RISK-FACTORS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF FOOT ABSCESS IN NEONATAL PIGS

Factors associated with foot abscess were evaluated in a cohort of 3,3 22 suckling pigs reared on a woven-wire floor (wire diameter, 0.5 cm; size of openings, 1 X 3.8 cm). In bivariate analysis, loot abscess was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with post-partum sow illness, num ber of pigs born alive, and parity, but not with birthweight (P = 0.31 ) or time spent on wire flooring (P = 0.89). One oxytetracycline treat ment (100 mg, IM) at birth or 1 treatment at birth and a second 5 to 7 days later reduced CP < 0.05) the risk of lesions by about half. Mult ivariate analyses indicated that pigs in large litters (> 10 pigs at b irth) born to sows with postpartum illnesses had an increased risk (re lative risk [RR], 3.77) of developing foot abscess, compared with pigs in small litters (less than or equal to 10 pigs) born to unaffected s ows. For sows without evidence of postpartum illness, pigs in large li tters had a slightly increased risk (RR, 1.32) of developing foot absc ess, compared with pigs in small litters. Pigs born to multiparous sow s also had an increased risk (RR, 1.69) of developing foot abscess, co mpared with pigs born to primiparous sows. Similar risk estimates were obtained when logistic regression models included location farrowed ( crate number) as a fixed effect, and when litter was a random effect i n a logistic-binomial regression.