Prevalence of lesions and body condition scores among female swine at slaughter

Objective - To determine prevalence of foot lesions, dermatitis, shoulder lesions, mammary gland abnormalities, and visceral lesions, and body condition scores among culled female swine at slaughter. Design - Observational study. Animals - Culled gilts and sows killed during a 1-week period at a Midwest slaughterhouse. Procedure - Carcasses were examined, and lesions were recorded. Body condition was scored on the basis of standard criteria. Results - 58.9% (1,029/1,747) of the carcasses had foot lesions, 67.3% (1,178/1,751) had dermatitis, and 4.6% (80/1,751) had shoulder lesions. Body condition score was significantly associated with detection of dermatitis and shoulder lesions. Mean ± SE number of teats (n = 1,432 carcasses) was 13.86 ± 0.02. Mean numbers of normal-appearing teats in the left and right mammary chains were 6.57±0.02 and 6.58 ± 0.02, respectively. Feet from 48% (688/1,433) of the carcasses were condemned. Visceral lesions were found in 48.8% (624/1,278) of the carcasses; of the carcasses with lesions, 412 (66%) had liver spots, and 268 (42.9%) had pneumonia. Clinical Implications - Lesions that potentially could have adversely affected production were found in a large percentage of culled gilts and sows at slaughter. Knowledge of lesions commonly found at slaughter may help direct changes in herd health programs.