25/12/2021
From farrowing to weaning – lactating sows
From farrowing to weaning – lactating sows

The high fertility and intensive use of modern genetic lines provides extraordinary productivity, but at the same time the frequency of problems is increasing, which, if not properly addressed, will increase the cull rate of sows and degrade the quality of weaned piglets. Among the main challenges we can recall:

Mastitis-metritis-agalactia (MMA)

When piglets are born for too long, adrenaline is released, which interferes with the action of oxytocin (a hormone) responsible for the contraction of the uterus during childbirth and for the secretion of colostrum in the mammary gland for feeding piglets. Thus, to complicate the course of childbirth - not complete removal of the fruit membranes from the uterus requires intervention in this process of a person, which can lead to injury to the epithelium and mucous membrane. All this leads to the appearance of the MMA syndrome. Subclinical processes can even go unnoticed, so the economic consequences can be more significant than clinical cases, due to the large number of affected animals. It is important to reduce the incidence of MMA as it is directly related to increased mortality of sows and piglets, decreased milk production and low piglet weight during weaning.

Prolapses

Prolapse (prolapse) of the vagina, uterus and rectum is very common in sows whose labor was normal or very fast. Possible causes: The fatness of the sow, the presence of mycotoxins in the feed, genetics and nutrition are some of the possible causes. Hypocalcemia has been classified as a major provoking risk factor for prolapse.

Subclinical hypocalcemia in sows

Calcium is an essential nutrient and, together with phosphorus, are essential minerals. Both are involved in many biological functions and are major components of the skeleton. During pregnancy and lactation, their demand increases significantly. Its main purpose is fruits, especially during the last week of pregnancy, as well as milk production, it contains a lot of calcium for ossification of newborn piglets. These requirements are usually met by increasing feed intake and through physiological changes in calcium and phosphorus metabolism. An imbalance in any of these points can easily jeopardize the health and performance of the sow.

Master Ca

The Spanish company Liptosa is working to ensure a holistic approach to the most common metabolic and musculoskeletal problems in transition sow breeding. Every single component in Master Ca is key to achieving its goal. First, it provides a highly bioavailable source of calcium and reduces the effects of hypocalcemia during these critical periods for sows (last week of gestation, farrowing and lactation). Secondly, the compounds included in Master Ca, on the one hand, to maintain the liver in optimal conditions, to minimize the frequency of ketosis in sows (a condition that leads to weight loss and reduced milk production), and on the other hand, to support milk production in sows for better growth of piglets. In the short term, Master Ca reduces the duration of farrowing, reduces the need for sows to attend to childbirth, reduces the number of stillborn piglets, and normalizes rapid labor. In the long term, there is a decrease in the number of animals with lameness, which allows to reduce culling and optimize the reproductive potential of sows.

All news