Revised from the Pork Checkoff Fact Sheet:
Timely Euthanasia – Well-being and Financial Implications
By: Margaret Ross, Livestock Agent – Craven
& Jones Counties
It is
reality that all swine farms may have sick, injured, or ill animals at some
point, and unfortunately, euthanasia may be the best option. Timely euthanasia
is extremely important to ensure the well being of the animal, as well as to
lower costs associated with caring for compromised animals.
When
deciding on the proper method for euthanasia, there are several considerations
to be made: 1- human safety – not putting producers and employees in danger; 2-
pig well-being – goal is to minimize stress or pain to animal; 3- technical
skill requirements – method should be easy to learn and repeated with same
outcome; 4- costs – needs to be economical for the producer; 5- aesthetics –
should not be questionable to the employee performing the procedure; 6-
limitations – certain methods are only suitable to particular sizes of pigs.
“Timely”
euthanasia is defined as animals that are not showing improvement after two
days of treatment or are severely injured or are non-ambulatory. Also, if an
animal has a body condition score of 1 (scale goes up to 5), it should be
euthanized right away. It is important to have a written plan for euthanasia
and make sure employees and managers have the proper training they need to
perform these procedures. By developing a plan, it becomes easier to decide if
you need to treat an animal or if the animal needs to be humanely euthanized.
North
Carolina State University conducted a research study, which showed that farms
who euthanized compromised nursery pigs as soon as they arrived to the farm
were able to improve the well-being profile of their farm herd seven-fold. It
was also found that it was best to have clear-cut criteria for euthanasia so
these difficult decisions are made with all the right aspects in mind.
Other
factors that were used in determining euthanasia in nursery pigs in this study
were: suspected of having a broken leg, skin wounds on all four quarters as
well as both sides of body, abscesses 2.5 cm or larger, respiratory disease, and
weak and difficulty getting to their water and feed. As you can see, there is a
lot that goes into deciding on timely euthanasia of an animal. It is important
to work with your integrator, farm manager, and employees to make sure you are
all on the same page when this controversial topic presents itself.
For more
information, contact your local Cooperative Extension Office and speak with
your Livestock Agent or visit the National Pork Board online at pork.org.
