BASIC HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS (cont)
When survival surgery is performed on swine it must be performed aseptically in a dedicated surgical suite. Anesthesia, analgesia and surgical monitoring records should be kept.
If swine are procured from reliable vendors, parasites and diseases are not generally a major problem. Some diseases of swine, such as pseudorabies are reportable to the USDA and some types of serology are required if animals are transported across state lines.
The most commonly seen diseases of swine are mycoplasmal, viral and bacterial infections of the pulmonary and digestive systems.
Lice and internal parasites such as Balantidium coli, which may be zoonotic, or nematodes may be found. Diarrhea due to a change of feed and environment or bacteria is common in animals which have been recently shipped.