Cystitis and Pyelonephritis
Definition |
Infection of the bladder with resulting ascending infection
to the kidneys |
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Causal agent |
Bacterial infection of the bladder associated with Actinobaculum suis, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and streptococci.
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Environmental factors |
Poor urination and water availability |
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Age group |
Adult sows particularly parity 3+ |
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Clinical signs |
Acute:- Post -service.
Urinating blood, off food, collapse, sudden death, hypothermia. |
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Chronic:- Any
time. Urinating smoky to red/blood
urine. Rapid breathing, off food,
weakness in hind legs, collapse and death. |
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Unlikely to be a herd problem if annual sow death % less
than 5% Photo shows a normal urine on the left and blood stained
urine on the right from a sow with cystitis |
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Infectivity |
Actinobaculum suis is a normal inhabitant of the boar’s prepuce. The sow becomes infected at breeding |
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Incubation period |
Very variable depending on the extent of damage to the
sow’s bladder |
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Post mortem findings |
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Acute |
Acute catarrhal haemorrhagic ulcerative cystitis with
thickened bladder wall. Acute changes
to the ureterovesical junction. Acute
haemorrhagic ureteritis occasionally with occlusion and torsion. Acute renal failure with haemorrhagic
pyelitis |
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Acute catarrhal
haemorrhagic cystitis |
Ureteric torsion |
Ulcerated megaureter |
Acute pyelonephritis |
Chronic |
Chronic and acute catarrhal haemorrhagic cystitis with
thickening of the bladder wall. Swollen
chronic changes to the ureterovesical junction. Ureteritis occasionally unilateral. Chronic active intersitial nephritis and
pyelonephritis |
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Chronic cystitis |
Chronic swollen ureterovesical junction |
Chronic active pyelonephritis |
End stage kidney |
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Treatment
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Individual |
Loose house and exercise to encourage urination
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Continuous access to troughed water |
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Lincocin and tetracycline by intramuscular injections into the neck
using a 1.5" 16g needle |
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Herd - Encourage regular and frequent
urination |
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During the problem period check all
sow's post-service (0-28 days) urination for any blood. Treatment more effective when early |
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Ideally feed in the morning and heat check in th afternoon to encourage the sow's to rise and urinate frequently |
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Improve water availability |
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Lactating sow's should receive water at a flow rate
of 2+ litres per minute. Gestating
sows 1.5-2 litres per minute |
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Feed consumption on day 18 of lactation
should approach 10 kg per day. Feed
intake is a good indication of water availability |
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Regularly maintain water supplies. Particular areas to examine are water source;
drinking device; accessible drinkers and management of drinkers |
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Farrowing house management |
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To limit trauma and infection
of the vagina and bladder
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Improve hygiene behind the sow by manually
removing faeces 3 days prior and 7 days post-farrowing. Very dirty rear regions should be cleaned
with soap and water |
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Reduce manual farrowing as much as
possible,use plastic gloves and clean hands |
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All sows manually farrowed should receive
an appropriate antibiotic by 16g 1.5" needle intramuscularly into the
neck |
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Encourage the correct use of oxytocin at 5 IU doses |
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Ideally increase lactating length to 24
days |
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Breeding area hygiene |
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At all times stalled sows must be separated for her urine and faeces |
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Clean all soiled rears of the sow
particularly prior to service |
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Avoid contact with the boar's penis
during service |
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Ensure that the underline of the boar is
kept clean by managing the boar in a clean dry environment |
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Ensure service is carried out on a good
non-slip floor |
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Do not serve lame sows with boars, only
use AI |
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Cease heat checking by 'thumbing' |
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Zoonotic implications | ||||
None | ||||