Increased sow longevity enhances production system efficiencies while also improving sow welfare. Lameness is one of the factors that contributes to early removal of productive sows, with osteochondrosis (OC) being the most common cause of secondary degenerative joint disease (osteoarthrosis; leg weakness) in these animals. Previous studies have clearly demonstrated that lesions of OC occur during growth in juvenile animals; however, these lesions may remain subclinical until later in life. The greatmajority of the studies of OC in swine have been post mortem studies that were done in pigs less than 6 months of age. In these animals, the prevalence of subclinical disease is very high (nearly 100%) in the distal femur and distal humerus. Whether these lesions would have healed or progressed to produce clinical lameness had the animals survived for a longer period of time is not known. The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of OC lesions across parity in hyperprolific sowsin several forelimb predilection sites.
展开▼
