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 - A mystery virus that has been causing tremors in piglets for decades has now been pinpointed by a team of veterinary researchers from Iowa State University. The virus, which comes from a family known as ‘pestiviruses,’ infects young pigs and can cause them to shake involuntarily.
Some highly positive messages about progress in the global fight against the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome have been delivered to the latest Asian PRRSspective Symposium, which was held in November 2017 in Fukuoka, Japan, with the support of the Japanese Association of Swine Veterinarians.
At the start of life every single gram of bodyweight counts:
110 g higher start weight...
...means in this farm a 620g higher weaning weight
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