Infrared Thermography for Early Identification and Treatment of Shoulder Sores to Improve Sow and Piglet Welfare

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Shoulder sores are a welfare issue primarily for breeding sows and are often associated with reduced movement and body condition loss during lactation. The occurrence of shoulder sores contributes to lactation failure, which in turn becomes a welfare issue for piglets due to the stress of early weaning. This experiment investigated the use of a thermal camera to detect hotspots caused by underlying tissue damage on the shoulder of sows, prior to wound formation. Infrared thermography (IRT) was able to detect hotspots in 88% of sows that developed sores, allowing for a lead in time to wound formation of 7 days. Once a hotspot was detected, we investigated the use of three commonly used topical commercial products, Repiderma(®), Derisal(®), Chloromide(®) and mānuka honey. All treatments, with the exception of Repiderma(®), decreased the diameter of the sores by weaning. The results of this study provide evidence that the use of IRT provides a tool for early detection of shoulder sores in sows, allowing for early treatment that is likely to improve the longevity of the sow and welfare of the litter, due to a reduction in lesion related sow culling. ABSTRACT: Shoulder sores in sows cause pain, may lead to early weaning and resultant piglet distress, and premature culling. Early detection and intervention is key to avoid these substantial production and welfare imposts. In this experiment we tested infrared thermography (IRT) to identify shoulder sores before wound eruption, and effectiveness of four wound healing treatments; mānuka honey (n = 11); Derisal(®) (n = 11); Chloromide(®) (n = 13) and Repiderma(®) (n = 16), all of which contain no antibiotics. Three hundred and ten sows (parity 2.3 ± 0.2) were monitored daily from entry to the farrowing sheds until weaning using a thermal camera. IRT successfully detected 88% of shoulder sores as hot spots and provided a lead in time of 7 days. Sixteen percent of all sows had a hotspot detected and were randomly allocated to one of four daily treatment groups. At the end of the treatment period, sore diameter was significantly reduced for all treatments, except the Repiderma(®) group. Sow traits had little influence on susceptibility to shoulder sores. There may be a link between prewean mortality and shoulder sores, but this requires further investigation. The use of IRT to monitor for hotspots for early intervention is validated. Future work should concentrate on methods to prevent wound eruption after detection with IRT to improve the health and welfare of both the sow and her litter.