In fall 2019, a client called into Four Star Veterinary Service clinic in Mexico, Indiana, and reported the loss of a lot of sows. Daniel Gascho, DVM, said he had several ideas of what could cause the sow mortalities before arriving. But once he was on site, he knew he was wrong.
Inadequate iron supplements lead to subclinical anemia in young pigs
A field trial evaluating iron supplementation for baby pigs found the typical 200 mg iron shot at birth is not enough, according to Brittney Scales, veterinarian for Four Star Veterinary Service in Mexico, Indiana.
Don’t forget rodent, insect control during biosecurity checks
Biosecurity in a hog operation usually focuses on people and practices like showering in, UV irradiating supplies and filtering incoming air. But rodents and insects can bypass all those critical control points on a hog farm.
Slaughter checks pinpoint subclinical disease like atrophic rhinitis
Slaughter checks performed at a packing plant are an underutilized tool for diagnosing subclinical disease, says Brad Schmitt, DVM, Four Star Veterinary Service, Rushville, Indiana.
Best sow-cooling strategies from North Carolina
Sow farms struggling to breed and farrow during hot, humid weather can pick up some tips from North Carolina, where this type of weather hangs around a long time.
Raising pigs without antibiotics offers niche market but with limitations
Markets for pork produced without antibiotics continue to grow. But this method of production is not for every farm.
COVID-19 lesson for hog farms: Tighten up basic biosecurity
The COVID-19 outbreak reinforces what veterinarians and pork producers already know — biosecurity protocols control disease.
FSVS expands staff with three veterinarians
The staff at Four Star Veterinary Service (FSVS) has expanded with the addition of three veterinarians to help handle their swine-focused, diverse client base.
Bull calves: Maintaining health and consumer confidence
Where there are dairies, there will undoubtedly be bull calves. It’s what we make of those calves that differentiates progressive dairy farmers from the rest.
Nutrition consultant joins FSVS
Swine nutritionist Jason Woodworth recently joined the Four Star Veterinary Service team as a consultant to help clients with swine nutrition questions.
Tools for managing pigs without antibiotics
Raising pigs without antibiotics requires extra management and different tools compared to traditional commercial hog production.
Prepare for pork-processing cutbacks caused by COVID-19
Fallout from coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) continues to affect the pork industry’s workforce, especially in pork processing.