This study investigated Finnish veterinarians' perceptions of medication safety risks in sows, an area with limited research in veterinary medicine. Understanding these risks is essential for enhancing sow medication safety, health and welfare. This qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured, thematic individual interviews with 15 veterinarians who provide herd health visit services to sow farms. The interviews employed open-ended questions to elicit in-depth information from participants. Thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews was conducted using the ATLAS.ti software to identify key medication safety risks. The analysis identified eight key risk themes: (1) overreliance on caretakers' competence; (2) insufficient veterinary guidance; (3) communication and information barriers; (4) challenges with medicine logistics and availability; (5) unhygienic and inappropriate medication practices; (6) insufficient sick sow examination and follow-up; (7) injection-related pain and insufficient pain management; and (8) challenges in farm conditions and management. Recognizing medication safety risks is vital for veterinarians to effectively guide and monitor medicine use, ensuring optimal care for sows. This study offers new perspectives into these risks within veterinary medicine, particularly concerning animals used for food production. By identifying key risks that can jeopardize medication safety, this study provides valuable information for producers, veterinarians, policymakers, and regulatory bodies. Understanding these mechanisms enables stakeholders to develop targeted systems-based protocols that enhance sow health and welfare while promoting safer and more responsible medication practices.

Farrowing, diseases, and injuries all cause acute nociceptive pain to sows. Pain can strain the body, cause negative emotions and poor welfare, slow healing, and hinder piglet health and growth. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are efficient and practical in alleviating nociceptive pain in sows, although more research about the efficiency, safety, and use in practice is needed. Thus, this observational, retrospective, cross-sectional, register-based study aimed to describe veterinary instructions for NSAID use in Finnish sow herds and to compare them with recorded use during January-December 2022. We also explored, using logistic regression, whether herd type or size was associated with NSAID use. A total of 70% of the 50 study herds had written veterinary instructions for NSAID use for sows. Although widespread, NSAID use was highly variable. Most herds administered pain alleviation to sows frequently, while five herds reported no NSAID use. Most often, ketoprofen or meloxicam was used to treat sows having anorexia without other symptoms, farrowing-related disorders and diseases, reproduction problems, or musculoskeletal diseases. Caretakers also administered NSAIDs for indications not instructed by the herd health veterinarian and used treatment durations longer than instructed. The median number (interquartile range, IQR) of total NSAID (ketoprofen plus meloxicam) treatment courses per sow was 0.35 (1.52), and the median number of NSAID doses used per 100 sows per day (NSAID_DDD_100) was 0.22 (IQR 0.58) in the study herds. Neither herd type nor herd size was associated with NSAID use.