Teeth clipping

Teeth clipping in pigs is a management practice in which the sharp tips of newborn piglets' teeth are trimmed or filed to reduce the risk of injury to sows during nursing and minimize aggression-related injuries among piglets.

Some piglets are born with erupted teeth; in order to avoid sow teat injury and damage between piglets, some farms clip their deciduous teeth.^[1] Lesions caused by piglet teeth are superficial, and mortality is lower among pigs that don't undergo painful procedures, including teeth clipping.^[2][3]

Disadvantages

Some of the disadvantages of teeth clipping are:^{[1][2][4][5][6]}

• Piglets may stop eating due to pain
• Antibiotic overuse^{[clarification needed]}
• Decreased weight gain
• Hemorrhage (blood loss)
• Teeth fracture
• Gum damage
• Abscess
• Mouth infections
• Joint infections
• Systemic infections
• Lethargy due to infection
• Higher stress and cortisol, which reduces muscle mass in pigs^[7][8]

Many contend that the harms of teeth clipping exceed the benefits.^[1]

Ethics

Teeth clipping, if done without anesthetic or analgesic (a common practice), is painful.^[9] Teeth clipping often exposes the dental pulp, thereby exposing nerves, causing chronic pain. If the exposed dental pulp becomes infected, extreme pain will follow.^[4]

Alternatives

Smaller litter sizes, less dense and intensive pig farming, cage-free farming, and better feed for sows. ^[10][2]

See also

• Cruelty to animals
• Overview of discretionary invasive procedures on animals
• Intensive pig farming