Give all the piglets the same opportunity:
Secure colostrum-intake for all
Combine different interventions
Iron supplementation from day 3 or later
Preventative pain treatment = not only for male piglets
Apply pain-relieving/ anti-inflammatory medication with a broad spectrum of activity for docked tails or arthritis
Sucking pigs have an irrepressible desire to live. However, painful events may have a negative impact on the further development of pigs by:
Lowering milk-intake
Restricting self-preservation instinct (reflex to flee)
Early and excessive iron supplementation can negatively influence health
Piglets are born with minimal iron-reserves (40 mg). This low iron concentration is a natural defence mechanism directed at combatting bacterial infections during and after birth.
Sow milk provides piglets with about 1 mg Iron/day. With a daily need of about 7 mg there is only sufficient iron for about 4 to 5 days.
Systematics in sucking pig management:
Checklist for a good start
1. Number of functional teats checked and recorded
2. A number of pigs, to leave two fewer piglets than the number of functional teats, are fostered out of a litter
Ingelheim, Germany, 26 September 2016 - Veterinarians and farmers across the globe have reached the landmark of protecting one billion sows and pigs against the potentially devastating effects of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) using Ingelvac PRRS MLV ®. The vaccine, which was launched in 1994 in the USA, is currently marketed in 19 countries in Asia, Europe, and North America. It contributes to securing the pigs’ health as well as providing healthy pork for consumers around the world.
Peter Silley
Luke Minion
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