25 April 2025

Caring for sick animals on farm

Good care helps sick pigs recover faster and suffer less. Louise Clarke explains how to spot illness early, treat pigs properly, and make the right decisions.

Last month I attended a Pig Welfare Information evening in the Kilmore Hotel in Cavan organised by the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine. This was a very well attended event and discussed issues around prompt decisions on sick pigs, hospital pen management, farm security and trespass prevention. This article will cover some of the topics that were discussed on the night.

Early Action Is Key

Early identification and appropriate treatment of sick or injured animals improves the chances of recovery and reduces the risk of suffering and suboptimal welfare for individual pigs. This will require appropriate and timely action on the movement, isolation, treatment, care and if necessary, prompt decisions on euthanasia.

As such, a herd health and welfare programme containing guidelines on the above should be developed in consultation with the unit vet and made available to all farm staff. This document should be reviewed and updated at least once a year.

Your herd health and welfare programme should include

• Treatment of casualty pigs
• Vaccination policy, timing & dosage
• Control of parasites
• Specific disease control programmes e.g. Salmonella
• Quarantine of purchased stock
• Mixing & grouping of pigs
• Lameness monitoring & Footcare
• Prevention & control of vices
• Care of needles & syringes
• Bio-security: restrict access to unit

Making the Right Decision

In order to make prompt decisions on the sick or injured animal we need to consider the condition of the animal.

Is the animal fit for transport?

• Can the pig walk on and off the lorry?
• Is the carcase fit for human consumption?

Treat

• Is the pig likely to respond to treatment?
• Can you monitor the condition of the animal?
• Move to the hospital pen

Euthanize humanely

• Do not move to hospital pen
• Without delay ensure the animal is euthanized

Hospital Pen Management

Specialised hospital accommodation should be designated for each section including sows, weaners and finishers. The purpose of hospital pens is to individually manage compromised pigs by providing these animals with improved housing conditions and a higher quality diet. Feed should be offered little and often to acutely sick pigs with a reduced appetite to avoid feed going stale. Pens should be designed to minimise the spread of infection and optimise recovery rates.

• Small group sizes and generous stocking rates are advised with ideally no more than five to six animals per pen from a maximum age range of three weeks.
• Housing Pens should be free from draughts, warm and well lit to allow for thorough inspection and have a comfortable lying area with bedding (shredded paper, straw or wood shavings) or a mat provided at all times. A solid lying area in hospital pens is recommended for injured sows.
• Feed and water should be readily accessible particularly for younger animals with supplementary trays or drinkers/bowls provided as required.
• Avoid a continuous flow in the hospital accommodation and ensure all pens are thoroughly washed, disinfected and dried when emptied.
• Pens should be kept dry at all times and where bedding is used it should be replenished regularly.

Keeping Good Records

Once a pig enters a hospital pen, it should be identified using a tag with the ID of the animal, date of entry to hospital accommodation and initial assessment recorded immediately. The cause of the illness or injury should be identified and if any doubt exists as to the cause of ill health or the most effective treatment, contact your vet. All treatments should be recorded and any prescribed medication must be recorded in the Veterinary Medicines Register. A thorough recording system must be in place to monitor the progress of animals and avoid the incidence of lingering pigs.

Pigs that are not responding to treatment, animals with untreatable conditions that compromise welfare and pigs that cannot be transported humanely should be euthanized. Animals showing no improvement or that have no prospect for improvement after two days of intensive care should be humanely euthanized without delay. At least two staff members per unit must be qualified to perform humane euthanasia.

A decision tree tool for farmers and farm staff to aid on treatment and euthanasia decisions is available here. 
We suggest that you print off this poster and post it at various locations on your farm as a guide to staff so that they can make the right call on treatment and/or euthanasia of the casualty pig.