My question is can anyone give me a definitive answer to what jags/medication they need on a regular basis to ensure health and happiness in them.
There is NO definitive list. The pig site lists 140 of the more common illnesses you pig could get (by no means all have vaccines), and if you inoculated against all that you could do, you would be broke and your pig look like a pin cushion.
Vaccines work by giving the animal (pig, human, elephant!) an inert version of the virus. The animal then is able to develop anti-bodies to defeat this, and has time to do this as the virus is non active. When it then sees the real version it then knows how to defeat it before the virus takes hold.
Vaccines are not 100%, as the animal may have a poor immune response, or a slightly different strain of the virus may not be recognised (hence for humans annual flu jab that varies, from memory this years has three strains in it).
If your pigs don’t have a disease, then they can only get it from
- Pigs brought in – if you run a “closed herd”, then you eliminate this risk, or else have an isolation unit and use it – this reduces the risk.
Feed - Commercial feed will be disease free if reputable, but you should consider animals on farms if buying ingredients to mix, very low risk, but should be in your equation.
Bedding – Straw and hay can carry disease and certainly lice & mites if stored near diseased animals on farm of source
Wellies – of people buying weaners, bringing mud from their farm.
Transport – all the vehicles that deliver the above !
Airbourne – a potential risk, but should be low, unless you live immediately next door to another pig unit.
You ! – Certain diseases are transmissible to pigs, but these are rare, just don;t sneeze on your pigs – carry a tissue !
Given that list If you have a closed herd (don't keep buying in new stock), practice reasonable bio-security (eg don't let people buying your weaners come in muddy wellies from their farm), and don't live immediately next to another pig farm, then it is unlikely that you will get a disease.
Yes, do talk to your vet, but remember many frankly know little about pigs, and those that do tend to be used to commercial herds where vaccination against say EP is common. They also tend to err on the side of caution, as if your pigs get Erysipelas after the vet said don’t bother vaccinating, you would not be best pleased.
So long answer, but we worm regularly adults every 6 months, and weaners on weaning, but otherwise do no regular vaccination.
Topic: Pigs jags ?? (Read 3493 times)
