may progress to a complete hind end paralysis. Also in the performance testing stations, the station manager scored the pigs for overall leg action and symptoms of leg weakness at the end of the test period. Udder fine, in fact I think she's drying up. 90 kg. Depending on the pain threshold of the pig and the severity of the case, the animal ends up anywhere from uncomfortable to screaming with pain. I have a three one-half year old doe, kidded in March. She will walk around and her back legs just go out. This is extremely painful and can arise through trauma or occasionally infection. In other words the pig partially loses the use of its lower back legs, and then its thighs and then the rear end of its body. Causes. Hadn't wormed her for awhile, but did this morning with oral ivermectin. The pigs were fed ad libitum from 25 to 90 kg. Temp 101.4, eating, pooping, urinating ok. Gums fine. My pot belly pig has weak hind legs. 6 month old Yorkshire pig - she is around 175#. Another term is leg weakness. LEG WEAKNESS I N PIGS 1 A REVIEW F.X. This is just in the last two days. The study indicates that leg condition and fatness are adversely genetically related, but that selection on the present national performance index would not be expected to cause a rapid decline in leg condition. If your pigs become anemic later on, you can administer iron shots . The partial loss may progress to a total paralysis. 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