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The body temperature of a pig is the first signal of a disease. Almost all serious illnesses are accompanied by high fever. But there are those that are characterized by a decrease in temperature. The latter are usually not contagious, but can also lead to the death of the pig.
What temperature in pigs is considered normal
You can immediately say that the normal temperature in small breeds of pigs is the same as in large ones. Animals do have such an interesting point: the smaller the mammal, the “hot” it is. But this does not apply to pigs. Except maybe just mini pigs. Not Vietnamese bellies, which are not much inferior to large pigs in weight, but real mini-pigs. The latter were bred specifically for decorative purposes, are very small in size and have a lot of genetic problems. The body temperature of such decorative pigs can indeed be half a degree higher.
In all other breeds, including Vietnamese pigs, body temperature normally ranges from 38 ° C to 40 ° C. Pigs are the record holders for the temperature level among domestic animals. They share the first place with sheep and goats. Piglets try not to disgrace their parents.
What is the normal temperature for piglets
It is often more important for the sow owner to know the normal temperature of the piglets than that of the sow, so as not to miss the onset of “childhood” diseases. Here again the principle common to all mammals applies: young animals are always hotter than adult animals. Accordingly, the normal body temperature of piglets is in the range of 39-40,5 °C.
And here you can not confuse the internal temperature with the external one. The skin is an organ, one of the functions of which is thermoregulation. In cold air, it becomes cool, as the blood from the epidermis goes inside to keep warm. In the heat, the skin becomes hotter than the internal organs. It is heated by the blood, “rising” to the skin to give off excess heat, and too warm air.
In pigs, thermoregulation is carried out in a similar way, adjusted for subcutaneous fat. Young pigs do not yet have sufficient fat thickness, and they are more sensitive to environmental conditions. Therefore, the skin temperature of a piglet is quite dependent on the room temperature. The colder it is in the room, the more the piglet freezes, and the colder its skin.
Signs of illness
For preventive purposes, you need to measure the temperature at least once a week. Daily inspection helps to identify deviations in the behavior of animals. Such deviations often arise as a result of ailments and are sometimes noticeable only to the owner who knows his animal well. If a choleric pig, constantly testing the fence for strength, suddenly stops disassembling its machine, it is worth checking its well-being. Or a phlegmatic, perking up only at the sight of food, suddenly rushes around the paddock. Most likely, the source of such excitement is by no means a good mood.
Obvious signs of problems in which the veterinarian is called on the way from the pigsty to the house:
- apathy;
- strong arousal;
- rash on the body;
- diarrhea;
- constipation;
- uneaten food;
- vomiting;
- muscle tremors;
- unsteadiness of gait;
- hard breath;
- red eyes;
- heart palpitations;
- hot patch and ears (may be like this right after waking up);
- dull stubble standing on end;
- attempts to burrow into the bedding.
You can scare a doctor with something serious, otherwise it’s not a fact that he will arrive quickly. While the veterinarian is traveling, you need to have time to bring a thermometer from home and measure the temperature of suspicious pigs.
List of possible causes of temperature increase
The reason for the increase in overall body temperature is only one – the body’s fight against infection. But there are a lot of diseases that pathogens and viruses can cause. Any infectious disease of pigs falls into the list of causes.
The body temperature of the pig rises:
- with complications after castration, when the wound begins to fester;
- gastritis;
- the gastroenterites;
- other internal non-communicable diseases.
Most often, any serious inflammatory process is accompanied by an increase in overall body temperature.
How can you measure the body temperature of a pig and a piglet
With a high degree of reliability, it is possible to measure the temperature of any animal only by inserting a thermometer into its anus. Any other methods give a high percentage of error. Measurements at a distance using an infrared sensor only allow you to find out how hot the surface of the skin or coat of a mammal is.
Methods of measurement
In pigs, the temperature is also measured in the anus. But the animals are nervous and do not always trust the owners. Well, if the pig calmly allows you to insert a thermometer into her anus. And if she’s semi-wild, it’s harder.
How to measure the temperature of a pig
We must hope for the best, but expect the worst. In the ideal scenario, the pig’s tail is raised, a thermometer is inserted into the anus and they wait for the required time, not forgetting to hold the thermometer.
The anus has an unpleasant feature of “sucking” too deeply inserted objects into itself. A deep-immersed thermometer can be “eaten” by the rear end of a pig. After that, the sphincter will close, and it will be impossible to get a thermometer. There are recommendations to fix a ribbon or a thin rope with adhesive plaster on top of the thermometer. Then for this ribbon it will be possible to remove the thermometer from the anus of the animal.
The video below shows the “ideal” measurement of body temperature in a pig using a mercury thermometer. The owner’s only mistake: he releases the thermometer. He was lucky that the pig did not pay attention to such an oversight. Some animals simply push the measuring device out. This is better than if they are “sucked in”, but the thermometer may break.
An imperfect temperature measurement will be if the pig is semi-feral. A relatively small piglet can still be caught, knocked down and held by force. With an adult pig, this will no longer work. Such a pig is entangled with its legs and knocked to the ground. They wait until she calms down, and carefully insert a thermometer lubricated with petroleum jelly into the anus. Again they listen to everything she thinks about people.
Wrong ways
To make life easier for themselves or out of disgust, some owners try to measure the body temperature of a pig by attaching thermometers outside. There are two ways: stick the thermometer with adhesive tape and place it between the hind leg and the pig’s stomach. Something like how people measure their temperature by holding a thermometer under their armpit.
The second way is better, but it does not give the correct result either. Since initially thermometers were placed exclusively in the anus, the body temperature of pigs is indicated based on these data. But the “outer” thermometer shows 1 ° C lower. If the pig’s temperature is normally 39°C, the thermometer will show 38°C. It’s not a problem. But with a fever, instead of 40,5 ° C, the owner will receive data at 39,5 ° C. While the pig is feverish with illness, the owner will think the animal is healthy.
Sticking a thermometer to a pig’s skin with adhesive tape will give even more incorrect results. There will be air on one side of the thermometer, skin on the other. It is good if mercury or electronic thermometer sensors show at least the lower limit of the norm. It is more likely that the measurement will show the temperature of the cooling corpse.
Measuring with an infrared thermometer is not a wrong way. It’s more like getting wrong data.
Types of measuring instruments
Previously, there was only one medical thermometer: mercury. Today there is a group of thermometers, which are called digital. This group is divided into two: electronic and infrared.
mercury thermometer
The most famous and oldest type. Made from glass. The inner tube is filled with mercury. Pros: low cost and high accuracy. Of the minuses: a high risk of breaking the device.
The measurement time in the anus in animals is actually only 2-2,5 minutes. Declared 10 minutes. indicated for measuring the temperature of a person in the armpit.
Mercury has a good feature: the hotter the body, the faster the mercury column creeps up. Since the temperature of healthy pigs is “perceived” by the thermometer as a human fever, mercury creeps up very quickly. And it “creeps” to the final result the faster, the higher the mercury column was originally. Since the normal temperature of pigs cannot be below 38 ° C, it makes no sense to knock down mercury “to zero”. It is enough to shake off the indicators to 37 ° C.
Digital Thermometer
The methods of measurement with this device are the same as those of mercury. Even the shape of these two types is similar. But instead of mercury in an electronic thermometer, sensors are used, the data from which is displayed on a liquid crystal display. The device requires a battery to operate. The measurement time lasts 1,5-2 minutes. The thermometer signals the end of the procedure with a sound.
Of the benefits:
- this type of thermometer is difficult to break;
- even if broken, nothing terrible will happen;
- no need to keep track of time;
- the device is relatively wide and it is more difficult to “suck” it.
Of the minuses:
- the price is slightly higher than that of mercury;
- the readings may be incorrect, as some models must be kept for a few more minutes after the signal.
But in general, an electronic thermometer gives accurate data.
Infrared thermometer
It also requires an electric battery to operate. The device’s sensors also output data to the LCD screen. But this device is able to take measurements at a distance. At first glance, this property seems to be a serious advantage. In fact, this is a drawback. Sensors show the temperature not inside the body, but on its surface. That is, the owner, at best, will find out how cold the skin of his animals is. In this case, the skin may be overheated in the sun or chilled in a puddle and not signal the true health of the pig.
In the worst case, the device will show the temperature of the bristles. At the Hungarian Mangalitsa in winter, the indicators will be close to zero or even negative.
With seeming convenience and speed of use, an infrared thermometer is not well suited for working with animals, since the temperature in pigs is the first symptom of the disease, and treatment sometimes needs to be started immediately. An infrared thermometer is best used for taking readings and an open-hearth furnace.
The disadvantages of such a thermometer are the same as those of a mercury one: you must be able to catch a pig. Pluses – the pig does not need to be brought down, and it takes only a few seconds to hold it to take readings.
What to do if a piglet has a fever
Ideally, you should immediately call the veterinarian. But the ideal in life is rare. For a piglet, the upper limit is 40,5 ° C. Animals can hardly tolerate high temperatures, therefore, if the upper limits are exceeded, you should not delay and wait a day, counting on “it will pass by itself”. The sooner the disease is “caught”, the less harm it will cause and the easier it will be to cure.
In addition, it “passes by itself” very often with edematous disease of piglets – the scourge of a pig breeder. First, the temperature “passes by itself”, and then the piglet dies.
If it is not at all possible to call a veterinarian, piglets are given antipyretic drugs and antibiotics are pierced. Penicillins and tetracyclines are commonly used.
What to do if a pig has a fever
The maximum temperature of the pig is below: 40 °C. Higher rates also indicate the onset of the disease. Almost all diseases in pigs and piglets are common. Unless adults no longer get sick with enterotoxemia. Accordingly, the actions at elevated body temperature in a pig are the same. But the dosage of drugs is different and depends on the weight of the animal.
Low temperature in pigs: symptoms and treatment
The main cause of low temperature in pigs is intoxication of the body. Signs of low temperature:
- chills;
- cold limbs;
- cold ears;
- the desire of a pig to burrow into a warm bedding to keep warm.
Poisoning occurs not only when eating poisonous and poor-quality feed. Toxic substances can enter the blood when:
- helminthiasis;
- overdose of anthelmintic drugs;
- due to the large number of waste products of pathogenic microorganisms;
- intestinal obstruction;
- constipation;
- problems in the genitourinary system;
- non-infectious hepatitis;
- kidney diseases.
Chills were noted in a piglet with rickets. But his temperature was not measured, he could simply be weakened. A low temperature in a pig is not a symptom of rickets, and home treatment should not be reduced only to releasing the animal into the sun. At low temperatures, it is also better to invite a veterinarian, and as a first aid, give the pig a laxative. But only if the piglet did not get sick after deworming. In heavily dewormed piglets, after an anthelmintic drug, mass death of parasites in the intestines can occur. A ball of dead worms clogs the gastrointestinal tract and begins to decompose, causing poisoning of the pig’s body.
Conclusion
The body temperature of a pig is one of the main parameters that must be constantly monitored. Sometimes you can miss the sharp rise and subsequent drop in temperature to normal, losing the entire brood of piglets.