High sow mortality rates, particularly first and second-litter sows, around the time of parturition continues to baffle the U.S. pork industry. Current mortality rates are up to 17% in sows, of which pelvic organ prolapse accounts for 12%. When Savannah Thomson, 23, set out to discover preventative measures for sow organ prolapse, she quickly realized more tools were needed.
Veterinarians often use quantitative pelvic measurements to predict calving and lambing ease and prolapse, but the swine industry lacks morphometric (sow dimension) factors that might contribute to dystocia, prolapse, or sow livability, Thomson explains.
In order to find answers to this large and unsolved problem within the swine industry, she came up with the idea to create the Pig-O-Meter to provide ground truth data for collection of hip and tail heights.
Thomson’s innovation and knowledge helped her win the Morrison Swine Innovator Prize. She was one of seven finalists recognized during the Allen D. Leman Swine Conference. She presented her research findings during a session at the conference.
Last summer, Thomson, a second-year veterinary student in the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, completed a Food Systems Fellowship aimed to identify morphometric factors to determine if sow conformation using the changes in height from the pelvis (ilium) to the tail flexion were correlated to ease of farrowing and sow livability.
During the study she helped collect morphometric data from 700 commercial sows 7 days pre-farrowing to be correlated with key benchmarking information such as parturition duration, stockperson intervention, piglet survival, return to estrus, and removal or mortality.
“The idea for the Pig-O-Meter originated after my doctor’s appointment where my height was recorded using a stadiometer. I determined that 3D printing would be the most suitable material and method to bootstrap this idea for our research,” Thomson explains.
She first designed the “pedal,” which easily slides up and down the yardstick and rests squarely on the highest point of the sow’s hips (ilium) and tail flexion. The “foot,” a stabilizing unit, ensures the meter stick remains perpendicular to the floor without encumbrance, she says.
“Some sows’ heights exceeded a standard 36-inch yardstick; so I built height into the ‘foot’ of the Pig-O-Meter, adding an extra 10 cm to measure taller sows. In the final prototype, I increased the length of the ‘pedal’ to extend the sow transversely and improve accuracy,” Thomson says.
Although she is sill waiting on data analysis results, she is hopeful this will start the process of developing a breeding candidate selection protocol that will help reduce sow pelvic organ prolapses.
The purpose of this Morrison Swine Innovator Prize is to support DVM students who want to specialize in swine, facilitate networking with industry leaders and inspire innovative thinking and problem-solving skills. Morrison’s mantra, “Learn. Teach. Have fun.” is put to work through this annually anticipated event that allows students to do just that, explains Perle Zhitnitskiy, associate professor in the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine who oversees the program.
Editor’s Note: The Pig-O-Meter is currently undergoing the process to become intellectual property of Michigan State University
Your Next Read: Leman Swine Conference Insights: What the Experts Had to Say
