Torsion of the stomach or the small intestine is a main cause of sudden death in adult breeding stock. The twist can involve the stomach, the spleen, part of the liver or the intestine.
Symptoms
Piglets
- Uncommon but symptoms as in sow.
Sows
- Bloated abdomen.
- Blue skin.
- Sudden death: Often within 2 3 hours of feeding..
- Anaemia.
Weaners & Growers
- Usually none but sudden death.
- Grossly distended abdomen.
- The carcass is fresh but the pig is very pale.
Causes / Contributing factors
- Deaths are usually sporadic although they can be of significance where, for example, whey is being fed and bloat occurs.
- Over-feeding and abnormal fermentation of the contents of both the small and large intestine result in gas formation, increased pressure and torsion.
- Prolonged over excitement at feeding may predispose.
- Overeating liquid feed.
- Large amounts of feed eaten during lactation will predispose.
Diagnosis
Post-mortem examination shows the small and large intestines heavily congested and full of blood. The intestinal tract in the pig is suspended from a common point and this makes it liable to rotate and twist.