Show Pig Health Issues

Video Transcript

"Hopefully, throughout your project, you'll never have to call a vet out, but in some cases, upper respiratory infections need care and guidance of a veterinarian. The veterinarian will examine your market hog, and ensure that in fact, you have an upper respiratory infection. When an upper respiratory infection is realized, you'll be prescribed antibiotics to clear the infection. But in the use of antibiotics, you need to insure that your withdrawal dates are adequately available, before slaughter. Most antibiotics tend to have a twenty one to thirty five day withdrawal period. So ensure that you read labels, so that the carcass is not condemned at the slaughterhouse, after fair. The veterinarian can also advise you on feeding, and proper management, and health of your market project. A cleaner hog space, allows for a higher health quality in your market animal, allowing for less infections. A highly used natural steroid in market hogs, is palene. Palene is simply a feed additive, which allows for heavier muscle development. It is said that palene tends to make the carcass somewhat unpalatable. When you walk into a slaughterhouse, it is said that the aroma of the palene from these show hogs, is so unbearable, that unless you're used to it, you cannot stand to be in the slaughterhouse. And in using palene, you're selling what is supposed to be, a high quality carcass. So the use of steroids and hormones, is based on your judgment. However, it is highly recommended, that you advise whoever purchases your animals, on what you've used. The FFA organization, or Arborty Valley Fair, does not prohibit the use of palene. However, you must check with your organization, or adviser, and fair, to make sure that you are in compliance of any rules, and not disqualified from the showing. My pig had an abscess on his butt. It was just a red mark, and so I wasn't really that concerned, and then it like got a bump, and throughout the day, the bump got really big, and so I called my leader, and her son-in-law was in town, and he works at a feeding place for animals, and he works with lances all the time. And so she brought her son-in-law, and they came, and they lanced my pig's butt with a razor blade, and then they squished out all the pus, and then about, I gave him antibiotics mixed in with his water, for like a week, and after that, his butt healed up fine."