A cross-sectional study of the prevalence of foot lesions in post-weaning pigs and risks associated with floor type on commercial farms in England

Prev Vet Med. 2009 Oct 1;91(2-4):146-52. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2009.05.023. Epub 2009 Jul 9.

Abstract

We carried out a cross-sectional study during 2003 and 2004 to establish the prevalence and risk factors associated with floor type for commonly observed foot lesions in pigs aged 6, 8 and 14 weeks. The overall prevalence of foot lesions was 39.6% in 2283 pigs from 90 representative pig farms in England. The most prevalent lesions were heel/sole bruising (7.1%), heel/sole erosion (10.8%), heel flaps (8.4%) and toe erosion (11.6%). Pigs were kept on either solid (41%), partly slatted (28%) or fully slatted (31%) floors. Of the 104 pens with a solid floor, 26% of pens were outside with straw bedding on a soil base, 33% were indoors with deep bedding on solid concrete, 25% were partly deeply bedded on solid concrete and 16% were sparsely bedded on solid concrete. Only six of the pens with partly slatted floors were bedded. Multilevel logistic-regression models were built using data from 100 farms to examine the risks for individual foot lesions with prevalences >5%. The prevalence of toe erosions was positively associated with deep bedding, whereas deep bedding and soil floors were negatively associated with the prevalence of heel/sole erosions. Heel flaps and heel/sole bruising were both associated with slatted floors, possibly indicating a common aetiology. The greatest reduction in prevalence of all these lesions, from AFp calculations, would be achieved by moving pigs from slatted floors onto solid floors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture / statistics & numerical data
  • Animal Husbandry / standards*
  • Animals
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • England / epidemiology
  • Floors and Floorcoverings / standards
  • Foot Diseases / prevention & control
  • Foot Diseases / veterinary
  • Housing, Animal / standards*
  • Regression Analysis
  • Risk Factors
  • Swine
  • Swine Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Swine Diseases / prevention & control
  • Weaning