World Pork Expo: Zoetis’ Dr. Dave Pyburn speaks on the upward trend of finishing pig mortality

17 November 2025

5 minute read

By: Sarah Mikesell

Dr. Dave Pyburn, managing technical services veterinarian, Zoetis Pork, spoke to The Pig Site’s Sarah Mikesell at World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, and shared an update on finishing pig mortality rates. 

Finishing pig mortality has been trending upward. What’s contributing to this trend? 

It's several things, but the first thing we must mention is our old nemesis, PRRS (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome). We know that it's evolving into a virus that is more severe and longer lasting on farms. I think that's really what is causing this uptick at a base level in grow-finish pigs. So we’ve got to try to stay on top of PRRS. 

On top of that, we've got to deal with mycoplasma. In some of these barns, we've also got flu. Then in almost all of them, there’s secondary bacteria. That's all contributing to drag that pig down and lift the mortality rate. Unfortunately, we are seeing mortality rates rise in these barns.  

What approaches exist for producers to deal with this challenge?  

The first thing, and it’s not necessarily an approach, but we need to get back to stopping and looking at pigs. By actually walking into the barn and taking the time to really see what’s going on. This is something we do with Zoetis’ Individual Pig Care training:
•    Walk into the barn.
•    Take time to listen to the barn.
•    Look at the barn.
•    What is it doing before you stir it up?
•    Get into pens with pigs.
•    Start stirring pigs up.
•    See how the pigs react to you.
•    See who's hanging in the back of the pen.
•    Who looks depressed?
•    Who's thumping? 

I think we can do a lot better at looking for the acutely ill pig and getting that pig identified and treated early in the disease progression. Granted, we're not going to treat the viruses, we're not treating PRRS or flu, but we're treating those secondaries so that the pig's body and its immune system can then concentrate on fighting off PRRS or the flu if it's there as well. 

It's looking for anything that's out of the ordinary, right? 

It is. You need to know the signs. You need to know what a sick pig looks like early. We're good at finding chronically sick pigs or sub-chronic pigs because that's easy. We can pick those out when they're 10 pounds lighter than their pen mates. They're showing their spine and ears are down. 

We need to look for those early signs. Those signs where that pig is not wanting to be part of the population, not getting up to eat, hanging its head, maybe standing in awkward stance or thumping. Those are the pigs you’ve got to find and get them treated. 

What do producers need to keep top of mind to manage respiratory disease? 

A key consideration is that we need to attack this from both the front and back. What I mean by that is let's use vaccines to prevent as much of it as we can, whether that's Fostera® PRRS or our FluSure® vaccine. Let's get that in the pigs or into the sows at the right times. 

Then on the back end, when we do have pigs to treat, let's treat them with the right antibiotic. Let's do it with diagnostics, which Zoetis can help with. Then let's make sure we've got an antibiotic that is going to be efficacious against the secondary bacteria that we're fighting, like Excede® for Swine (ceftiofur crystalline free acid) Sterile Suspension or Draxxin® (tulathromycin injection). 

So, you must work respiratory disease from both sides. You can't just rely on vaccines because you're still going to have some sick pigs to treat. Sometimes vaccines get overwhelmed by the level of pathogens in the barn, and there's going to be illness. 

You also can't just wait and not use vaccines and treat pigs because then you've got an immune system that is going to be naive to the bacteria or virus that's attacking it. The pig is going to have a harder time overcoming that even with antibiotic treatment. 

How does Zoetis support producers through this challenge? 

I really am proud of what we do at Zoetis. I like going out to farms as a technical veterinarian. I'm always hoping customers will call me and ask me to come out. I want to come and do a couple of things. One is I want to get in your barns, and I want to talk with your production folks. I want to point out to them what an acutely ill pig looks like. Let's look at the paint marks in those barns for the pigs that are being treated. Let's see if they're catching the acute pigs or are they just treating chronic pigs. 

We'll talk about what the right treatment might be and then Zoetis has a program called STOMP Plus® where we do diagnostics on the farm. I'll post pigs; I'll take samples; I'll get them into the lab. Once the results come back, we'll set up the plan for how to deal with the respiratory disease in those barns. 

How important is diagnostic monitoring? 

You absolutely cannot skip it. I was just talking with my intern yesterday and I told her any chance you have to post or necropsy pigs, let's be cutting pigs because you're going to learn something every time you cut into that pig. You're going to learn something for yourself as far as disease, what it looks like, what the clinical signs are, and what lesions can look like, but you're also going to learn about what's going on in that barn. Diagnostics is how we can figure out the right approach. 

Where can viewers go to learn more? 

There are several options – they can give me a call or their technical veterinarian at Zoetis Pork. If you're more familiar with your sales rep, talk to your Zoetis sales rep and they can connect you with the technical services team. Or you can go to Zoetis.com and once there, you can also sign up for Pig Health Monthly and stay connected with us via email.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

People with known hypersensitivity to penicillin or cephalosporins should avoid exposure to Excede for Swine (ceftiofur crystalline free acid) Sterile Suspension. Do not use in swine found to be hypersensitive to the product. Pre-slaughter withdrawal time is 14 days following the last dose. See full Prescribing Information at www.excedeforswine.com/pi.

Withdraw DRAXXIN/DRAXXIN 25 (tulathromycin hydrochloride) five (5) days prior to slaughter in swine. Do not use in animals known to be hypersensitive to the product. See full prescribing information at www.draxxinpork.com/pi or www.draxxin25.com/pi.

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