Connecting The Dots Between Tail Lesions, Teeth Clipping, and Carcass Condemnations, by Melanie Boucher, DVM Southwest Ontario Veterinary Service

Osteomyelitis is the medical term for the presence of an abscess (pus) in bone. Osteomyelitis is often related to bacterial infections that are initially established within superficial lesions that subsequently invade adjacent tissues or travel to internal organs or tissues via the bloodstream (pyaemia). Tail lesions are a common source of bacteria that can enter the bloodstream and then spread to multiple organs and tissues, where they can result in abscesses, lung lesions, arthritis, and osteomyelitis. If teeth clipping is not performed properly, there can be unintended cracking of teeth, gingivitis, pulpitis, dental pulp exposure, snout swellings, and abscess formation. Most of the internal lesions are difficult to detect in the growing animal and are usually detected when the carcass is inspected. When it appears that bacteria have been moving from point A to point B within the carcass, the assumption is that there may be other infected sites within the carcass. As a consequence, most carcasses with osteomyelitis are considered unfit for human consumption, and the total carcass is condemned.

Osteomyelitis is the leading cause of total carcass condemnation in finishing pigs in Portugal. Portuguese researchers wanted to look for possible links between osteomyelitis in pig carcasses. They used meat inspection data from 166,750 finishing pigs slaughtered in a northern Portuguese abattoir. Information regarding total carcass condemnation, slaughter season, origin, sex, tail-biting lesions, and husbandry invasive procedures, including teeth clipping and tail docking, was collected.

Take Home Messages:

• Proper Teeth Clipping: Teeth clipping needs to be performed with care in order to avoid cracked teeth, infection of the deeper tooth pulp, and subsequent abscess formation. Further invasion into adjacent tissues such as the jawbone can result in total carcass condemnation.
• Abscess Formation: Abscesses associated with improper teeth clipping and tail-biting infections can be a source of bacteria that spread via the bloodstream to vertebrae, lungs, and other internal organs. This again can result in total carcass condemnation.
• Slaughter Inspection: Slaughter inspection and monitoring procedures can be useful in assessing animal welfare factors and the impact of management practices.