Teeth clipping in pigs is a management practice in which the sharp tips of newborn piglets' teeth are trimmed or filed to reduce the risk of injury to sows during nursing and minimize aggression-related injuries among piglets.
Piglets are born with erupted teeth, in order to avoid sow teat injury and damage between piglets, some farms clip their
deciduous teeth
Deciduous teeth or primary teeth, also informally known as baby teeth, milk teeth, or temporary teeth,Fehrenbach, MJ and Popowics, T. (2026). ''Illustrated Dental Embryology, Histology, and Anatomy'', 6th edition, Elsevier, page 287–296. are ...
.
Lesions caused by piglet teeth are superficial and mortality is lower among pigs that don't undergo painful procedures, including teeth clipping.
Disadvantages
The benefits of teeth clipping do not exceed the negative aspects.
Some of the disadvantages of teeth clipping are:
* Piglets may stop eating due to pain
* Antibiotic overuse
* Decreased weight gain
* Hemorrhage(blood loss)
* Teeth fracture
* Gum damage
* Abscess
* Mouth infections
* Joint infections
* Systemic infections
* Lethargy due to infection
* Higher stress and cortisol which reduces mucle mass in pigs
Ethics
The procedure is painful and produces chronic pain, the
dental pulp
The pulp is the connective tissue, nerves, blood vessels, and odontoblasts that comprise the innermost layer of a tooth. The pulp's activity and signalling processes regulate its behaviour.
Anatomy
The pulp is the neurovascular bundle cen ...
with the nerve can become exposed, producing further pain. Moreover, if the exposed dental pulp becomes infected, extreme pain will be present.
Alternatives
Smaller litter sizes, less dense and intensive pig farming, cage free farming, better feed sow.
See also
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Cruelty to animals
Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction of suffering or Injury, harm by humans upon animals, either by omission (neglect) or by commission. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm ...
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Overview of discretionary invasive procedures on animals
Numerous procedures performed on domestic animals are usually more invasive than purely cosmetic alterations, but differ from types of veterinary surgery that are performed exclusively for health reasons. Such procedures have been grouped tog ...
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Intensive pig farming
Intensive pig farming, also known as pig factory farming, is the primary method of pig production, in which grower pigs are housed indoors in group-housing or straw-lined sheds in establishments also known as piggeries, whilst pregnant sows a ...
References
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Pigs
Cruelty to animals
Dentistry procedures