Author Topic: Liver spots (Read 4202 times)

princesspiggy · « **on:** August 28, 2012, 11:11:21 pm »

i had a conversation with a chef today who has previously kept saddlebacks and berkshires. he has suggested that the livers had spots on them so werent acceptable for his restaurant.
i presume he was meaning liver fluke? or maybe something else?

i know he is changing fields for the next batch of pigs. but apart from changing to drier ground, are the flukes not on the land anyway? as opposed to being spread by unwormed pigs?

any advice on this?
does worming prevent it? if so is dectomax etc effective, and how often should you worm to prevent damage to the liver occuring. obviously as this guy is a chef, quality of the meat is paramount.
i did try to research this on-line but some sites said fluke only occurs in ruminants and others said pigs can get it.
thanks

HappyHippy · « **Reply #1 on:** August 29, 2012, 07:59:11 am »

Roundworm can cause liver spots in pigs PP, so it could be that his pigs were never wormed/picked up worms on his ground and that's been the cause $:-\$
Fluke isn't something that's considered common in pigs in the UK but I think it's because the majority of the herd is housed indoors and wouldn't come into contact with fluke. But they can be susceptable to it if they're outside. A fecal egg count can detect the presence of fluke (you will have to ask specifically for it to be checked but SfS can do it along with the worm count) I'm not sure if fluke causes liver spots though

HTH
Karen

Fowgill Farm · « **Reply #2 on:** August 29, 2012, 09:25:20 am »

My last batch of pork came back without the offal and a sheet saying that liver spot was detected, i worm my pigs regularly but i'm concerned now that they're building up a resistance, does anybody know if a change in worming product will do the trick. We do rotate our paddocks and rest them for a good six months between batches of pigs, the paddock the new piglets are going into tommorrow hasn't had pigs on it since start of December and its been rotivated and reseeded, the piglets were jabbed with noramectin on Monday.
Chers Mandy

robert waddell · « **Reply #3 on:** August 29, 2012, 09:39:25 am »

several things here first how much do you trust your slaughterhouse and did you see the liver
before we started using predamex we had problems with liver spot but were using the powder on there feed

fluke is on the increase in pigs it would be more of an occurrence with grass as the fluke needs grass to work its cycle

princesspiggy · « **Reply #4 on:** August 29, 2012, 09:45:58 am »

this chef cuts the carcuss himself.
he is wanting to buy weaners from me so im wanting to help solve the problem for him and make sure mine arent affected in the same way. i worm at 7 weeks with injectable dectomec or panamec.
they will be fattened outside, kept over winter/spring on fresh ground.
thankyou

robert waddell · « **Reply #5 on:** August 29, 2012, 09:49:26 am »

but he is not killing it himself is he

Fowgill Farm · « **Reply #6 on:** August 29, 2012, 10:14:12 am »

I trust my slaughterhouse Robert, we sent two pigs and only one set of offal was missing, it also mentioned pleurisy which i have never come across. The pig that was affected was always smaller than her siblings and she was well wormed once at weaning and then again at about 16weeks as i thought she wasn't gaining wieght like her sister and i had seen a worm in her poo which i removed from the pen.
Pleurisy as i understand it is water in the lungs but she showed no signs of being chesty or illness so not sure what to make of that.
mandy

Beewyched · « **Reply #7 on:** August 29, 2012, 10:18:16 am »

Ah - get what you're saying Robert - is the abbattoir sending the right liver back with the pig

Don't know if it makes any difference, but I treat mine with Ivomectin (jab) in the spring & Flubenol (powder - in a jam sarnie - with shop bought bread & jam & made in the conservatory) in between times, to hopefully prevent any resistance build-up

We've not had problems with fluke, but then most of the ground mine are on is sloping woodland.