From optimised haemoglobin levels to optimised growth
What is the correlation between haemoglobin levels and growth potential within a pig herd, and equally important, how can the modern swine producer respond to an anaemic herd to optimise its growth potential?
By Christian von der Recke, Pharmacosmos
Haemoglobin levels and growth are closely related, and there is an unexploited potential in assessing and correct- ing haemoglobin levels in piglets even on well-managed farms.
T 34 PIGLETS - JULY/AUGUST 2016
hree current studies provide the essential infor- mation you need about anaemia, haemoglobin levels and additional iron treatment. While this is an area of interest, it is sometimes neglected in both commercial and scientific communities.
This research shows remarkable findings such as the fact that many piglets are anaemic – even on well-managed farms, and improving their haemoglobin levels can directly impact growth results. An additional iron injection to optimise the piglets’ growth potential is one of the ways in which this research can be supported.
Anaemia prevalence in commercial swine farms Iron is a trace element and a vital constituent of haemoglobin.
Piglets are predisposed to iron deficiency anaemia as a result of their low body iron at birth, an inadequate supply of iron from milk, no source of environmental iron, and a rapid growth rate. 200 mg of injectable iron given at day 1 to 4 is generally accepted as the most effective method of preventing piglet anaemia. However, studies have suggested that this single dose may be insufficient to ensure the greatest nursery performance. A study in 2014 investigated the prevalence of anaemia and whether 200 mg of iron dextran at weaning would reduce the risk of iron deficiency anaemia in nursery piglets. A clinical trial was conducted at a commercial swine farm where a high proportion of piglets were anaemic at weaning. The piglets were assigned to treatment/control groups bal- anced for sex using simple randomisation. Group 1 were pro- vided 200 mg iron dextran at processing and at weaning. Group 2 were provided 200 mg of iron dextran at processing and 1 cc saline at weaning. Average daily gain at weaning to 14-days post-weaning was not significantly different between the control groups (293 g/day) and treated groups (290 g/day), and the frequency of iron deficiency anaemia in nursery pig- lets was reduced by 50% if supplemented with an extra injec- tion of iron dextran at weaning (Figure 1). All in all, the study concluded that an iron dextran injection (200 mg) at weaning reduced the prevalence and severity of anaemia in nursery piglets and it indicates that many piglets may be anaemic even on well-managed farms.
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