UNDERSTANDING YOUR MEDICATION PROGRAM

 

Fred L. Cunningham, MS, DVM

Swine Veterinary Services

Kinston, NC

 

Feed medications playa major role in a swine herd health. They can also be a major expense. As I reviewed the 1992 Coml2endium of Swine Products it became clear to me why there is so much confusion about the proper use of feed and water medications. The Compendium lists 29 anti-bacterials or antibiotics, 11 antibacterial or antibiotic combinations, 31 feed efficiency enhancers and 41 anti-bacterials or antibiotics listed as water additives. Many of these products contain the same drug but are produced by different manufacturers and therefore labeled differently.

 

Most of these products are heavily advertised in the trade journals with producers deciding which product to use. This is a golden opportunity for a veterinarian to save his client a substantial amount of money. Often producers are using products incorrectly in regards to dosage, stage of production or even spectrum of activity.

 

When helping a producer develop a herd health program some basic questions have to be answered.

 

  1. What problems or diseases are present on the farm?
  2. In what stage of production do these diseases occur?
  3. What is the economic loss from these diseases?
  1. What food/water antibiotics are the pathogens sensitive to?
  2. Comparing the expected economic loss to the treatment cost, can we afford to treat these diseases?
  3. How does the treatment cost compare to the cost of management changes to reduce the disease level?

 

Often antibiotics can be used for temporary control while management changes are affected to eliminate or reduce the level of disease.

 

Feed grade antibiotics are best used for growth promotion, prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. In acute disease outbreaks, especially when the pigs feed intake is reduced, they are of limited value due to lower blood levels.

 

Water-soluble antibiotics are usefully for treating groups of animals. We commonly use this method to treat nursery pigs just after weaning or newly arrived feeder pigs. Choice of water-soluble antibiotics should be based on the diseases present and the sensitivity pattern. Water-soluble antibiotics typically give higher blood levels than feed grade antibiotics depending on absorption rate and original concentration.

 

The delivery system is important in the use of water-soluble antibiotics. An accurate system, such as an in-line proportioner is necessary for controlling dosages. Running parallel water lines that will allow you to supply either fresh or medicated water to each pen is a cost effective way of spot medicating while reducing medication cost.

 

Label claims are normally split into five (5) categories; maintaining weight gains, prevention, control, reduction and treatment. Feed additives are available for the prevention of dysentery, bacterial enteritis and cervical abscesses. They are also available for the control of Mycoplasma hyopneumonia, Salmonella cholerasuis, dysentery, bacterial enteritis and colibacillosis. Claims for treatment include Salmonella cholerasuis, bacterial enteritis and dysentery (see table 1).

 

In summary feed and water additives can be an important and useful part of a herd health program. The use of each product should be carefully considered in regards to cost and benefit. Delivery systems should be designed to assure proper dosages reach the pigs. Withdrawal times should be strictlyadhered to and feed mixing schedules should be set up to avoid any risk of cross-contamination.

 

Suggested Reading

 

Compendium of Swine Products. Adrian Bayley Publisher. 1992.

 

Table 1. Selected label claims

 

CONTROL

A) Colibacillosis

1. Apralan

B) Swine dysentery

1. Carbadox

2. Lincomycin

3. Tiamulin

4. Tylosin

C) Salmonella cholerasuis

1. Carbadox

TREATMENT

A) Bacterial enteritis

1. Chlortetracycline

2. Chlortetracycline-Sulfamehtazine- Penicillin

3. Chlortetracycline-Sulfathiazole-Penicillin

4. Streptomycin-Penicillin

B) Swine dysentery

1. Lincomycin

2. Roxarsone

3. Tylosin

4. Virginiamycin

C) Salmonella cholerasuis

1. Chlortetracycline

 2. Chlortetracycline-Sulfamehtazine- Penicillin

   3. Chlortetracycline-Sulfathiazole-Penicillin

 

PREVENTION

A) Bacterial enteritis

I. Chlortetracycline

2. Neomycin -Terramycin (oxytetracycline)

MAINTAINS WEIGHT GAINS

A) Atrophic Rhinitis

I. Chlortetracycline

2. Chlortetracycline-Sul famehtazine- Penicillin

3. Chlortetracycline-Sulfathiazole-Penicillin

4. Tylosin

 

REDUCTION

A) Leptospirosis spreading

I, Chlortetracycline

B) Leptospirosis shedding

I. Chlortetracycline

C) Cervical abscess~

I. Chlortetracycline-Sulfamehtazine- Penicillin

2. ChIortetracycline-Sulfathiazole- Penicillin

D) Mycoplasma pneumonia

I. Lincomycin