Splay leg

Causal agent		Environment, genetic and mycotoxins
Other names		Straddlers, Myofibrillar hyoplasia
Age group		Piglets within hours of birth. Males more affected
Clinical signs
Acute	Piglet shortly after birth has splayed back and occasionally front legs. The effect seriously affects the piglet’s ability to dry, suckle and get out of the way of the sow, therefore pre-weaning mortality is increased
Infectivity
	None. The disease only affects individual
Cause
sow slipping in the farrowing house	Environmental – slippy floors especially behind the sow
	Piglets staying wet and cold too long
	Low birth weight piglets
	Stressed sows at farrowing more prone to deliver splay leg piglets
	Zearalenone (F2) toxin may be associated with increased incidence
	In some cases there is a genetic component to the problem – Landrace more common than in Large White
Post-mortem Lesions
	Hypoplasia of the muscles of the back – longissimus dorsi and the biceps femoris muscles
Diagnosis
	Clinical signs very characteristic

Treatment
Individual	If all four legs euthanase piglets
	If hind legs only affected, tape legs together
	Massage hip area of the affected piglet
	Provide support for the back legs using tape and bands. Do not apply too tight to cause circulation constriction. Remove as soon as possible- after 48 to 72 hours
	Doubled elastic band held between the hind legs. Tape over the back may help stabilise the back as well
	What ever treatment is pursued, it is essential to provide adequate colostrum within 6 hours of birth
Control	Repair or replace farrowing house floor in particular behind and sides of sow
	Paint floor with lime wash to increase adhesive properties of floor
	Rear of crate lime washed		Sow too large/long
	Farrow piglets in the passageway behind the sow to allow a dryer and cleaner environment
	Place mats or feedbags behind the sow during farrow
	Review gestation feeding. Increase feed intake from day 90 to 110 of gestation. Birth weights need to be greater than 1.2 kg
	Reduce gestation stress. Place sows into farrowing house at least 5 days before farrowing. Ensure sow housing adequate – length of sides, floor no draughts etc
	Do not breed from splay leg gilts or boars. While the animal recovers permanent damage may have been incurred
Common differentials
	Spinal injury. Trodden on by sow