Feedback Treatment

Pigs are highly susceptible to infectious diseases, necessitating specialized preventative treatments and heightened biosecurity measures. Last week, I had the opportunity to shadow two swine veterinarians working within pork production systems across Alberta (Figure 1).

During my time on these farms, I engaged with pork producers to discuss the challenges they are currently facing. A key concern was the recent shift in swine breeding stock genetics, which has been linked to an increase in sow mortality rates from 5% to 15%. While the root cause of this mortality trend is still under investigation, producers have been proactively implementing preventative measures to mitigate potential contributing factors, including disease.

One such measure is controlled antigen oral exposure, commonly known as feedback treatment, which I had the chance to observe in practice. During our second farm visit, I assisted a veterinarian with necropsies on neonatal piglets infected with porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). Intestinal samples were collected and used to prepare a feedback solution by blending them with other components. The mixture was then frozen in ice cube trays to be fed to pregnant sows. This process is particularly valuable when no vaccine is available, as it helps sows produce antibodies before farrowing. The primary goal of feedback treatment is to stimulate maternal antibody production in pregnant sows, ensuring these antibodies are passed on to piglets to protect them against scour-causing pathogens (Yamagami et al., 2021).

In addition to observing feedback treatments, I assisted with two sow necropsies to investigate causes of death and participated in herd health evaluations spanning farrow-to-finish operations (Figures 2 and 3). These experiences were especially meaningful for me, as it marked my first veterinary interaction with pigs - they are extremely curious, complex, and intelligent animals.