• June 8, 2023
• Darko Gyaben

Piglets are born with a pair of needle-sharp milk teeth in the front four corners of their jaws. In some circumstances, these teeth can damage the sow’s teats when suckling and make them tender, so she may refuse to suckle

Piglets could bite each other, and wounds can be severe, leading to infection. Hence it’s advisable to clip the teeth 15minutes after birth to 24hours.

How to clip teeth

1. Secure equipment container in a safe and convenient location at first farrowing pen or hut
2. Place piglets in a holding container, either all together or a few at a time
3. Pick up piglet by back leg above hock or around hips
4. Cradle piglet firmly between operator’s forearm and body
5. Hold piglet’s head still and mouth open using correct grip:

• Insert first finger at side of piglet’s mouth to hold piglet’s mouth open
• Place second and third fingers at angle to side of head
• Place the clippers parallel to the jawbone and gumline

1. Clip the tip of the front needle tooth on the closest side of the upper jaw
2. Take care not to cut gum, lips or tongue and avoid exposing the pulp cavity
3. Clip the tip of the rear tooth of the same pair
4. Repeat process for the two lower teeth (one incisor, one canine) on the same side of the jaw
5. Adjust grip to access other side of piglet’s jaw and repeat steps
6. Check evenness of clipping by rubbing a finger over the clipped surface; make sure no sharp points of teeth are left, re-clip if necessary
7. Check that the gum is clean
8. If grinding, make sure you only blunt the tip rather than grind down a significant portion of tooth
9. Mark piglet and return to holding container or proceed with next piglet task
10. Repeat above steps for remaining piglets, dipping clippers in disinfectant between piglets
11. On completion of litter, return clippers to disinfectant dip
12. Complete sow litter record, if applicable