We have been spending so much of our recent time worrying about how to prevent African Swine Fever and tracking its march around the globe. While occurrences have lessened, it is still a very real threat. However, we cannot ever put all our eggs into one basket when we are talking about animal health. Just because we have one worrisome disease out there, doesn?t mean we can forget about the others.
Another very real and very dangerous disease is Porcine Respiratory & Reproductive Syndrome or PRRS. It is still the number one most significant disease that American herds are facing. Dr. JD Fiechtner is with Boehringer Ingelheim. He talks about the level of devastation this disease causes.
Dr. Fiechtner talks about the three pillars of dealing with an outbreak. They are:
- Maximize Protection
- Minimize Exposure & Transmission
- Mitigate the Risks of the Disease
He explains more about how this is accomplished.
The biggest lesson you can learn about biosecurity is to control whatever you can control. PRRS doesn?t care if you have the newest state-of-the-art barn facility or if you are an organic farmer who raises the animals in outdoor feedlots. The disease doesn?t discriminate. Dr. Fiechtner says just know where you have to lockdown if an outbreak is in your area or in your herd.
Always keep in contact with your local herd veterinarian to stay on top of animal health and protection for your herd. They customize a plan to help you best protect your investment.
