Signs of excessive intra-uterine pressure during birth:
Slow start of breathing in newborn piglets
Ruptured, profusely bleeding umbilical cords at birth
Strangulation of the piglets by the umbilical cord
Uterine spasm, retarded birth
A typical situation: farrowing was planned for the Thursday but many sows have already farrowed by Tuesday. Weak piglets lead to low milk-release of the sow.
Sow herd vaccination, i.e. against influenza and other viruses that can be transferred from the sow’s blood stream through the uterine blood supply thereby breaking through the uterine barrier: PRRS-virus, Circovirus, Parvovirus
Good body condition and fitness of the sow
Newborn piglets lack brown adipose (fat) tissue which is available to many other mammals as an energy source at birth and thereby they are more sensitive to cold stress when compared to other mammals. They are at greatest risk of hypothermia immediately after birth with a lowering of body-temperature of up to 5°C possible. Through shivering piglets try to maintain body temperature but as a result lose valuable energy reserves!
US - The 'At the Meeting' audio series highlights historical comparisons to PRV and a large-scale porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) study, says Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. The latest At The Meeting (ATM) audio programme on swine health from The Morrison Group covers new developments in the management of PRRS presented during the recent North American PRRS Symposium held in Chicago, Illinois, in December 2014. The ATM programme, which features disease, research and practical swine health information from leading veterinary experts, is available for the benefit of swine veterinarians and producers.
Precision is the future of all food production including pork and prevention is the foundation of precision. In this series of articles, Dr. DiPietre will look at different aspects related with pig production and precision agriculture and what economic impact could they have in our farms.
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