Fighting Lameness Part 2: From Claws to Care — How Nutrition Builds Stronger Sows | Ton Kramer

About the Guest Ton Kramer holds both master’s and doctorate degrees in Animal Science focused on Swine Locomotion and Health from Federal University of Paraná in Brazil. He has MBAs in Business Management and Project Management from Fundação Getúlio Vargas and a postgraduate degree in Marketing from Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing. Ton has also held leadership roles in the Brazilian Association of Veterinary Specialists in Swine. Currently, he serves as the South American Business Manager at Zinpro. What can you expect to learn from this episode of Popular Pig? How claw lesions have grown from a hidden problem to one of the top causes of sow mortality—affecting nearly 90% of herds. Why modern genetics and higher production demands make gilts and first-parity sows especially vulnerable. The real economic cost of lameness—replacement losses, lost production, and herd-health setbacks. How trace minerals like zinc, copper, and manganese help strengthen tissues, improve healing, and reduce claw damage. What producers can do to score, monitor, and improve claw health using Zinpro’s lesion index and daily nutrition strategy.