Another common reason why pigs may get dry skin is a poor diet. If your pig has a taste for junk food, this can translate to poorer-quality skin. This is easily combated, however, by always making sure your pigs are fed a balanced diet with enough essential vitamins and minerals to encourage healthy skin.
Pigs can also be prone to parasitic skin infections such as mites. These infections can come from a variety of parasites and may look very different from one another. If you see your pig scratching themselves, they may have a parasite, and it is best to consult your veterinarian.
Sarcoptic mange is caused by a mite Sarcoptes scabiei var suis that lives in the skin. It is a host-specific mite that is spread from pig to pig by direct contact or contact with recently contaminated surfaces. It can persist in the environment for up to three weeks in ideal conditions, so bear this in mind if transporting your pig or sharing equipment. These microscopic ectoparasites will cause rough, scaly skin and the pig will be very itchy, which will lead to red, inflamed areas that can bleed.
It usually starts behind the ears, but then spreads across the body. Head shaking can be persistent and may lead to secondary ear damage, such as aural haematomas large blood blisters within the ear flap.
Pigs can also become hypersensitive to the mites usually weeks after the initial infection , causing small red pimples that will cover the entire body. As the disease progresses, chronic lesions will occur with thick encrustations in the ears, behind the elbows and on the hind legs. It is not just skin signs that are seen with mange; because of the irritation, aggression may also be a feature, including tail, ear and vulva biting. Chronically infected boars may fail to work due to discomfort causing infertility.
Leaving open ground unoccupied for one month — particularly in the summer will lead to dying off of skin parasites and treating prior to reoccupation may be sufficient to break the cycle of infection. To prevent re-infection, it is important to isolate incoming stock for a minimum of six weeks.
Isolate and treat any pigs that have had contact with outside animals such as at shows or where boars are shared. If you are in doubt, treat twice during the isolation period. The other possible parasitic cause of itchiness is lice Haematopinus suis. These are visible to the naked eye and are usually seen around the head and neck and between the legs. Eggs laid on the hairs develop into adults over a four-week period but the louse is dependent on the pig and can only survive a few days off the body.
The eggs can survive for a few weeks though in the bedding. Injectable Ivermectin will kill the adults but, as with the mites, since the eggs are unaffected by Ivermectin and may take up to three weeks to hatch, retreatment is nearly always necessary. The lice are a yellow-brown colour and can be seen with the naked eye, most clearly on white pigs.
Taylor, Lice along with mange were the highest-ranking current health concern identified in a survey of UK organic pig farms Day et al. Click here to read about the treatment of lice in pigs.
Mange is a parasitic disease of the skin caused by one of two mites either Sarcoptes scabiei var. Suis or Demodex phylloides. Sarcoptic mange sometimes called Scabies is present in almost all countries in the world where swine are raised, and it is considered the most important ectoparasite of pigs Desrosiers, This burrowing mite is about 0. Sarcoptic mange results in skin lesions and discomfort for the animal, particularly around the eyes, snout, ears and hocks Taylor, Intense itching is an important clinical sign associated with mange infestations.
Mange can impact on production, with reduced growth rates and poor feeding efficiency, with reductions in growth rates of 4. For herds with mange already present, risk factors for the spread of S. There is less opportunity for the spread of mange in pigs living in outdoor ranges, due to reduced direct contact between pigs.
The mite spreads either by close contact with skin or contaminated surfaces. Breeding boars are chronic carriers and help to maintain infection in the herd www.
Opportunities for spread in outdoor systems are likely to be reduced as sows are in less close contact than when in housed systems. In systems which adopt a closed herd policy the risk is further reduced. The common clinical signs of infection are ear shaking and severe rubbing of the skin against the sides of the pen. The pigs may also lose condition. The skin becomes sensitized to the mite protein and a severe allergy may develop weeks after infection with very tiny red pimples covering the whole of the skin causing intense irritation, head shaking, the appearance of bare patches and possibly bleeding, caused by rubbing.
As the infestation progresses the skin becomes thickened, crusted with exudates and secondarily infected due to damage caused by the host scratching Taylor et al. Click here to read about the treatment of mange in pigs. A fungal disease commonly found around the base of the ear and flanks. This is an uncommon condition in pigs but where it does exist it is of little economic significance www.
It is caused by a Dermatophyte fungus causing gradually increasing circular areas of light to dark brown discoloration behind the ears and on the back and flanks. All ages of pig can be affected.
It is also a zoonosis, i. Click here to read about the treatment of ringworm in pigs. The Swine Pox virus is widespread and infects swine through skin abrasions, causing circular red lesions on the flank, abdomen, face and head Taylor, It affects all age groups although it is unusual in piglets however there is evidence to suggest it is a congenital disease Thibault et al.
The virus can survive outside the pig for long periods of time and is resistant to environmental changes. It can also be spread by flies, lice or mange mites and can be consequential of skin damage caused by fighting or injury.
Fresh oat straw has been incriminated because it can inflict superficial skin abrasions.
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