device, providing a quick and simple assessment of Hb, with a very good correlation coefficient with the standard haematol- ogy analyser for sows and weaners (0.95 and 0.97, respective- ly). At each farm, ten randomly selected litters from different par- ity sows were selected. The sow and three piglets (small, me- dium, large) from the litter were sampled. Additional parame- ters were collected in the form of a questionnaire (e.g. type of iron product, parity of sows). The current criteria for assess- ment of anaemia based on Hb levels were used: • Anaemia: < 90g/litre; • Subclinical status: 90–110g/litre; and • Optimal Hb level > 110g/litre.
Results According to current interpretive criteria, more than 14% of piglets were anaemic at weaning with significant differences between countries (see Table 1). The highest percentage of anaemic piglets was observed in Belgium and France (34% and 18%, respectively). Farms used oral forms of iron more frequently in both countries, and animals treated by different protocol-based oral forms were at higher risk of IDA.
Risk factors: Type of iron Different products with different routes of administration (oral vs. injection) and/or different protocols (day of adminis- tration, combination oral plus injection) were used on select- ed farms for this study. The most effective iron supplementa- tion protocol was based on the injection of gleptoferron, which leads to the lowest percentage of anaemic piglets at weaning (6.9%). The oral-administration-based protocols led to the highest risk of anaemia at weaning (see Table 2). Piglets from first and second parity sows seem to be more at risk of IDA at weaning compared to higher parity sows, with IDA being confirmed in 17.4% of piglets from this particular subgroup. A trend of higher prevalence of IDA in piglets from old sows (parity six and higher) was also confirmed. The fastest growing piglets were more frequently at risk of IDA at weaning when compared to their pen mates of medi- um and small size: 17% of large piglets were anaemic at weaning, compared to 12.2% and 14.0% observed in medium and small piglets, respectively.
Conclusions IDA is a common problem on European farms, with 14.4% of piglets reported as being anaemic at weaning, and 49.64% of piglets considered to be sub-anaemic. Current iron man- agement practice on pig farms seems to be insufficient to provide optimal levels of Hb at weaning, with differences in hematinic activity reported for different products. The best performing type of iron, based on the results of our study, was the gleptoferron iron type, where the percentage of anaemic piglets was significantly lower. Application via the
oral route only seems to pose the highest risk for IDA devel- opment at weaning. Other less important risk factors were the size of the piglet and the parity of the sow. All in all this confirms, as in other studies, that the best per- forming and fastest growing piglets within the litter are at the highest risk for IDA at weaning. Piglets from young sows (first and second parity) had the highest percentage of anae- mic piglets at weaning, so special attention should be paid to these animals. The assessment of the hematinic status and Hb levels of piglets at weaning should be part of the standard diagnostic procedure on farms, and the level of in- tervention should be set up. IDA is a well-known limiting factor for the growth potential of current genetics and its negative impact has been well described. Pigs anaemic at weaning were 0.82kg lighter three weeks post-weaning than piglets that had normal Hb values, and an increase of 10g/li- tre of Hb corresponded to weight gain improvement of 17.2g daily during the three weeks post-weaning. IDA should be considered an emerging problem in the swine industry that requires attention.
References available on request.
Table 2 – Anaemia according to type of iron. Parameter
Iron treatment Dextran
(N=1,800)
Anaemia (<9 g/dl) No
% Yes
(n) %
(n)
83.6% (1,504) 16.4% (296)
Gleptoferron Oral (N=1,044)
93.1% (972) 6.9% (72)
Total (N=204)
65.7% (134)
34.3% (70)
▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 37, No. 2, 2021 (N=3,048)
85.6% (2,160) 14.4% (438)
15
A blood sample is taken from piglet 016.
PHOTO: CEVA
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