Research from Denmark indicates clipping the teeth of healthy sows is not necessary.
Gus Wruck, swine quality assurance specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, said in the July edition of Manitoba Swine Update that a discussion on the merits of clipping teeth in baby pigs occurred recently on a hog internet site called the Swine-L discussion group, from the University of Minnesota.
“Someone from Australia asked about the need for clipping needle or eye teeth in baby pigs in a 3,000 sow herd as a routine procedure. Obviously if this procedure could be reduced or eliminated it could save considerable time and labor during baby pig processing,” Wruck said.
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A swine specialist in Denmark replied that several trials in Denmark concluded that teeth clipping is not needed with healthy sows.
There were several cautions, however. When sows have little milk and when baby pigs have diarrhea or greasy pig disease, teeth clipping is still needed. It was suggested that if a producer is interested in trying this, he should start with older sows during a period of low MMA (metitis, mastitis and agalactia) and low diarrhea and not during a heat wave, Wruck said.
Another producer from the United States said he had not clipped teeth for about four years. Carlos Pijoan, a swine veterinarian at Minnesota, cited experience in Mexico that found few problems with letting pigs keep their teeth.
This indicates the need for clipping teeth in baby pigs may be questionable. It is, however, an established practice among swine producers.
Producers interested in not clipping teeth should first try it on healthy litters. If the results are favorable, it can be extended to the whole herd, Wruck said.
Swine-L is an e-mail discussion group intended for swine veterinarians that is maintained by the staff of Swine Health and Production, a journal published by the American Association of Swine Practitioners.
To get on the free Swine-L list server go to www.aasp.org/email.html and follow the instructions under Swine-L in the discussion groups section.
