Although fostering is often necessary in highly prolific sow units, there are significant risks associated with the procedure:
A frequent observation: after a treatment (injection, etc.) stressed piglets may not suckle for several hours. This has negative consequences for the development of the piglets and may result in milk-congestion in the sow.
Hypogalactia is likely to result in malnutrition of suckling pigs.
The sow should lie in a recumbent position and invite piglets with specific sounds expressing the desire for milk let-down. Piglets will normally try to have facial contact with the sow’s head to stimulate milk release. To ensure optimal interaction between a sow and her piglets, it is important to avoid treating piglets during the first 10 days after birth and, thereafter, when multiple treatments are required, they should be grouped together to minimize the number of interventions.
US - Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., (BIVI) has announced that the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has approved a duration of immunity (DOI) claim for Ingelvac® CircoFLEX™ of at least four months for porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), the primary pathogen for porcine circovirus associated disease (PCVAD).
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Greg Stevenson
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