Disease risks associated with feral hogs

[Abert Rim]

I didn't want to hijack a couple of other threads here that deal with harvesting wild hogs for the table. Yes, there are disease risks that can be avoided with proper field care, processing and cooking.

https://vet.uga.edu/population_health_files/diseases_of_feral_swine_brochure.pdf

But before anyone gets all worked up and runs screaming from the room, consider the diseases you can be exposed to eating beef. The risks are not that different.

https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/400/400-460/400-460.html

Mods, if this belongs in a different forum, please move it. Just seems the discussion is active here in the Hunting with CB forum.

[Winger Ed.]

Not sure about CWD, I never needed to learn much about it,
but most problems can be avoided by cooking things until they're done when checked with a thermometer.

[dangitgriff]

True...however, pork isn’t supposed to be cooked until all the pink is gone, that is well-done. I prefer my chops medium.
Brucellosis can present in many other game animals besides feral swine.
I do not recall ever donning a rubber apron and gloves while butchering and dressing out our farm-raised pigs in the 1980’s.
Maybe the more we avoid the pathogens, the more we lose resistance to them and that increases our risk of serious illness from them and mortality...there have been studies conducted supporting this line of reasoning.

[poppy42]

True...however, pork isn’t supposed to be cooked until all the pink is gone, that is well-done. I prefer my chops medium.
Brucellosis can present in many other game animals besides feral swine.
I do not recall ever donning a rubber apron and gloves while butchering and dressing out our farm-raised pigs in the 1980’s.
Maybe the more we avoid the pathogens, the more we lose resistance to them and that increases our risk of serious illness from them and mortality...there have been studies conducted supporting this line of reasoning.

The thought of eating pork that’s even the slightest bit pink makes me ill just think of it. If you want to eat pink porkchops to each his own that’s fine with me . As for me no thank you!

[dangitgriff]

The thought of eating pork that’s even the slightest bit pink makes me ill just think of it. If you want to eat pink porkchops to each his own that’s fine with me . As for me no thank you!

USDA says 145 degrees is fine.
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/safe-minimum-internal-temperature-chart/ct_index
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190606/a60f86a6b93c924357ee4e511c72208c.jpg

[Walks]

This must be a new thing. I ate feral pig growing up in the 1960's, 70's, 80's and into the 90's. We would take up to a dozen pigs a year. Only ate Ham, smoked by my Grandmother's old German Butcher. He supplied the pork fat my Grandmother used to make sausage.

I'm 66yrs old. It's been 20+ years since I had any, but I ain't died yet.

[edp2k]

There is a big difference between:

A. animals like beef being bred, raised, fattened, and slaughtered under the watchful eye of the
farmer, ranch hand, butcher, meat packer, each each making sure the FDA or some other gov agency doesn't shut them down or fine them because
of tainted meat, which would impact their livelihood, means of making a living, and reputation (AKA future sales).
(also their feed typically/routinely contains antibiotics, even fed to not-obviously-diseased animals).
and

B. herds of feral/wild animals that drop liters of 13+ piglets several times a year, where if 1 gets a disease it gets passed around to all of them,
and the critters roam around for miles and pass said diseases to any and all other critters they run into/eat with/breed with.

Yes, domestic animals can have diseases, however the fast breeding and far roaming pigs are far more likely to have said diseases and pass it around.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I eat my homegrown porkchops and store bought shoulder steaks slightly pink (medium). I eat venison back straps medium rare. I'd probably BBQ a wild pig to 180+. Don't forget tularemia in rabbits and squirrels. They get pressure cooked at 212+.

[rking22]

I guess I’m gonna die according to the gooberment recommendations. I eat fully cooked ham right out of the fridge, along with leftovers. Agree with well cooked ferals, but my beef and venison barely make it to warm in the center!
Forgot, Don’t forget to pay attention to kitchen prep and transfer when preparing dinner. If you cross contaminate your salad with the raw pork.... how much you cook the pork won’t matter. I know I am a bit carefree when working with deer meat, pork requires more care.

[LazyTCross]

Hard to be selective of a wild hog that you shoot at 20 - long distance and tell if he has the squirts!! But when we have a sick cow or calf we treat it or remove it from herd and this world. Not to mention all the steps taken to prevent that from ever happening.
Sure. Anything can get a disease, but to compare the two things is not relevant.

[dangitgriff]

There is a big difference between:

A. animals like beef being bred, raised, fattened, and slaughtered under the watchful eye of the
farmer, ranch hand, butcher, meat packer, each each making sure the FDA or some other gov agency doesn't shut them down or fine them because
of tainted meat, which would impact their livelihood, means of making a living, and reputation (AKA future sales).
(also their feed typically/routinely contains antibiotics, even fed to not-obviously-diseased animals).
and

B. herds of feral/wild animals that drop liters of 13+ piglets several times a year, where if 1 gets a disease it gets passed around to all of them,
and the critters roam around for miles and pass said diseases to any and all other critters they run into/eat with/breed with.

Yes, domestic animals can have diseases, however the fast breeding and far roaming pigs are far more likely to have said diseases and pass it around.

If this is true, please show me the proof.
I wonder if the I-trust-the-FDA consumers think pumping farm-raised pigs full of FDA-approved antibiotics that make it into their bodies is any safer a risk than consuming wild game?
I wonder, also, if consumers of farm-raised and FDA-regulated pork are aware of adverse studies that are intentionally withheld from the public?

[rking22]

Those are the very reasons I eat mostly wild game! I will deal with the natural bacteria that is and has been known for years. The factory raised stuff, who knows, I do not really accept the FDA as totally knowledgeable or honest.

[DeputyDuke]

Oh ****, what about the raw buffalo liver I ate on the plains of Montana? By the way, the texture is much like fine bubble wrap.

Duke

[firebyprolong]

I've been in the meat industry for the better part of 20 years, one of the biggest concerns with pork has always been trichinae. It's the big reason pork hasn't been consumed in a "rare" state for years. Trichinae has been mostly eliminated in the domestic population of hogs because of biosecurity measures and changes in feeding practices. In the feral population it's still very present and needs to be addressed. It's a living organism that can be destroyed by heat or cold. 145F is used by the FDA as a minimum temperature because at that temperature lethality is instantaneous. It can also be achieved at temperatures as low as 120 F for 21 hours. Alternatively freezing at a verified 5F for a minimum of 30 days also achieves lethality. If you're interested this is all USDA regulation from the code of federal regulation, 318.9. The CFR only applies to products under inspection at inspected facilities, but is useful as a guideline for your own butcher and processing processes. All that said it's your pork and your family, you can do as you like.

[RogerDat]

The above post on known actions that are lethal to pathogens is what organizations such as the FDA is good at. Trust the inspectors or not most of the guidelines are based on best evidence available at the time.

TB and Chronic Wasting Disease are both in our dear herds in Michigan. A great deal of effort goes into keeping both of these out of our domestic animal herds, generally successfully so far. Many feel the disease spread was caused by allowing bait piles, which led to allowing auto feeders that dropped corn pile daily, and that led to many deer grazing with snouts and mouths in close contact on the corn pile which helped spread the diseases. Both diseases are something you want to avoid contact with.

Food handling cross contamination is probably the most common mistake. On temperature as I recall the food handling codes one relied on two guidelines. Food had to be hotter than or colder than at all times. Cook above a certain temperature, store above a certain temperature, until chilled below a certain temperature. So a piece of meat that was cooked at 165* and stored in a warmer at 140* until placed in refrigeration at 40* would be considered safe to eat right from the refrigerator. Pathogens killed, pathogens no allowed to grow = food is still safe.

BTW - pulled those temps from a very distant memory, essentially I am sitting on the source you could almost say. The process though is accurate. One could take properly cooked and stored roast beef or ham from the refrigerator and make a sandwich from it that was safe to sell. Health dept. would hammer you if any of those steps were not at acceptable temperature.

[Walkingwolf]

I grew up eating wild game that was always cooked all day in an acidic sauce, never got ill.

[truckjohn]

Remember that most commercially packed grocery store pork is irradiated or CO treated prior to packaging for sale to eliminate the risk of parasites/disease. That hit large scale 15-20 years ago. That's why all the UDSA guidelines changed.

Feral pork - not so much... It's getting cooked all the way done.
The other consideration with feral pork is animal age. Most commercial pork is under 1 year old. How old is that pig you shot? Not real sure... Older animals tend to have more and tougher connective tissue. Their muscles tend to be tougher. The meat also has a lot more "flavor". That takes us back to "Old fashioned" cooking techniques used to deal with older animals that were eaten after their productive farm use was over.... For example - 100 years ago, many farm chickens weren't killed till they were done laying... About 2 years old. You don't fry those, too chewy... You stew laying hens and they are delicious..... The young roosters (6 months or so) were the ones that got fried...

[trapper9260]

If you do not cook it any meat right you will get sick. Also not handle it right you will have problems.I get a hog once in awhile from a farmer that have problems with it that can not be ship out and eat that hog and do it up myself with my brother. Done that for years.

[gpidaho]

Well, as I stated in the other thread, I was raised eating a kosher diet and although I'm not strict in this as an adult (who can resist bacon for breakfast) I do have concerns with eating pork in general especially if it's not over cooked. Trichina cysts are something that makes my skin crawl, pun intended. Gp

[luvtn]

Remember that most commercially packed grocery store pork is irradiated or CO treated prior to packaging for sale to eliminate the risk of parasites/disease. That hit large scale 15-20 years ago. That's why all the UDSA guidelines changed.

Feral pork - not so much... It's getting cooked all the way done.
The other consideration with feral pork is animal age. Most commercial pork is under 1 year old. How old is that pig you shot? Not real sure... Older animals tend to have more and tougher connective tissue. Their muscles tend to be tougher. The meat also has a lot more "flavor". That takes us back to "Old fashioned" cooking techniques used to deal with older animals that were eaten after their productive farm use was over.... For example - 100 years ago, many farm chickens weren't killed till they were done laying... About 2 years old. You don't fry those, too chewy... You stew laying hens and they are delicious..... The young roosters (6 months or so) were the ones that got fried...
Where do you get this radiation bit from?
gramps

[dangitgriff]

I've been in the meat industry for the better part of 20 years, one of the biggest concerns with pork has always been trichinae. It's the big reason pork hasn't been consumed in a "rare" state for years. Trichinae has been mostly eliminated in the domestic population of hogs because of biosecurity measures and changes in feeding practices. In the feral population it's still very present and needs to be addressed. It's a living organism that can be destroyed by heat or cold. 145F is used by the FDA as a minimum temperature because at that temperature lethality is instantaneous. It can also be achieved at temperatures as low as 120 F for 21 hours. Alternatively freezing at a verified 5F for a minimum of 30 days also achieves lethality. If you're interested this is all USDA regulation from the code of federal regulation, 318.9. The CFR only applies to products under inspection at inspected facilities, but is useful as a guideline for your own butcher and processing processes. All that said it's your pork and your family, you can do as you like.

Thank you, that’s what I was after.
Smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em! [emoji1783]
—Griff

[richhodg66]

I eat my homegrown porkchops and store bought shoulder steaks slightly pink (medium). I eat venison back straps medium rare. I'd probably BBQ a wild pig to 180+. Don't forget tularemia in rabbits and squirrels. They get pressure cooked at 212+.

Can squirrels carry tularemia? I didn't know that. I never shoot rabbits, they're cute, I like watching them and I never liked the way they tase as well as squirrels, but I eat squirrels. Our season here seems weird to me, closes the end of February, 5then opens again June 1st. Where I grew up in the deep south, I don't even remember what the season on squirrels was, but NOBODY hunted them until there had been a frost and I still feel that way.

I've talked to people who had contracted tularemia and they told me they thought they were gonna die every day for like three months. Bad stuff, I'll have to be more careful with squirrels I guess.

[richhodg66]

I've heard bears can carry thrichinae like hogs can, is that true?

[rking22]

243087
Had to google it to see what it was, oh well, leading cause of death is life.

[gpidaho]

I've heard bears can carry thrichinae like hogs can, is that true? I've heard the same. Gp

[richhodg66]

243087
Had to google it to see what it was, oh well, leading cause of death is life.

Strangely, the ticks are not nearly as bad here this year as the past few years, but I still pick up a few. I live on a wooded place with a good many places water stands if we have heavy rains like we have been abd the mosquitos are terrible, worse than Alaska was in Summer.

Getting tired of having to spray down with DEET to do anything outside, I took an old set of fatigues out and treated them with permethrin spray yesterday. That stuff will keep ticks off of you for sure, and being covered with relatively heavy clothing should help with mosquitos. I've never been a cold weather person, but have been liking Winter more and more for a while now, just wish there was more day light to do stuff during.

[Abert Rim]

Yes, bears and cougars as well can carry trichina. There was a well-reported outbreak in a Idaho a few years back after a cougar hunter made jerky and passed it around to his friends. They all got it. A guy at work was handing out bear jerky he had made. I passed.

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/index.html

Steve Rinella got it, too, from bear meat:

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/steven-rinella-discusses-trichinosis-contraction-video/

[dangitgriff]

How the hell did we ever survive living 200 years ago?
What has changed so drastically since then that we literally *fear* eating wild animals?
Shaking my head and wondering if we aren’t all evolving into a candy-assed species doomed to failure by our own hand...[emoji43][emoji2955][emoji51]

[Smoke4320]

kind of like expiration dates on can of vegetables.. get mad at the wife.... shes bought into that nonsense.. open the can if it smells or looks bad throw it out otherwise eat it
vegetables don't go magically bad on such and such date.. hi fat canned items maybe vegetables no !!!

[rking22]

The more we distance ourselves from nature, the more we fear nature. Today most people are not exposed to the bacteria growing up when we used to develop resistance. Now kids are forced to use anti bacterial hand wash, soap ect constantly. We are breading better stronger germs and not building resistance. Expiration dates are for selling food to these people. If it stinks, and isn't supposed to, then put in in the compost, not so complicated. Just my opinion, don't shoot me, my imune system does not do solid lead.
And bear in mind, I believe if it's made out of meat then it's food. Untill determined otherwise...

[gpidaho]

Yes, bears and cougars as well can carry trichina. There was a well-reported outbreak in a Idaho a few years back after a cougar hunter made jerky and passed it around to his friends. They all got it. A guy at work was handing out bear jerky he had made. I passed.

https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/index.html

Steve Rinella got it, too, from bear meat:

https://www.wideopenspaces.com/steven-rinella-discusses-trichinosis-contraction-video/

The links Albert shared explain perfectly why I chose not to eat feral pigs. Gp

[richhodg66]

How the hell did we ever survive living 200 years ago?
What has changed so drastically since then that we literally *fear* eating wild animals?
Shaking my head and wondering if we aren’t all evolving into a candy-assed species doomed to failure by our own hand...[emoji43][emoji2955][emoji51]

In answer to your question, a lot of people didn't survive. Life expectancy was a lot shorter on average. That's the same stupid argument people always say "we never wore seat belts and rode around in pick up beds and we didn't die" except the many that did.

We eat a couple of deer a year, that's not gonna stop, but I'm not taking stupid risks especially not with my wife and kids' well-being.

[dangitgriff]

You take a stupid risk by eating ANY type of wild animal, and it appears from science-based reasoning that feral hogs should not be singled out as a higher risk than any other wild game. [emoji851]
So we have that going for us, which is nice.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190608/6944e88c26341647a98ae6162e2d4fab.jpg
[emoji846]

[dverna]

If it wasn’t so darn expensive I would buy safe meals from McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell etc.

[rking22]

Seems that lettuce should be listed as very dangerous. Sever outbreaks of E. coli traceable to that sad food( I use that term loosely)

[OldBearHair]

Also Trichinellosis found in raccoon. A few questions about things that bothered me. 1. domestic pigs in a pen are nasty re-eating their feces until there is no food value to it then mixed in with new feces and eaten again. What kinds of diseases can grow in such environment? Wild hogs usually do not sleep in the same place all the time. Are they actually cleaner ? Wild animals usually die off from diseases that are fatal. Do they leave the healthy ones behind without the fatal disease? In the Boys Ranch Kitchen twenty years we used 100ppm bleach water to clean all surfaces contaminated with meat or anything else. ( Have to make new mix of bleach water each meal -- bleach in the water deteriorates quickly, next meal the water is not at 100ppm) Is the salad made on same surfaces is safe now? Have youall more questions to add to this? When bringing hot food down past 140 degrees a nice idea is to sit frozen bottles of water in the food and sit containers of food in the sink in cold water. Reason is to bring the food temperature quickly down to safe temps.

[richhodg66]

There have been several threads on here with guys who eat raccoons. No way would I ever, they are the grossest nasty disease ridden things alive.

I think the deer are pretty safe around here, all the same, I'm going to make sure it's cooked pretty thoroughly. The idea of eating pork that still shows pink is crazy. I personally would be leery of any meat that still had redness like that, but especially pork

[Smoke4320]

Just eat Chinese cause we all know what's in it and how well its stored/prepared :)

[Screwbolts]

And how does any of this pertain to " Hunting with CB's " ?

[dangitgriff]

? [emoji848]?
Lead poisoning?
?[emoji848]?
[emoji851]

[richhodg66]

And how does any of this pertain to " Hunting with CB's " ?

It's about eating wild game and that relates directly to hunting. The threads gone on for two pages, buy now you should have been able to figure out if it was a topic that interests you or not. If not, stop reading and find something else on the forum that does. Simple as that.

[OldBearHair]

Another strong argument for Hi-Tek coating your bullets so that when the boolit passes through a game animal , it does not leave a lead residue in the meat.......LOL

[dangitgriff]

Powder coat too!

[Jeff Michel]

I've been in the meat industry for the better part of 20 years, one of the biggest concerns with pork has always been trichinae. It's the big reason pork hasn't been consumed in a "rare" state for years. Trichinae has been mostly eliminated in the domestic population of hogs because of biosecurity measures and changes in feeding practices. In the feral population it's still very present and needs to be addressed. It's a living organism that can be destroyed by heat or cold. 145F is used by the FDA as a minimum temperature because at that temperature lethality is instantaneous. It can also be achieved at temperatures as low as 120 F for 21 hours. Alternatively freezing at a verified 5F for a minimum of 30 days also achieves lethality. If you're interested this is all USDA regulation from the code of federal regulation, 318.9. The CFR only applies to products under inspection at inspected facilities, but is useful as a guideline for your own butcher and processing processes. All that said it's your pork and your family, you can do as you like.

This is absolutely correct. I might add that for DOMESTIC raised hogs the trichinae regulation/requirement by the USDA has been dropped since late last year. Irradiation, mentioned in an earlier post is considered an additive by the USDA and must declared on the label. In 35 years as an Inspector, I've never seen irradiation for pork, it however used frequently in pureed fruits/vegetables to control insects. There isn't any evidence of a chronic wasting disease in hogs. CWD in deer is not transmittable to humans.

[castalott]

A story in passing....maybe 30 years ago we went to extreme Southern illinois to hunt wild hogs. Talked to 2 game Wardens before we started to hunt. We had their blessing ( at that time) and they warned us to never touch a hog. We were given a list of very nasty diseases every hog would have. "Always wear rubber gloves and never be unprotected." was the advice. "So we can't eat them?"......... "They taste great!" was the reply. hmmmmm......

It didn't matter as only one of our group may, possibly, might have, could have seen a hog. We went down there loaded with ammo- ready to throw up a skirmish line to beat back their attack.

But after 4 trips we decided to hunt our wild hogs in a nearby big city ( population 5000) . You get just as many hogs and you don't have to walk as far or carry your shooting iron....

My feeble attempt at humor shows how times have changed. Hogs have taken over many rural farms in other states but not too much here in Illinois. I am sure it has something to do with the high taxes and the hogs being unable to pay....

So back to the point... Hogs are disease carriers plain and simple. So you need to take precautions and really cook them.

I would like to trap one and feed it corn for 2 or 4 weeks. I would 'worm' it and maybe have the vet see if he could kill the bad stuff inside it before it volunteered to join me at breakfast.


What say you?

[dangitgriff]

Used to be a common practice, trapping wild hogs and taking them home to fatten them up in a pen...until Florida made it illegal to transport live feral hogs without a permit.
You are allowed to do it on your own property, however. Build a catch-pen and put a feeder in it, acclimate the pigs to meal time every day, and then set the trap. I would personally target the piglets and build the walls just high enough to let the big ones jump over and out.

[Geezer in NH]

How the hell did we ever survive living 200 years ago?
What has changed so drastically since then that we literally *fear* eating wild animals?
Shaking my head and wondering if we aren’t all evolving into a candy-assed species doomed to failure by our own hand...[emoji43][emoji2955][emoji51]
Uh the idiots died and did not breed anymore unlike today?

[mattw]

My daughters and I would consider it a sin to go above medium rare on deer stakes and loins. Ground meats, other than commercial beef must be at least medium well for me. In years past, that was medium rare. Some much flavor is lost in cooking meats to death. At 53, has not killed me yet and while I suppose it could I do not think it likely. I consider improper storage after cooking to be a bigger problem. Chicken, can hardly eat it cooked any way. If it has pink, I almost puke! But, I do love my gizzards and hearts!

[dangitgriff]

Uh the idiots died and did not breed anymore unlike today?

Does that make modern medicine a blessing...or a curse? [emoji1783]

[rking22]

Both:kidding:

[Hogtamer]

wowowow. Read the guidelines. Buy a thermometer. Make good sausage, cook to temp, enjoy.

[skeettx]

Watching for new data

[Time Killer]

Well folks I am gong to be honest a nice young hog I have no problems with. I cook all pork to the recommended temperature. Wild or store bought. Now if we are talking about a big old boar I cant stomach them. We remove them from the heard if we see them but not many people can eat them.

[Eamonn]

This is absolutely correct. I might add that for DOMESTIC raised hogs the trichinae regulation/requirement by the USDA has been dropped since late last year. Irradiation, mentioned in an earlier post is considered an additive by the USDA and must declared on the label. In 35 years as an Inspector, I've never seen irradiation for pork, it however used frequently in pureed fruits/vegetables to control insects. There isn't any evidence of a chronic wasting disease in hogs. CWD in deer is not transmittable to humans.

Over here you can buy tests you mail in to see if the meat is infected with trichinae. It's also illegal to sell or give away boar meat that has not been tested and most people test and destroy an infected carcass.
Other than that the only concern I've heard of is the cesium radiation in the areas affected by Chernobyl.
As a side note those areas have a special spring hunting season for roe buck because the meat gets more radiated from eating mushrooms in the autumn.

[Smoke4320]

If it glows in the dark probably should not eat it :)

[Eamonn]

If it glows in the dark probably should not eat it :)

D'oh! :-P

[Smoke4320]

Uncle bubba used to hunt near the Savannah River nuclear plant.
His tests for irritated meat was to stick a light bulb directly to the meat. If it lit meat was bad
Also used the radio test. On fm channel if radio got static when placed near the meat meat was declared bad.
Of course he could see in the dark. Died at 37 and no flowers or grass grow on his grave to this day