Pig overcomes diamond skin disease

King Louie, the 1-year-old KuneKune pig with diamond skin disease.

All photos courtesy of Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Veterinarians at the Texas A&M Large Animal Teaching Hospital (LATH) were able to save a pig diagnosed with erysipelas, commonly known as diamond skin disease for its diamond-shaped lesions, although, these are inconsistent indicators, only associated with acute cases.^1,2 The LATH team were able to treat the lesions with aggressive antibiotic therapy, which stopped their development, and they began to disappear as the pig’s condition improved.¹

Had they not begun treatment as early, though, Kevin Washburn, DVM, a professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, warned that, “the progression most likely would have led to damage to major organs such as the kidney and liver, leading to failure.”¹

The pig, a 1-year-old KuneKune named King Louie, was adopted by Kristan

Ballard and her 2 daughters alongside his brother, Lord Farquad.¹ Normally, the brother pigs spent their time grazing, snacking on vegetables, and soaking in the pool. In May 2024, though, King Louie became noticeably disinterested in doing any of his normal activities.¹

Lord Farquad (Left) and King Louie (Right), grazing on the Ballard's property.

“He just wasn’t acting like his normal outgoing self at all,” Ballard said in a Texas A&M release.¹ “He was walking around the yard; he wasn’t grazing. He would stop for long periods of time and then start lying down and not getting up.” After a trip to the veterinarian where X-rays were taken, King Louie and the Ballards were referred to the Texas A&M LATH for specialized care.

Upon arrival at the LATH, King Louie was lethargic, anorexic, and ran an extremely high fever, all of which warranted his administration to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).¹ The ICU team drew blood, placed IVs, and tested for blockages in the intestines. In order to evaluate the pig’s major organ systems, the Food Animal Medicine surgery team ordered a complete white blood cell count and a blood chemistry panel. “Our results indicated that he had red blood cells in his abdomen and a severe bacterial infection in his bloodstream,” Washburn said. Ultimately, King Louie was diagnosed with erysipelas.¹

Diagnosis of erysipelas is based on clinical signs, gross lesions, response to antimicrobial therapy, and demonstration of the bacterium or DNA in tissues of affected animals, according to Merck Veterinary Manual.³ Erysipelas normally occurs in swine, lambs, and turkeys, though it occasionally occurs in other poultry, wild birds, livestock, wild mammals (including rodents), reptiles, and amphibians.² Transmission to humans is occasionally seen in people who work in close proximity with infected animals or process infected meats or other animal by-products.²

Acute cases can be characterized by exceptionally high temperatures, evidence of pain in multiple joints, and typical skin lesions.³ These diagnoses can be confirmed by bacterial cultures of the kidney, spleen, lymph nodes, blood, or other tissues, as well as polymerase chain reaction (PCR).³

Achieving a firm diagnosis is more difficult when it comes to chronic cases. Taya L. Forde, DVM, PhD, explained that arthritis and lameness, together with vegetative valvular endocarditis postmortem could support a chronic erysipelas diagnosis, though it should be noted that these lesions could be the result of other infections.³ A definitive diagnosis would require a positive culture of valvular vegetations or a demonstration of E rhusiopathiae DNA within the lesions via PCR.³

Although preventative treatment through vaccination is heavily preferred, early treatment with penicillin can patients lead on the path to recovery.³ Forde recommends treatment at 12-hour intervals for a minimum of 3 days, though infections of higher severity may require longer durations of therapy.³ Ampicillin and ceftiofur can also be effective in acute cases.³ Penicillin could be administered along with antimicrobials through the drinking water until no sick pigs have been observed for at least 3 days.² Fever may be managed with common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).³

King Louie reunited with his family.

The LATH team provided 24-hour care, continuing with aggressive treatments until he was sent home.¹ According to Ballard, although King Louie was responding well to treatments, he and his brother, Lord Farquad, missed each other the entire time. King Louie is now recovered, and the brothers, named after Lord Farquad, the fictional king from DreamWorks' "Shrek," and King Louis XIV, the patron of the arts, are now reunited.¹

“It was 24-hour care for this sweet pig; they sent us pictures and there were regular updates and phone calls,” Ballard said. “They really were committed to saving his life because he was going to die. King Louie was truly treated like a king.”

References

1. Texas A&M Large Animal Hospital Helps Pig Achieve Royal Recovery. News release. Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. October 3, 2024. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://vetmed.tamu.edu/news/press-releases/king-louie-pig/
2. Erysipelas. Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine; Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://vetmed.iastate.edu/vdpam/FSVD/swine/index-diseases/erysipelas
3. Forde T. Swine Erysipelas. Merck Veterinary Manual. May 2020. Accessed October 7, 2024. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/generalized-conditions/erysipelothrix-rhusiopathiae-infection/swine-erysipelas