Common Pig Diseases and Health Problems Every Farmer Should Know

Nobody wants to think about sick pigs. But if you are raising them, you need to know what can go wrong so you can catch it early. Or better yet, prevent it from happening at all.

Chapter 5 of Backyard Farming: Raising Pigs by Kim Pezza covers the most common diseases and health problems you will encounter. Some of these are minor. Some will kill your pig in hours. Knowing the difference matters.

Clostridial Disease

This is a bacterial infection and it is usually fatal. It moves fast. There are two main strains, and both are bad news.

In piglets, it causes severe diarrhea. In weaners and growing pigs, it can cause sudden death with almost no warning signs beforehand. One day your pig looks fine. The next day it is dead. That is how quick clostridial disease works.

Vaccination is the best prevention. Talk to your vet about a vaccination schedule before you need it.

Salt Poisoning

This one sounds weird, but it is actually caused by water deprivation, not by eating too much salt. When pigs do not have enough water, the salt in their normal diet builds up to toxic levels in their body.

Symptoms start with dehydration and restless behavior. Then you see head pressing, where the pig pushes its head against a wall or fence. After that come convulsions. Mortality is high once it gets to that point.

The fix is simple: always provide clean water. Always. This is why we talked about water so much in the feeding chapter. It really is that important.

Heat Stroke

Pigs do not sweat. They have very few ways to cool themselves down. On hot days, heat stroke is a real danger.

Signs include distress, vomiting, red skin, and trembling. If you see these symptoms, you need to act immediately. Get the pig into shade and start applying cold water to bring the body temperature down.

Prevention means providing shade, mud wallows, and plenty of water during hot weather. Pigs roll in mud for a reason. It is their air conditioning.

Internal Parasites

Worms are a constant battle with pigs. The main ones you will deal with:

• White ascarids (large roundworms)
• Red stomach worms
• Whip worms

Symptoms include loss of condition (pig looks rough and thin), coughing, bloody diarrhea, and paleness. A pig with a heavy worm load just looks wrong. The coat gets dull, they lose weight even while eating, and they generally look miserable.

Regular deworming on a schedule your vet recommends is the best approach. Rotational grazing also helps break the parasite cycle.

Pseudorabies

Despite the name, this has nothing to do with rabies. It is a herpes virus that attacks pigs specifically. What makes it tricky is that it hides in the nerves after infection. A pig can look perfectly healthy and still be carrying the virus.

It primarily disrupts reproduction. Sows may abort, have stillborn piglets, or fail to conceive. The virus can survive up to 3 weeks outside the pig, which means contaminated equipment, clothing, or even a shared fence line can spread it.

There is no cure. Prevention through biosecurity is key. Be careful about where you buy your pigs and who visits your farm.

Foot Rot (Bush Foot)

This is an infection of the claw that causes lameness. You will notice your pig limping or favoring one foot. The foot itself may be swollen and warm.

The good news: it is treatable with antibiotics. Catch it early, get your vet involved, and it usually resolves without lasting problems. Keeping your pigs on dry, clean ground reduces the risk.

Abortion and Fetal Loss

This affects less than 2% of sows, so it is not super common. But it happens. Fetal loss can occur anywhere from 14 to 110 days after mating.

Multiple things can cause it: infections, nutritional problems, stress, or trauma. If a sow aborts, get your vet involved to figure out the cause before breeding her again.

Piglet Anemia

Newborn piglets are born with very low iron stores. Without supplementation, they develop iron deficiency anemia. This is responsible for about 10% of pre-weaning deaths, which is a significant number.

The fix is straightforward: give piglets an iron injection or oral supplement within 18 to 24 hours of birth. This is standard practice and should be part of your farrowing routine. Do not skip it.

E. Coli (Scours)

Scours is basically diarrhea, and it is the most common health problem in young piglets. E. coli is usually the culprit. It can cause high mortality in newborns if not caught and treated quickly.

There are two peak danger periods: under 5 days old and 7 to 14 days old. Piglets at these ages are especially vulnerable. Watch for watery diarrhea, dehydration, and weakness.

Clean farrowing areas and good sow nutrition before birth help prevent it. If scours does show up, rehydration and veterinary treatment are critical.

The Thermo-Neutral Zone

This is not a disease, but it affects everything. Every pig has a thermo-neutral zone, a temperature range where they are most comfortable and productive. Outside that range, problems start.

Here are the numbers you need to know:

Newborn piglets need it warm: 80 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat lamps are standard in farrowing areas for this reason.

Once temperatures drop below 60 degrees, pigs start burning extra energy just to stay warm. That means slower growth and higher feed costs.

Above 80 degrees is bad for growers, finishers, and breeding animals. Heat stress reduces appetite, slows growth, and hurts reproduction.

Below 35 degrees is dangerous for piglets. Fatal chilling can happen in minutes at these temperatures. This is why winter farrowing requires serious preparation and monitoring.

Prevention Is Everything

Most of these problems are either preventable or manageable if you catch them early. Keep your pigs clean, dry, and properly fed. Provide water at all times. Work with a vet to set up a vaccination and deworming schedule. Watch your animals every day.

Pigs are tough animals, but they are not indestructible. The more you know about what can go wrong, the better you can keep things going right.

Book: Backyard Farming: Raising Pigs Author: Kim Pezza ISBN: 978-1-57826-621-0 Publisher: Hatherleigh Press, 2016

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