The essentials of animal health care

The growing number of backyard producers and swine farmers is a testament that the swine industry is alive and continues to be viable investment. Like any investment, it needs attention and proper care.

Dr. Eugene Mende, an expert in swine infectious diseases and the veterinary services manager of B-Meg and San Miguel animal health care, believes that the key is prevention of diseases through proper animal healthcare.

According to Dr. Mende, there are three important things to remember in raising hogs.

First is to provide an efficient animal healthcare plan and second is providing a stress-free environment for the livestock.

More importantly is the proper management of the pigs especially during the first days from birth.

According to Dr. Mende, “High survivability of suckling piglets depends heavily on good management during its first few days. These include proper teeth and navel cutting, tail docking, castration and iron management.”

In 2004, B-Meg San Miguel launched the San Miguel animal health care line in Agrilink, the country’s largest agricultural summit. Considering the nature of the backyard industry, animal healthcare plays an important role in making sure that the livestock attains maximum growth and does not reach premature death.

“We wanted to make sure that we could help the backyard industry by creating a distribution network of medicines that would be effective to their livestock, and would be readily available to the farmers,” says Dr. Mende.

San Miguel animal health care has a complete line of supplements, vitamins, antibiotics, electrolytes, and de-wormers. The vitamins and the antibiotics are also available in sachets and are priced affordably for backyard hog raisers.

The antibiotics come in other formats as well as the pre-mix, liquid solution and the water-soluble powders. The pre-mixes and liquid solutions are usually used and customized for large farms.

On the other hand, the water-soluble variant is popular with the backyard industry. Treating the livestock and poultry can be done by mixing the powders with the drinking water and in their feeds.

High quality B-Meg feeds and San Miguel Animal Health Care line are available for the growth and healthcare of their livestock. For more information on raising hogs and other farm animals, visit www.b-meg.com or send an SMS to 0922-999BMEG (2634).