[SallyintNorth]

I was just at the vet's picking up some oxytocin in case I need it. 

The vet advised me to give Meg a shot of long-acting penicillin whether or not I have to intervene.  He says the thing with pigs is that if they get any mastitis or metritis at all (and they are very prone to both), the milk goes right off them and you are in big trouble.  So he recommends a single shot after farrowing just to be sure she doesn't succumb to any such infection. 

Since I don't want her to be without her 'friendly' bacteria, I'll make sure I keep up her extras of dairy waste (whey, butter-washing water, etc.)

[Blinkers]

Hmmmm... well I've never done it, nor been advised to unless of course there has to be some sort of human intervention and in which case, I'd give a shot as a precautionary measure; but just to give it for the sake it seems a bit odd.  I do the same with the sheep at lambing; leave well alone unless there is a need to put a hand inside and in which case, the ewe gets a shot of Penstrep.      

Interested to see what other pig keepers do/think especially in this day of "over doing the antibiotics"   

[Barrett]

HI Sally, my first sow died in the summer after giving birth to 7 piglets on the Thurs, she showed early signs of mastitis on the Saturday early evening by the time I got the medication to administer she was dead I think it is better to be prepaired though don't administer unless you have to, have your vet number on speed dial and call straight away should you notice anything untoward going on we all know our sows better than any one.  I would not administer unless necessary.

[Blinkers]

HI Barratt - So sorry to hear about your sow and the outcome, such a sad experience.  Can I ask what where the first signs that you saw please?      Thankfully never been in this position myself with my pigs and so first hand actual experience would be very much appreciated.    Many thanks.

[violet]

Oh Barrett, that is so sad. I would be interested to know more too. My vet is some distance away, but fortunately most of the crofters here have some in stock if I need it.
Having said that I have only administered after intervention to date.

[Fowgill Farm]

Having lost a sow  to blood poisoning caused by mastitis (the most awful death which i hope never to go thro again) i now give all my sows a jab of long lasting antibiotic as soon as they have farrowed regardless of intervention,it also allays any fear of farrowing fever and anything she might pick up thro little nicks and bites on her teats caused by the piglets. As the others say it depends on your set up and your feelings regarding antibiotics but for me better safe than sorry.
HTH
mandy 

[Blinkers]

Which antibiotic do you give Fowgill? 

MAny thanks

[Fowgill Farm]

Just a broad spectrum penicillin from the vet or Noradine which is powdered and is for horses and cannot be given to animals going into the food chain. Transfer to piglets through milk is negligible. None of mybreeders ever go for meat they live to old age 

[Barrett]

Hi All, Her first signs were not eating or drinking if a pig misses a meal that is a sign of concern, she didn't get up just stayed in her arc, I tried hand feeding her bananas as she used to love those no wouldn't have that either, checked her back end to make sure no piglets stuck no all fine then noticed the last 4 teats nearest her back end looked hard not wobbly like the milky ones, anyway she should have had a antibiotic in the morning when I found her after she had given birth my new sow will be getting a small shot just to be on the safe side I think once you have had one die on you you become a bit worried and paranoid it is going to happen again, we always say with animals "Oh I'll see how they are tomorrow" I will not be taking that chance again she must have been in a lot of pain and still fed her babies well.                                                         

[Fowgill Farm]

Agree barrett you do get paranoid once you've lost one through your own mistake, i check my sows undecarriage 3 x day and as already preciously mentioned they get a shot of antibiotic just to err on the side of caution. I also clear away any wet straw as the piglets use one corner to pee in and i found that sows with teat problems like to lay in the dampness and thats how the germs get into their system.
My piglets are scouring like hell at the moment as Twinkle is coming into season they are six wks old today, have put some Tylan in their water just in case.
Mandy 

[Stevie G]

Ahd you guys critise commercial pig farmers. What a joke.
Surely giving oneshot of any drug, that being Long acting or short acting, is never a good idea so certainly don't agree with this. LA should be a 2 shot and SA should be a 3 shot.
On top of that you are giving it to every sow and you guys moan and slate commercial pig farmers!!! Ho ho, ho.
Don't mean to be sarcastic, but you always maintain that what you do is so much better.
We may do it on a large scale, but we also adhere to certain codes(and I talking UK not Aussie).
If you are not careful all you will achieve is a resistance to these antibiotics.
As to getting any mastitis in any sow what you should be asking is why??
Every time a sow farrows it should be on new ground which is why the hut is better with no floor.
Fresh, mould free, dry straw is also best.
And if a sow does end up with Mastistis it is best to ensure she is given  water in a drinker, as if she gets no water she does not have a hope in hell. And OK she will knock it over but hold it infront of her so she gets a good drink and that should be morning and night.
As to piglets with scour. If your piglets suffers periodically with scour problems then vaccination ie Porcol 5 or Gletvac 6  or both is a better option rather than drugs, but if you do have scours Baytril 5 will stop the problem.
Another good option is feed low levels(try using dry sow feed rather than lactating)just before farrowing and gradually build it up. This may also help reduce the problem.

[Rosemary]

I agree that any drug should be administered in complete accordance with the manufacturer's instructions - failure to do so is one of the main causes of resistance. I'd certainly hope the folk on here comply with that - the reference to a "shot" is just be a figure of speech, I'm sure. However, I am sure those folk you've mocked are well able to take care of themselves.

In any area of business, there are good and bad practitioners - and that will apply to pig keepers, whether commercial farmers or smallholders as well. We need to take care not to tar all with the same brush, although my personal feelings are that intensive indoor systems by their very nature cannot have high welfare standards regardless of how assiduous the use of antibiotics is.

However, apart from your sarcasm, thanks for a useful post. Just pass on the sarcasm next time - kind of spoiled it 

[robert waddell]

i am sorry rosemary i will have to side with stevie on this one
if they are wanting to calm there pigs they could feed them hash cakes/tablet or is that sarcasm
i do agree with you on the good verses bad practitioners  i could name and shame a good number on here both smallholders and commercial   however i get the distinct impression from posters that the commercial pig breeders are the lowest of the low  just because they  do not have an open door policy you should not criticise in fact if anything needs to change in the commercial pig industry it should me a more open aspect to there system of production

[Berkshire Boy]

I must admit I also agree with Stevie G and Robert. I thought as smallholders we where against indiscriminate use of drugs especially anti biotics. I only use when I have to, I am undecided wether to vaccinate against ery because I worry it is unnecessary. You can't criticize the big farmers and then do exactly the same thing.

[SallyintNorth]

I completely understand where all of you are coming from in terms of antibiotic use.  I studied veterinary medicine in the 70's and learned all about how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics and pass it to each other.

The vet (and I know that not all vets are as clued up as some others, but I think a lot of this particular vet) recommended a single shot of long-acting antibiotic.  The instructions on the LA preparations state that a 'single injection giving prolonged activity' can be used and that a second injection can be given after 48 hours if necessary.