Mulberry Heart Disease and Hepatosis Dietetica in Farm Pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) in a Research Setting

Perioperative complications and deaths occurred while developing a novel surgical model of pediatric kyphosis in 10 to 12 kg male farm-raised Yorkshire piglets. All piglets appeared clinically normal preoperatively. Intraoperative complications included tachycardia, respiratory acidosis, and death. Postoperatively, clinical signs included posterior paresis, head pressing, prolonged anesthetic recovery, difficulty rising, and sudden death. Necropsies were performed on all piglets. Some morbidityand mortality were accurately attributed to the spinal surgery. However, the index piglet for this report died suddenlyapproximately 16 to 18 h after surgery. Necropsy of this animal revealed clear, serosanguineous pleural and pericardial effusionsalong with myocardial hemorrhage and hepatic lesions, consistent with mulberry heart disease and hepatosis dietetica,respectively. Serum vitamin E and selenium levels from this animal were below age-specific lab reference ranges. Clinicalsigns of vitamin E and selenium deficiency are most common in fast-growing weaner piglets. The added stress of majorsurgery may exacerbate the condition in young piglets. Resolution of morbidity and mortality in both juvenile and adultpigs occurred upon the use of an alternate vendor able to provide feed analyses meeting industry standards, although serumlevels of vitamin E and selenium in similar ages and breed of swine were still occasionally slightly below reference ranges.