Teeth clipping

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Teeth clipping in pigs is a management practice in which the sharp tips of newborn piglets' teeth are trimmed or filed to reduce the risk of injury to sows during nursing and minimize aggression-related injuries among piglets.

Contents

Some piglets are born with erupted teeth; in order to avoid sow teat injury and damage between piglets, some farms clip their deciduous teeth. [1] Lesions caused by piglet teeth are superficial, and mortality is lower among pigs that don't undergo painful procedures, including teeth clipping. [2] [3]

Disadvantages

Some of the disadvantages of teeth clipping are: [1] [2] [4] [5] [6]

Many contend that the harms of teeth clipping exceed the benefits. [1]

Ethics

Teeth clipping, if done without anesthetic or analgesic (a common practice), is painful. [9] Teeth clipping often exposes the dental pulp, thereby exposing nerves, causing chronic pain. If the exposed dental pulp becomes infected, extreme pain will follow. [4]

Alternatives

Smaller litter sizes, less dense and intensive pig farming, cage-free farming, and better feed for sows. [10] [2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sutherland MA (January 2015). "Welfare implications of invasive piglet husbandry procedures, methods of alleviation and alternatives: a review". New Zealand Veterinary Journal. 63 (1): 52–57. doi:10.1080/00480169.2014.961990. PMID   25204203.
  2. 1 2 3 "Solutions for ending painful piglet procedures: teeth reduction". www.thepigsite.com. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  3. ↑ Van Beirendonck S, Driessen B, Verbeke G, Permentier L, Van de Perre V, Geers R (2012-03-01). "Improving survival, growth rate, and animal welfare in piglets by avoiding teeth shortening and tail docking" . Journal of Veterinary Behavior. 7 (2): 88–93. doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2011.08.005. ISSN   1558-7878.
  4. 1 2 "Avoiding the Need to Teeth Clip Piglets" (PDF). A Greener World Technical Advice Fact Sheet No. 19.
  5. ↑ Hay W, Rue J, Sansac C, Brunel G, Prunier A (2004). "Long-term detrimental effects of tooth clipping or grinding in piglets: a histological approach". Animal Welfare. 13 (1): 27–32. doi:10.1017/S0962728600026622. ISSN   0962-7286.
  6. ↑ Menegatti L, Silva KC, Baggio RA, Silva AS, Paiano D, Zotti ML (2018-01-10). "Los procedimientos dentales postnatales afectan la ganancia de peso y el bienestar de los lechones" [Postnatal dental procedures affect weight gain and welfare of piglets]. Revista MVZ Córdoba (in Spanish). 23 (1): 6429–6437. doi: 10.21897/rmvz.1238 . ISSN   1909-0544.
  7. ↑ Yoshioka G, Imaeda N, Ohtani T, Hayashi K (November 2005). "Effects of cortisol on muscle proteolysis and meat quality in piglets". Meat Science. 71 (3): 590–593. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2005.05.015. PMID   22060938.
  8. ↑ Wan X, Wang D, Xiong Q, Xiang H, Li H, Wang H, et al. (November 2016). "Elucidating a molecular mechanism that the deterioration of porcine meat quality responds to increased cortisol based on transcriptome sequencing". Scientific Reports. 6 (1) 36589. Bibcode:2016NatSR...636589W. doi:10.1038/srep36589. PMC   5105143 . PMID   27833113.
  9. ↑ Schmid SM, Steinhoff-Wagner J (2022-01-17). "Impact of Routine Management Procedures on the Welfare of Suckling Piglets". Veterinary Sciences. 9 (1): 32. doi: 10.3390/vetsci9010032 . ISSN   2306-7381. PMC   8778417 . PMID   35051116.
  10. ↑ Chou JY, Marchant JN, Nalon E, Huynh TT, van de Weerd HA, Boyle LA, et al. (2022-12-02). "Investigating risk factors behind piglet facial and sow teat lesions through a literature review and a survey on teeth reduction". Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 9 909401. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.909401 . PMC   9755856 . PMID   36532351.
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