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This article was published in 1980
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Splay Leg in Pigs
P.S. Green, B.V.Sc., Veterinary Inspector, Dubbo
My contribution is in the nature of a case report and it is submitted in the hope that it may be of some help to those inspectors who have not seen the condition before.
Early in September 1979 an owner reported that he was losing piglets within 24 hours of birth. On investigation I found a litter of seven new born pigs which were not sucking their mother. At first glance they appeared normal, but closer examination showed that the hind legs were drawn forward under the body. The front legs were apparently normal but without the driving force of the hind legs the piglets were not able to reach the teats.
On post-mortem examination the piglets were grossly normal, apart from the fact that the gastro-intestinal tract was empty. Muscle from a hind leg was submitted to Glenfield Veterinary Research Station for histopathology, and the report was:
'Widespread myodegeneration which in many areas appears as a complete absence of muscle fibres, suggesting lack of fibre development (congenital??)'.
The piggery in question was well run. The shed had slatted floors and the sows were restrained in farrowing crates. Heating from gas was provided for the piglets. Feeding appeared to be quite adequate and the owner used a mineral and vitamin pre-mix. The boar was a young Landrace and these were the first litters by him. The sows were mainly Berkshires or Landrace X Large White. Six sows had farrowed to this boar at the time of my visit, with the following results:
1. Seven (7) piglets all normal.
2. Eight (8) piglets all lost.
3. Nine (9) piglets all lost.
4. Eleven (11) piglets all lost.
5. Seven (7) piglets all lost.
6. Eleven (11) piglets all normal.
Sows 1 to 5 were on their first litter, whilst Sow 6 was on her third litter.
The owner was advised to change his boar in case the cause of the condition was genetic. As there is some evidence that deficiency of the Vitamin choline may be associated with the condition, it was suggested to the owner that added choline be given to the sows. This was given in a sow-breeder mix at 300 grams of choline chloride per kilogram of mix. One litter of piglets was injected with a multi-Vitamin preparation but a 11 died.
I again visited the property six months later. Thirteen sows had farrowed during that period with an average of 9.2 pigs weaned per litter. There had been no more piglets with splay legs. The owner had decided to keep the boar and some sows which had earlier given birth to affected pigs later had normal litters by this boar.
The condition of splay leg is pigs was first reported in England. It was recorded in Australia by Dobson (1968); Penny (1969); and Holder (1969). Cunha (1967) claims that choline deficiency is associated with the condition. Dobson (1971) selected 30 Sows with a high incidence of splay leg in their suckers and found that choline at 3.36 G per day and methionine at 5.05 G per day to the sows had no preventive effect.
In the case reported, the owner was very despondent at the time of my first visit, having just lost 35 pigs in four consecutive litters. Six months later he was well pleased, but I feel that the cause of the splay leg in his pigs is still uncertain.
References
Cunha, T.J. (1967) Hog Farm Management (Sept) quoted Holder (1969)
Dobson, K.J. (1968) Aust. Vet. Jr. 44:26
Dobson, K.J. (1971) Aust. Vet. Jr. 49:12:587
Holder, J. (1969) University of Queensland, Post-Graduate Comm. Advanced Pig Production Course Notes
Penny, R.H.C. (1969) University of Queensland, Post-Graduate Comm. Advanced Pig Production Course Notes as quoted in T.G. Hungerford's 'Diseases of Livestock', 8th Ed