RCVS Statutory Membership Examination Livestock Production Management II: Monogastric and Laboratory Animals: practice questions

1 · Swine housing · hard

A farmer starts agitating a slurry pit under a fully slatted finisher house. Which gas is the main immediate danger to pigs and people?

1. Ammonia, which rises to lethal levels within seconds of stirring
2. Methane, which displaces oxygen and suffocates pigs in the pens
3. Hydrogen sulphide, released in lethal concentrations during agitation
4. Carbon monoxide, which is given off by the slurry in large amounts as it begins to ferment

2 · Swine housing · easy

EU law requires that all pigs have permanent access to which of the following?

1. Manipulable material such as straw, hay, wood or sawdust
2. An outdoor paddock or yard for at least two hours of every day of the year
3. Solid concrete flooring over the whole lying area
4. A wallow filled with water throughout the year

3 · Farrowing management · medium

Why are sows moved into the farrowing room about five to seven days before expected farrowing?

1. To allow farrowing to be induced with oxytocin on the morning of the following day
2. To begin lactation feeding at full appetite two weeks before birth
3. To complete vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease in the crate
4. To settle and make colostral antibodies against that room's pathogens

4 · Piglet care · medium

When should cross-fostering of piglets ideally be done?

1. After piglets have had colostrum from their own dam, within 24 to 48 hours
2. At about two weeks of age, once each litter's growth rates and teat order are known
3. Immediately at birth, before any piglet has suckled from its own dam
4. At weaning, so that litters are matched by weight for the nursery

5 · Piglet care · easy

Under EU Directive 2008/120/EC, what is the general minimum weaning age for piglets?

1. 28 days
2. 14 days
3. 42 days
4. 21 days

6 · Piglet care · medium

Which organism is the main cause of post-weaning diarrhoea in piglets?

1. Lawsonia intracellularis
2. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli
3. Clostridium perfringens type C
4. Brachyspira hyodysenteriae

7 · Piglet care · medium

Under EU rules, which statement about teeth reduction and tail docking of piglets is correct?

1. Neither may be done routinely; both need evidence of injuries despite other measures
2. Both may be done routinely if done by a veterinarian after seven days of age
3. Tail docking is banned outright, while teeth clipping is routine and unrestricted
4. Both are compulsory within the first three days of life on all commercial farms

8 · Swine housing · hard

A pig farm in a region with African swine fever asks which single measure gives the greatest protection. Which is the best answer?

1. Strict external biosecurity: no pork products, controlled entry, fenced boundary
2. Vaccinating the whole herd with the internationally approved ASF vaccine every six months
3. Feeding the pigs heat-treated catering waste instead of commercial feed
4. Treating the pigs with antibiotics during the high-risk season each year

9 · Equine management · medium

About how many days after foaling does the mare usually show her 'foal heat'?

1. About 180 days
2. About 21 to 30 days
3. About 5 to 12 days
4. About 60 days

10 · Dog and cat management · medium

Which statement about the bitch's oestrous cycle is correct?

1. She is a short-day breeder that cycles only in autumn and early winter
2. She is an induced ovulator, so she ovulates only after she has been mated by a dog
3. She is seasonally polyoestrous and usually cycles every three weeks in spring
4. She is monoestrous and non-seasonal, cycling about every six to seven months