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Mange, the common name for a condition of skin damage and
hair loss in many animals including swine, is caused by two
different types of parasitic mites. One is called Sarcoptes
Scabiei and the other called Demodex Phylloides. Mange is a
fairly common disease that strikes pigs and makes them
irritated and uncomfortable. This is a wide spread disease
that affects sixty percent of the commercial swine herds in
most countries.
Mange, however, is one of the easier diseases to prevent
because it can only be carried by an infected pig. Once you
separate out the contaminated pig/pigs the problem will no
longer spread so long as you clean up and disinfect the
affected areas.
Mange itself causes unsightly damaged skin with small red
bumps covering it and crusty ear deposits, and the pigs will
rub up against anything that they think might alleviate the
itch. The resultant scratching of course damages the skin
even further. It takes two weeks, once contaminated, for the
mange to start appearing on the skin. Mange reduces the
growth rate and food efficiency in pigs.
If there is an infected boar in the herd, it will help to
spread the disease by staying in contact with the breeding
females. If you find that your boar is infected you will
have to put off breeding until the problem is cured.
In severe cases the pig will develop an allergic reaction to
the mites and will be covered with a rash and will rub up
against objects in its pen until it bleeds. There will also
be strong shaking of its head because of the ear irritation.
Unless you have a small controlled pig herd that you keep a
close eye on, mange can go untreated in commercial pig farms
for months. In chronic mange cases a thick asbestos-like
lesion will develop along the sides and top of the neck, the
ears, the front of the hocks and the elbows.
Only skin scrapings of the infected areas submitted to your
veterinarian for lab testing will positively identify
whether or not your pig has mange. There are ways to control
mange by applying medications that the pig's skin will
absorb, by spraying, putting medication in the feed or by
injecting them.
But the best way to control mange is to make sure that it is
never introduced to your pig herd. When you buy a pig keep
it penned away from your herd for two weeks to see if it
develops any disease and then and only then release it with
your other stock. Take skin scrapings of any lesions on the
isolated pig to submit for testing. Control and care for
your herd will reduce the occurrence of most diseases
including mange.
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