LaSalle Co. 4H. December 2012 Newsletter. Volunteer Leaders of LaSalle Co. Club Meetings. County Council. When: January 29, 2013 Time: 7pm

Transcription

1 LaSalle Co. 4H December 2012 Newsletter Volunteer Leaders of LaSalle Co. When: January 29, 2013 Time: 7pm County Council When: January 29, 2013 Time: 6pm Club Meetings Cotulla 4-H Club Monday Dec. 17, 2012 **Note: This is only a change for this month** *************************** Attention County Council and Volunteer Leaders: After last County Council meeting it was decided to change the meeting dates for County Council and Volunteer Leaders to the LAST TUESDAY of these following months: August, October, November, January, February and April. Scheduled meeting times for County Council will be 6pm and Volunteer Leaders at 7pm. Encinal 4-H Club Wednesday Dec. 19, 2012 **Note: This is only a change for this month** *************************** Archery Project Sunday Dec. 16, 2012 ***************************

2 4H Adult Volunteers The LaSalle County Extension office will be hosting the District 12 Volunteer Leader Training and District Council Meeting on January 12, Please call the office and let me know if you are going to be able to attend. WHAT IS NEW FOR ? Sat, Dec 1: County Pig and Goat Validations Sat, Dec 1: LaSalle County 4H Goat Clinic Mon, Dec 3: Deadline to order chickens Tue, Dec 4: Horse Judging Meeting Sat, Dec 8:D12 4-H Food Show & 4-H Food Challenge All youth members must pay a participation fee of $20.00 before October 31, 2012 or $25.00 beginning November 1, All membership (youth and adult) must be entered onto the 4-H CONNECT system and be in active status for membership to be granted. Any enrollment completed on paper forms will not be official until entered on 4-H CONNECT and given active status. A 4-H member will not be allowed to register for any event until membership is in an ACTIVE status. http: //texas.4honline.com PLEASE USE A VALID ADDRESS THAT WILL BE ABLE TO RECEIVE MAIL ALL YEAR LONG. INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN 4H!

3 LaSalle Co. Extension Webpage We now have our County Webpage up and running. You will find this webpage filled with different information and important dates along with out newsletters and upcoming events. Please take time to visit our LaSalle Co. Extension Office webpage. Prospect Shows Coastal Bend Classic: Saturday, December 1, 2012 San Patricio County Fairgrounds, Sinton, TX. Dimmit County Classic (Non Sanctioned Show: Saturday, December 1-2, 2012 Dimmit County Show Barn, Carrizo Springs, TX Dec. 1, Lambs and Goats Dec. 2, Steer, Heifer and Swine Show Attached is the Entry Card and Please mail them back to Dimmit County Extension Office! December 8, Region 4 TCPA-PIG Royal FFA Holiday Hog Drive A & B Brookshire, TX Contact: Christy Jacob, P.O. Box 469, Pattison, TX 77466; December 8-9, Region 4 TCCA-TCLA-TCMGAHEIFER- STEER-LAMB-GOAT Langham Creek Christmas Classic A, B, C, & D Houston Farm & Ranch Club, Houston Contact: Kim Schutts, P.O. Box , Houston, TX 77284; Dawn Kraft, December 8-9, Region 4 TCCA-HEIFER-STEER Winners Edge A, B, C, & D Walker Co. Fairgounds, Huntsville Contact: Glenna Goodrum, 110 Southwood Forest, Huntsville, TX 77340; , Nita Syphrett, December 8-9, Region 2 TCCA-TCPA-TCLA-TCMGA-HEIFERSTEER- PIG-LAMB-GOAT Winter Buckle Holiday Classic A & B North Texas State Fair, Denton Contact: Justin Browne, P.O. Box 2, Lewisville, TX 75057; Patti Ferguson, December 8-9, Region 5 TCCA-HEIFER-STEER Lone Star Classic A, B, C, & D JB Wells Park, Gonzales Contact: Daniel Boatright, P.O. Box 84, Leesville, TX 78122; December 15, Region 4 TCPA-PIG Saltwater Classic A & B Anahuac Contact: Marshall Boyd, 4303 Texana Dr. Baytown, TX 77523; December 15, Region 4 TCCA-HEIFER Jingle Bell Classic A, B, C, & D Montgomery Co. Fairgrounds, Conroe Contact: Montgomery Co. 4-H Beef Heifer Show Team, 9020 Airport Rd., Conroe, TX 77303; December 15-16, Region 5 TCCA-TCPA-TCLA-TCMGAHEIFER- STEER-PIG-LAMB-GOAT South Texas Series- Battle on the Bay A, B, C, & D JK Northway Expo Center, Kingsville Contact: Tracy Beadle, 603 S CR 1110, Riviera, TX 78379; December 15-16, Region 3 TCCA-TCPA-TCLA-TCMGAHEIFER- STEER-PIG-LAMB-GOAT Princeton FFA Winter Classic A, B, C, & D (Steer, Pig, Lamb, Goat, A & B Only) Myers Park Event Center, McKinney Contact: Cherry Simpson, 2228 CR 900, Princeton, TX 75407; December 16, Region 4 TCCA-HEIFER Sleigh Ride A, B, C, & D Grimes Co. Fairgrounds, Navasota Contact: Cindy Wishert,

4 28439 Champion Ridge Rd., Magnolia, TX 77254; December 22, Region 3 TCCA-HEIFER Holiday Heifer Blowout A, B, C, & D Kaufman Co. Fairgrounds, Kaufman Contact: Chris Pedersen, P.O. Box 796, Terrell, TX 75160; December 29, 2012 Region 2 TCPA-PIG New Year s Classic A & B Nocona Show Barn, Nocona Contact: Montague Co. VLAT, 7375 Rock Springs School Rd, Nocona, TX 76255; December 29-30, 2012 Region 3 TCCA-TCLA-TCMGAHEIFER- STEER-LAMB-GOAT North Texas Showdown A, B, C, & D (Steer, Lamb, Goat A & B Only ) Myers Park Event Center, McKinney Contact: Roger Whan, P.O. Box 680, McKinney, TX 75070; January 3-4, Region 1 TCCA-HEIFER-STEER SandHills Stock Show & Rodeo Ector Co. Coliseum, Odessa Contact: SandHills Stock Show, 218 W 46th, Odessa, TX 79764; January 4, Region None TJLA LIVESTOCK JUDGING Bexar Junior Livestock Judging San Antonio Contact: Lorie Kempen, 7914 Knowlton Rd., San Antonio, TX 78263; January 5, Region 5 TCLA-TCMGA-LAMB-GOAT Chupacabra Classic A & B Friar Ag Center, Cuero Contact: Mike Wuensche, 80 Cody Dr. Victoria, TX 77904; January 5, Region 5 TCCA-HEIFER Chisholm Trail Beef Challenge A, B, C, & D Caldwell Co. Fairgrounds, Lockhart Contact: Roger Smith, 475 Catfish Ln., Lockhart, TX 78644; January 5, Region 4 TCCA-HEIFER New Year Kickoff A, B, C, & D Madison Co. Fairgrounds, Madisonville Contact: Bob Choiniere, 727 Pee Dee Ln, Madisonville, TX 77864; January 18- February 9, Region 2 TCCA-TCLA-TCPA-TCMGAHEIFER- STEER-LAMB-PIG-GOAT Fort Worth Livestock Show & Rodeo Will Rogers Memorial Center, Fort Worth Contact: Local CES or AST Seniors The 2013 TFB Scholarships are now available and must be submitted online by March 18, Here is a few of the scholarships: o Texas Farm Bureau District Scholarship Program o TFB Young Farmer and Rancher Scholarship o TFB Young Farmer and Rancher for Enrolled College Agricultural Students o Dick Mitchell Scholarship. Visit the website for details on scholarships at: Also, 2013 Texas 4H and Youth Development Opportunities Scholarship Applications are available online at: January 12, Region 4 TCCA-HEIFER Winter Scholarship Bonanza A, B, C, & D Madison Co. Fairgrounds, Madisonville Contact: Bob Choiniere, 727 Pee Dee Ln, Madisonville, TX 77864; January 12-13, Region 4 TCCA-HEIFER-STEER Last Chance A, B, C, & D Walker Co. Fairgounds, Huntsville Contact: Glenna Goodrum, 110 Southwood Forest, Huntsville, TX 77340; , Nita Syphrett, January 19-20, Region 5 TCCA-HEIFER-STEER Lone Star Classic A, B, C, & D JB Wells Park, Gonzales Contact: Daniel Boatright, P.O. Box 84, Leesville, TX 78122; Join Us On Facebook! Search us under LaSalle Co. 4H & ask to join!

5 2013 Teen Leadership Retreat Teen Leadership Retreat will be held in January 4-6, 2013 at the Texas 4-H Conference Center Brownwood. Sessions include: Bubbles in Food, Fitness Challenge, Robotics, Dancing, GPS program & much more. Programs led by college professors, 4-H specialists and other experts. Dancing, Games & FUN, FUN, FUN! 4-H members ages To register visit the 4-H Center website: Texas4hcenter.tamu.edu Click on the Register Now link. $105 for youth and $70 for adults Each county is responsible for providing adult chaperones. programs for beef cattle (steers and heifers), swine, meat goats, lambs, poultry and rabbits (new this year). Saturday, multiple showmanship workshops will be conducted to help new exhibitors. Sunday, is devoted to competitive showmanship contests followed by jackpot shows. Please do not that animals do not have to be clipped or fitted in order to participate. Registration costs $30/family if registered by Dec 2 nd ; otherwise, it is $40/family and can be completed on 4-H connect. Complete details can be found at: h.tamu.edu.eventsandcontests/southern-classic/ Southern Classic Youth Livestock Project Experience Brazos County invites you to participate in the Southern Classic Youth Livestock Project Experience on December 7-9, Educational Lost and Found: There was a sweater left at the Rabies Clinic. It is a XL Maroon and in print it says VARSITY ATHLETIC ALL STARS. Please come by the LaSalle County Extension Office and pick up.

6 4H & FFA Booster Club sets Attendance Policy! The LaSalle Co. 4H and FFA Booster Club, (Which runs the Livestock Show) has instituted a rule that states: To be eligible to show at the LaSalle Co. Livestock Show, all 4H and FFA members must attend at least 50% of their respective chapter or club meetings. This rule will go into effect THIS YEAR. If you miss a 4H meeting and would like to have a make up, you can attend a LaSalle County Council meeting. There will be a horse judging meeting Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at 6pm at the fairgrounds.

7 Teen Retreat January 4-6, 2013 Texas 4-H Conference Center Who? Senior age 4-H members, and adult sponsors Why? Develop leadership skills through workshops and hands-on learning experiences How? Register on 4-H Center website between Nov 1 and Dec 30 Cost? Registration includes 2 nights lodging, 4 meals, snacks and all program supplies. Youth $105, Adults $70 $90 Chaperone fee if County does not provide chaperone Teen Retreat at the Texas 4-H Conference Center provides a state level leadership experience for 4-H youth ages The program is designed to allow teens to explore new or revised projects and curricula resources and return to implement them in their counties Featured sessions include: Bubbles in Food, Fitness Challenge, Robotics, Dancing, GIS/GPS program and much more. Join us for a weekend of Fun, Fun, Fun! College professors, 4-H Specialists and other experts will lead program sessions. Register now go to the 4-H Center website: texas4hcenter.tamu.edu and click on Register Now link. Learning through serving others

8 Texas Teen Retreat Friday, January 4, :00-9:00 p.m. Registration (eat dinner before you arrive! Snacks will be provided) Dance/games/cards/dominos will be available as groups arrive 9:00 Recreation/ Games Auditorium 10:00 Adult Chaperone Meeting Moore County Room 10:00 Dance -- Auditorium 11:30 p.m. Vespers 12:00 midnight Lights Out Saturday, January 5, :30 a.m. Flag Ceremony followed by Breakfast 8:45 Opening Assembly -- Auditorium 9:00 Concurrent Sessions #1 Gold Stars-- Bubbles in Food Program -- Dining Room Red Stars -- Fitness Challenge -- Patio Blue Stars -- Robotics Moore County Room Green Stars-- Dance -- Auditorium Silver Stars-- Veterans Service Project 10:15 Concurrent Sessions #2 Silver Stars -- Bubbles in Food Program -- Dining Room Gold Stars -- Fitness Challenge -- Patio Red Stars -- Robotics Moore County Room Blue Stars -- Dance -- Auditorium Green Stars-- Veterans Service Project 11:30 Team Activities 12:00 Lunch 1:30 Concurrent Sessions #3 Green Stars -- Bubbles in Food Program -- Dining Room Silver Stars -- Fitness Challenge -- Patio Gold Stars -- Robotics Moore County Room Red Stars -- Dance -- Auditorium Blue Stars -- Veterans Service Project 2:45 Concurrent Sessions #4 Blue Stars -- Bubbles in Food Program -- Dining Room Green Stars -- Fitness Challenge -- Patio Silver Stars -- Robotics Moore County Room Gold Stars -- Dance -- Auditorium Red Stars -- Veterans Service Project 4:00 Concurrent Sessions #5 Red Stars -- Bubbles in Food Program -- Dining Room Blue Stars -- Fitness Challenge -- Patio Green Stars -- Robotics Moore County Room Silver Stars -- Dance -- Auditorium Gold Stars -- Veterans Service Project 5:15 Free Time Rec Room, T-Shirt Shoppe Open 5:45 Flag Ceremony followed by Dinner 7:15 The Leadership Journey Dr. Lance Kieth-- Auditorium 8:30-11:30 Dance/Recreation -- Auditorium 11:30 Ceremonial 12:00 Lights Out Sunday, January 6, :30 a.m. Flag Ceremony followed by Breakfast; Finish Cleaning Dorms 9:00 West Texas A&M Leadership Team Evaluation and wrap up

9 Dimmit County Classic Entry Card ******** Show Use Only ******** Exhibitors # Weight Breed Name of Show: Exhibitors Name: Age as of Show Day: Mailing Address: 2012 Dimmit County Classic Phone #: ( ) - Alternate #: ( ) - Address: Show Animal (only mark one) Breed: o4-h o FFA Only 1 Entry Card Per Animal Address City State Zip County osteer oswine olamb ogoat oheifer Heifer Date of Birth: Make Checks Payable to: Parent Leaders Association 064 Mail Checks & Entries to the Dimmit Co.Extension Office: 303 South 5th St., Carrizo Springs, TX Cut on dotted line Dimmit County Classic Entry Card ******** Show Use Only ******** Exhibitors # Weight Breed Name of Show: Exhibitors Name: Age as of Show Day: Mailing Address: 2012 Dimmit County Classic Phone #: ( ) - Alternate #: ( ) - Address: Show Animal (only mark one) Breed: o4-h o FFA Only 1 Entry Card Per Animal Address City State Zip County osteer oswine olamb ogoat oheifer Heifer Date of Birth: Make Checks Payable to: Mail Checks & Entries to the Dimmit Co.Extension Office: Parent Leaders Association South 5th St., Carrizo Springs, TX 78834

10 E /06 how pigs can bring many disease organisms into a farm and spread them to other swine. However, there are things you can do to prevent yours from contracting and spreading diseases. These are some precautions: Taking care that the show pigs are healthy when they arrive on the farm Using isolation practices to prevent disease Using good health management practices Providing plenty of fresh, clean water Changing rations slowly Providing rations containing medication to prevent specific diseases that kill or cripple pigs Taking special care during and after surgeries Understanding disease risks within a well-managed farm Vaccinating to prevent serious diseases Deworming the pigs routinely Having sick pigs promptly diagnosed and treated Using prescribed drugs properly Bruce Lawhorn Visiting Professor, Swine Practice, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences The Texas A&M University System Starting with Healthy Pigs To prevent disease outbreaks in show pigs, start by preparing before you produce or buy them. Pigs should be very healthy if they are farrowed at one location, are never exposed to other swine and are fed at that location until exhibition. When buying show pigs, it is best to buy them directly from one farm of origin that has a history of excellent herd health. You may house the pigs together if you bought them all from one farm of origin unless they are fighting too much (a common cause of lameness) or need to be fed different rations.

11 Show pigs can be exposed to many diseasecausing organisms for these reasons: They are bought at a sale that is not at the farm of origin and are exposed to other pigs. They are bought directly from multiple farms and then mixed on a trailer for transportation to a location for distribution to buyers. Remember: The greater the exposure, the greater the likelihood of disease problems. Isolating Pigs from the Farm If you buy show pigs directly from several farms, isolate them from each other. Use separate stalls while hauling the pigs and, once they get to your farm, isolate them in separate pens. You need to prevent them from contacting each other through the fence for 60 days. Treat these separate isolation pens as if they were totally different farm locations. Before going from one pen to another, wash and disinfect your boots, equipment and other items. In fact, you could continue isolating these pigs from each other for the entire feeding period before exhibition. If you show the pigs several times during a season, isolate them in their own pen after each return to the farm. Do not expose other swine, such as breeding stock, on the farm to the many disease-causing organisms that these show pigs may have picked up elsewhere. Following Good Health Management Practices Generally, it is much easier to prevent swine diseases by using good management practices rather than trying to treat the pigs after they have become sick. Injecting them with antibiotics in order to prevent diseases usually does not work. For example, if pigs are purchased from multiple sources, mixed on a trailer and subjected to the stress of hauling, injections during this time may only postpone or delay the development of bacterial diseases. Antibiotics are totally ineffective in preventing common viral diseases such as transmissible gastroenteritis and swine influenza. Also, vaccines are not available for all swine diseases and must be given long before the pigs undertake the rigors of exhibition. Using Good Watering and Feeding Practices Your pigs should always have access to fresh, clean, cool water. If they go without water for 2 to 3 days and then gorge themselves on water, pigs can suffer brain damage or die from salt intoxication, or water deprivation. Also, it s critical to make sure that the pigs find the water and are drinking. Some pigs are accustomed to trough or bowl-type waterers and may not drink from nipple waterers. You can fix that by temporarily wedging a kernel of corn or pebble beside the nipple of a nipple waterer to allow it to drip into a pan. This helps the pigs quickly find the water source. If you use a trough-type waterer, make sure that you secure it to a solid object or see that the trough is heavy enough to keep the pigs from overturning it when rooting. Proper feed management is also important. Do not change rations quickly because this can cause edema disease, which can kill pigs. Change the rations over several days to a week by mixing in the new feed and gradually increasing the amount of new feed. Do this until all that you are feeding is the new ration. You can also buy rations containing medication that help prevent serious show pig diseases. Lincomix and Denagard are approved antibiotics commonly used in rations. For more information on feed medication for specific diseases, check these Extension publications: Diarrheal Disease in Show Swine, L-5320; and Swine Pneumonia, L Taking Care during and after Surgery If the pig undergoes surgery such as castration, make sure that sanitized instruments are used and that the operation is done in clean conditions. After the surgery, house the recovering pigs in clean areas like a sanitized trailer, for example. If a veterinarian performs the operation, follow the post-surgical care instructions meticulously.

12 Many veterinarians try to prevent complications after surgery by administering antibiotics and injecting a tetanus antitoxin. The highest risk for tetanus in pigs is after castration when the incision site is purposely left open for drainage and becomes contaminated with dirt containing tetanus spores, which are in substances like dirt and dust. Another possible complication is an abscess or cyst formation that creates an obvious skin enlargement at the castration site after healing. These usually must be removed surgically before you can exhibit a barrow. However, lack of healing time before a show is always a concern after abscess removal. To prevent complications such as abscesses, consider utilizing a veterinarian who uses anesthesia for castration, uses an aseptic surgical technique and closes the castration site. Veterinarians also commonly perform other surgeries requiring anesthesia, such as removal of a retained testicle (cryptorchidism), removal of an infected and enlarged urine pocket (preputial diverticulum removal), repair of scrotal or umbilical hernia, and removal of tumors. Before a surgeon administers anesthesia to your pigs, you need to understand that properly complying with drug withdrawal times can conflict with future exhibition dates. This is especially true for larger, older pigs. Therefore, always talk to your veterinarian beforehand and cooperatively plan any surgery involving anesthesia to ensure you re in compliance. Obviously, if you choose a gilt for exhibition, you can avoid many of the potential problems of barrows. Recognizing Risks on the Farm Even if you use the best management techniques to minimize the exposure of your show pig to disease, the pig s dam (or sow) can still pass disease-causing bacteria and viruses to each pig in its litter. The piglets can encounter these organisms while they are moving through the birth canal, when they nurse, and while they simply share the same space with the sow before weaning. Harmful bacteria, for example, may be found in the sow s body secretions. Before and after weaning are also times that pigs can become infected with roundworms, whipworms, mange or lice. Another way they can be exposed to disease-causing organisms is when several litters from the same farm are mixed in the nursery. The ideal health maintenance situation is when a show pig is farrowed and raised on one farm. Even so, it can still carry disease-causing organisms in its mouth, nose, tonsils, respiratory tract and other areas. These organisms may become active later, particularly after being stressed by such activity as hauling. Vaccinating To Prevent Serious Diseases There are many vaccines fully approved and readily available to help with the prevention of domestic swine diseases. The best way for you to deal with this is to follow a basic or minimal vaccination program that is practical and simple. A major problem with pigs in 4-H and FFA projects is that no vaccines are used, or they are improperly used. While vaccines do not exist for all swine diseases, there are ones that are effective against some very important disease-causing organisms that are prevalent in many swine herds. In these cases, vaccinations are recommended because the organisms might kill the pig or make it unfit for exhibition. Whether you raise pigs from a litter or buy them, you should routinely vaccinate against erysipelas and Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia (APP). Erysipelas is caused by the bacterium Eysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, which can result in sudden death, skin disease and lameness. APP comes from the bacterium Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, which causes pneumonia, sudden death and chronic illness with poor weight gain. An example of a combination erysipelas-app bacterin (inactivated bacterial vaccine) is Pneu-Pac-ER (Schering Plough). The first dose is administered for pigs as early as 4 weeks of age that are raised on your farm. Pigs are usually purchased when they are at least 8 weeks old or weigh at least 40 pounds; you will need to vaccinate them the first week they arrive. In both cases, the second dose is given 3 to 4 weeks later. Approximately 2 weeks after the second erysipelas-app bacterin is administered, healthy pigs develop an immunity that lasts until about 6 months of age. Sometimes these diseases still occur after vaccination; however, vaccination should make them less severe.

13 Another extremely important disease is porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). The virus that triggers this can cause pneumonia and death, or it may cause a chronic disease that reduces a pig s weight gain or stops its growth. In addition, the syndrome causes reproductive disease in breeding swine. If infection is a known herd problem or a potential problem in purchased pigs, you should consider vaccinating pigs against PRRS to prevent pneumonia. Two modified-live PRRS virus vaccines are available and effective. One is Ingelvac PRRS ATP, which fights respiratory form of the virus. The other is Ingelvac PRRS MLV (Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica), which prevents both the respiratory and reproductive form of PRRS. Even though they do work, you still must strictly follow the many label warnings about the use of modified-live PRRS virus vaccine. Vaccinated swine carry the vaccine virus that may be shed and infect non-vaccinated swine with which they later come in contact. This is of minor importance if only barrows destined for slaughter are exposed. If gilts, sows or boars in a closed breeding herd are exposed to PRRS-carrier animals through, for example, vaccinated and/or infected carrier gilts brought into the closed herd, their reproductive performance might decrease. Ingelvac PRRS ATP is approved for pigs that are at least 3 weeks old and should not be used on adult, breeding gilts, sows or boars. The vaccine protects against a very severe respiratory form of PRRS caused by an atypical PRRS virus strain. You vaccinate pigs for this only once. Pigs at least 3 weeks old can be vaccinated with Ingelvac PRRS MLV to prevent the respiratory form of PRRS. It can also be used for non-pregnant sows and gilts in PRRS-positive herds 3 to 4 weeks before each breeding. With both groups, you will vaccinate only once. Remember the following about Ingelvac PRRS ATP or Ingelvac PRRS MLV: Only use them against a respiratory form of PRRS in purchased show barrows or gilts that are at least 3 weeks old and which are destined for terminal shows and/or slaughter. Make sure these particular pigs will not have contact with current or potential breeding swine or are not kept as breeding stock. Always consult a swine veterinarian before vaccinating any breeding animal with any modified-live PRRS virus vaccine. Compared to modified-live PRRS virus vaccine, inactivated PRRS virus vaccine has the advantage of not being shed to other swine. Unfortunately, proprietary inactivated PRRS virus vaccine is no longer available. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infection that causes the most common form of swine bacterial pneumonia can be reactivated or made worse by PRRS virus infection and pneumonia. Vaccination against this bacteria can help suppress a part of the disease syndrome caused by PRRS virus infection. Large commercial swine farms use custom-made or autogenous inactivated PRRS virus vaccines, but these vaccines are not practical or economically feasible for use in show swine. With the absence of proprietary inactivated PRRS virus vaccine, you should consider routine vaccination against mycoplasma pneumonia for pigs you raise from birth or ones you buy. Examples of onedose Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae bacterins are Pneumo STAR Myco (Novartis) and Mycosilencer Once (Intervet, Inc.). Pigs need vaccination when they are at least 3 weeks old, and protection from one-dose mycoplasma pneumonia bacterins will last until the pigs are about 6 months old. Two-dose mycolasma pneumonia vaccines are also available. One example is MycoShield (Novartis). It is given when the pigs are at least 2 weeks old and is repeated 2 weeks later. You want to vaccinate only healthy pigs. If a pig is sick, wait until it is completely well before vaccinating. If healthy growing pigs are vaccinated but are not kept for breeding stock, they will not require any booster vaccinations before slaughter. At this point, they will be around 5.5 to 6.5 months old. All of these vaccines have 21-day withdrawal times, while Pneu-Pac-ER has a 60-day withdrawal time. Because of such differences, it is critical to read the instructions on vaccine labels carefully and follow recommended withdrawal times. When in doubt about a vaccine or drug withdrawal time, always ask your veterinarian for advice before injecting the product into your pig.

14 Deworming Healthy Pigs Deworming should also be a routine practice in healthy pigs on their arrival and 1 month later. Use a dewormer effective against whipworms at least once. Approved products such as Safe-guard (fenbendazole, Intervet) administered daily for 3 days or Atgard C (dichlorvos, BI Vetmedica) are effective against whipworms as well as roundworms. Pigs sick with diarrheal disease can be especially sensitive to certain deworming products. Safe-guard (fenbendazole) is probably the drug least harmful to whipworm-infected pigs with diarrhea. Ivomec (ivermectin, Merial) and Dectomax (doramectin, Pfizer) are excellent injectable dewormers, and also kill lice and mange. However, since their effectiveness against whipworms varies, they are not approved for use against this important internal parasite. An alternative to routine deworming is take a fecal sample from each pig to a veterinarian, who can perform a fecal flotation to check for worm eggs. Test results will indicate which pigs to deworm. If no worm eggs are detected in a pig s feces, recheck that pig a month later. Routine deworming is likely more practical and economical than testing each pig for worms. Diagnosing and Treating Sick Pigs Promptly Pigs that are sick for an extended period of time do not respond to treatment as well as pigs appropriately treated earlier in the disease process. If your show pig becomes ill, promptly consult your veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment. Using Prescribed Drugs Properly Carelessly using an approved or unapproved product on your show hog may disqualify you from exhibition. You must carefully read and follow the label instructions when using any approved feed, oral or injectable drug, or product for swine. If you are in doubt about any vaccine, drug, or other product for your show animal, do not use it unless you have consulted a veterinarian. You must be absolutely certain that it is acceptable and know that no withdrawal periods will be violated by using the product. More information is available through The Pork Quality Assurance Youth Program. This educational program covers 10 good production practices that help prevent possible drug residues and physical hazards like broken needles. It also addresses microbial contamination in pork, increasing food safety awareness among producers and consumers. Youth leaders can contact the National Pork Producers Association at (515) or pork@nppc.org. Its website address is The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas Cooperative Extension is implied. Produced by AgriLife Communications and Marketing, The Texas A&M University System Texas AgriLife Extension publications can be found on the Web at: Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, Acts of Congress of May 8, 1914, as amended, and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. Edward G. Smith, Director, Texas Cooperative Extension, The Texas A&M University System. Revision