shaker pigs

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dejvid Sabolek on December 3, 2009 at 5:37am

hello Doug,

The condition you are describing is called congenital tremor an is not as uncommon as you think. here is some information I have found that will possibly clarify things for you on the subject. I have had some experience with this condition on the farms I have worked, but it was never a big problem, it occured sporadically in litters. id did occur in first parity animals more than in older sows though, possibly relate genetic factors and viruses (PCV2, Aujeszki...)

Congenital Tremor (CT) - Shaking Piglets
(361) This is a sporadic disease seen in newborn pigs, evident by tremors and shaking of the muscles, of the head and body. Usually there is more than one pig involved in a litter but the tremor is only seen when piglets are walking around and not when they are asleep. The condition decreases with age but if the tremors are too great for the piglets to find a teat and suckle then mortality maybe high. Mortality in an affected litter or in a herd outbreak could increase above the norm by 3-10%
The causes of the condition are varied and classified into 4 groups based on brain histology.

Group 1 - associated with a classical swine fever.

Group 2 - possibly associated with a recently recognised circovirus and involving both circoviruses types 1 and 2 simultaneously. Most of the problems in the field are found in this group.

Groups 3 and 4 - associated with either hereditary disorders seen in the Landrace or Saddleback breeds or with organophosphorus poisoning.

Group 4 - includes aujeszky's disease and Japanese encephalomyelitis virus.

It would be unusual to find a pig farm that sometime in its history had not experienced one or more litters of trembling piglets. The circovirus or perhaps also other viruses are therefore widespread among most if not all pig populations, yet little disease is seen in most herds, presumably because an immunity is established in the sow herd. In gilt herds however, there can be major outbreaks involving up to 80% of all litters during the first parity. The reasons for this are not fully understood.

Diagnosis

This is based on clinical evidence although histological examinations in the laboratory can help to differentiate the groups.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for affected piglets but careful management will greatly reduce mortality.
Ensure that piglets are given colostrum at birth and assisted to a teat.
Management control and prevention
Attempts to immunise breeding stock should be carried out. The following may assist and the results should be documented for further studies where litters are continually affected.
If there is a history of the disease on the farm expose incoming maiden gilts to faeces from older animals and boars for 4 to 6 weeks prior to mating.
At the time of mating use tissue paper to wipe around the prepuce of the boar and the vulva of the mated sow. Expose the group of maiden gilts to the tissues. Do this 2 to 3 times weekly.
Maintain a continually populated gilt pen when gilts first enter the farm to ensure continual exposure to any viruses. (You would need to make sure however there is no build up of parasites in this pen).
Assess the results of using a vasectomised boar from one your affected litters for a period of 6 weeks prior to full mating.
Move all maiden gilts into the main mating area for a period of 7 days commencing at least 4 weeks before mating is due to start to expose them to any possible infectious agents.

Dejvid

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by doug barten on December 3, 2009 at 6:12am

Thank you so much for your thoughts on this condition!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Deanna Quan on January 26, 2010 at 7:00pm

Hi Doug,
Toxin is right, but it may not be mold.
I used to also think we had the so called "congenital tremors" until we tested livers on some of our pigs for selenium. Come to find out they were getting too much. We found our feed company was using high selenium grain to make the feed then adding more. They never test for selenium. I have lots of other pig, goat and dairy producers finding the same thing. We cut out the corn and soybeans and went to using local wheat, oats, and hydrolyzed feather meal for the protein. The result is no more shaking pigs for two years now. Also all other problems we had with the sows is now gone. The feed was tested for mold at the same time it was tested for selenium. Every mold known was tested for. None was found.
They say we live in a selenium "deficient" area so that would make our local grain too low, but our latest liver test shows the sows at mid range. Corn and soybeans aren't grown in our state. It all comes from somewhere else. Also a little known fact on selenium is that Iowa has areas that are too rich in selenium also making their grain too high.
I for one was tired of the sore feet, downer sows, shaking pigs, etc. Once we lowered the selenium, ALL the problems went away by themselves. By the way, I have an SPF herd to begin with.
The feed company thinks that 1ppm isn't enough to harm anything, but the top expert in the country told them different. What do you think the feed company said? Nothing. They also made no changes. They don't have to because the FDA didn't write a law concerning selenium that is already in the grain. The FDA only controls the addition of selenium. Also the research has always been high doses for short durations. Nothing for a year or more on sows. The top expert in the country is Dr. Mahan at Ohio State University. Call him and ask him about what I have said here.
Selenium toxicity is hard to diagnose because of the 100 or more symptoms, of which each pig may get a different one. Imagine our surprise when we found too much selenium in the feed made by the largest feed companies in the US. They all tested high and continue to test high. Eventually somebody will do something about it and get it stopped. In the meantime, many will continue to have problems and not think to test for selenium. Heck, most Vets can't even interpret the blood levels. "That doesn't look high to me" they will often say. Until they talk to the expert who is so well known in the industry that nobody will refute him.
The most recent selenium toxicity I know of is last week when a herd of Angora Goats in Oregon got selenosis from corn. Cracked Corn in bags. So far I have records from at least 10 herds of animals in 4 different states. All Toxic on selenium. All were on commericially prepared feed, no supplements.
Some days I'm really tired of telling the story. But that poor producer's goats might still be alive if more "experts" would step forward and not be afraid of the feed companies.

Contact me at qbarfarm@viclink.com and I will give you my phone number and we can talk.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by doug barten on January 27, 2010 at 1:15pm

very interesting thank you for your imputs. This is the kind of feedback i was hoping for
dbarten1961@live.com
Doug Barten

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mike Lee on May 3, 2010 at 2:35am

Selenium testing kits to buy or sell: www.agroterra.co.uk/laboratory-materials

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by RICK EDLER on February 24, 2010 at 2:50pm

RAISING SHOW PIGS FOR 18 YEARS AND JUST THE SUMMER 09 FARROWINGS HAD 2 SHAKEN HEAD IN SAME LITTER, ONE MADE IT ONE DID NOT, THEN THIS WINTER 10 ONE PIG IN A LITTER OF 14 AND IT WAS THE 7TH PIG BORN. I WAS TOLD TO GIVE IT ANTIBIOTICS ALSO WITH NO RESULT, I WISH A HAD A DIME FOR EVERY TIME SOMEONE TOLD ME THAT. THE SELINIUM EXPLANATION SOUNDS REASONABLE TO ME, THE SUMMER 09 LITTER WAS A GILT BUT THE WINTER 10 WAS 3RD PARITY SOW.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Deanna Quan on April 5, 2010 at 2:29pm

Hi again,
The feeds are still testing toxically high. The only way we know is the random testing of "complete feeds" by the State. At least our state posts results. Some don't. Some don't test complete feeds at all. California is allowing the feed companies to police themselves. CA must be out of money.
The FDA says that unless there is an epidemic brought to Media attention, they cannot do anything because they cannot get a law written to control the naturally occurring selenium taken up from the soil by grain. That has to do with lead, mercury, and arsenic also. The only state I know of that is even tested whole grain for selenium is Oregon. I have called many of the other states and also looked at their reports.
The reports are from "random" samples. This means they don't test regularly. In most cases they only test for selenium if there is a complaint. If a complete feed tests high, the feed company denies that the levels are harmful.

▶ Reply to This