Better Pork - December 2005

How to treat newborn pigs with bleeding navels

Many factors can cause or contribute to navel bleeding. Suit the remedy to the cause
by S. ERNEST SANFORD
Virtually everyone involved in rearing pigs has, at some time or other, encountered newborn pigs with bleeding navels. On occasion, some herds experience outbreaks of navel bleeding in several consecutive litters, but usually most cases come and go in a sporadic, haphazard manner, affecting a litter here and there.

A certain amount of blood is normally present in the umbilical cord at birth. Most of this blood is pumped back into the pig's body as the cord constricts after birth. The rest of the blood in the cord then clots immediately, preventing the baby pig from bleeding to death. Failure of the cord to constrict or the blood to clot can result in navel bleeding.

Clinical signs. Piglets at birth or, more commonly, within a few hours of birth become very pale and may die. One or a few pigs in a litter or, more often, most of them -- or even the entire litter -- may be affected. The condition is usually spotted by the stockperson who sees fresh blood on the pen floor or blood on the body of littermates, or just sees pale pigs a few hours after birth. Sometimes the bleeding navel is not seen at birth and it is assumed that the pigs were born pale, but it is more likely that the navel bleeders were missed at birth.

Causes and contributing factors. Many factors have been linked to navel bleeding. These include:

  • Use of wood chips, shavings or sawdust as bedding;
  • Thick, fleshy navel cords that are more prone to bleeding;
  • Preservatives in wood-based bedding materials (chips, shavings, sawdust);
  • Warfarin poisoning (the sow eating rat bait). The anticoagulant, the main ingredient in rat bait, passes through the sow to the placenta, resulting in reduced blood clotting in the cord;
  • Aspirin treatment of sows close to parturition passing through to the placenta and reducing blood clotting ability in the navel cord;
  • Mycotoxins from contaminated feed;
  • Prostaglandin treatment, probably related to premature farrowing rather than any direct effect of the prostaglandin;
  • Excess trauma to the navel cord within three hours of birth.

Prevention and control. Depending on which of the above causes or contributing factors are identified, one or more of the following measures can be used to control navel bleeding.

  • Replace wood chips, shavings and sawdust with an alternative bedding material (such as straw).
  • Add vitamin C (ascorbic acid) at one gram per day to the sow's diet as a top dress for five to seven days pre-farrowing. This is recommended when the navel cord is of the thick, fleshy type. Vitamin C is essential for building collagen, the packing material that forms fibre. Fleshy navel cords are lacking in collagen. Unfortunately, reports over the years have been less than encouraging with vitamin C therapy as a solution for this "fleshy" cord condition.
  • Let the pigs break their own navel cords naturally. There is a natural separation point in the cord that allows the cord to break without causing any hemorrhage.
  • Supplement the sow's diet with vitamin K. This vitamin is necessary for blood to clot. Vitamin K has also fallen out of favour in recent years, probably because, with our move to total indoor confinement operations, there is less opportunity for sows to eat rat bait. Hence, they are less likely to have the clotting defects due to warfarin poisoning pass through the sow and into the placenta.
  • Pale pigs at birth are often treated with injectable iron. However, giving more than the normal dose of iron can be toxic, so care must be taken not to overdose "pale" newborn pigs with injectable iron.
  • Clamp the navel cord about one centimetre from the abdomen and cut off the trailing end piece. Do not tie it with a string. String cuts through the cord and bleeding starts all over again. Umbilical clamps (navel clamps for babies) can be used, or surgical clamps or forceps can be obtained from a veterinarian. If the cord is long enough, it can be tied into a knot.BP

S. Ernest Sanford, DVM, Dip. Path., Diplomate ACVP, is a swine specialist with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (Canada) in Burlington. esanford@bur.boehringer-ingelheim.com

© copyright 2005AgMedia Inc..


back











































Better Pork - December 2005

What to do if antibiotic growth promoters are banned

The European Union is set to phase out the use of antibiotics as growth promoters and concern is rising in North America as well. A look at the alternatives and the possible consequences
by JANICE MURPHY
Antibiotics have been used as growth promoters in livestock production since the late 1940s. Since then, the practice of feeding sub-therapeutic levels of antibiotics has been successfully integrated into on-farm nutrition programs.

It was not until the 1960s that the potential risk of bacterial resistance to certain antibiotics came to light and, along with it, the potential for harming animal and human health. This thinking led to a ban of growth-promoting antibiotics in Sweden in 1986 and in Denmark in 1995 and 1999. Also in 1999, the European Union banned five growth-promoting antibiotics and just recently announced its intention to phase out all antibiotic growth promoters by 2006. Over the past decade, concerns have grown in North America as well, so researchers have been busy exploring alternatives and assessing options.

In reality, eliminating growth promoters is a much more manageable challenge than eliminating antibiotics altogether. While it may be very difficult to convince the general public that we should use antibiotics to make pigs grow faster, who would argue with the need to use antibiotics to treat sick animals in a responsible manner?. In the search for alternatives, however, it is important to realize that it is unlikely we will find the silver bullet. It may, in fact, take a combination of compounds and/or management strategies to match the power we currently capture in a given antibiotic growth promoter.

Antibiotics included at growth-promotant levels have their greatest effect on the young pig where the stress of weaning takes its toll. Growth promoters have traditionally been used in swine rations to prevent digestive upsets that result in diarrhea, improve feed efficiency, optimize animal performance, reduce disease incidence and minimize the cost of production.

The main benefits appear to result from a reduction in the population and growth of microbes within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, as well as a shift in that population from pathogenic to beneficial bacteria. This ultimately results in better nutrient absorption, a less welcoming environment for pathogenic bacteria and an improvement in the health of the GI tract.

Research suggests that this generally translates into a three to five per cent improvement in nutrient utilization, a three to eight per cent improvement in growth rate, a two to five per cent improvement in feed efficiency in grower-finisher pigs and even higher responses in piglets, where the challenges are greater.

What are the alternatives?
Non-nutrient feed additives are compounds that can cause a response without directly contributing to the pig's requirement for energy, amino acids, minerals and vitamins. Some non-nutrient feed additives and their functions are summarized in Table 1. The response to feed additives is usually greatest in starter pigs (five to 25 kilograms), so this is where researchers have traditionally concentrated their efforts. Beyond 25 kilograms, the measurable effect usually decreases, unless there are challenges associated with disease or stress that enhance the response.

Acidifiers. Acids can be added to rations as individual acids or blends of acids. The growth-promoting effects of acids are most prominent in the first few weeks after weaning, when the GI tract of the piglet is not yet fully developed and most vulnerable to infection. Acids can prevent mould growth in feed and improve overall performance by reducing microbial competition with the pig for nutrients, lowering subclinical infections and reducing intestinal immune response. By reducing gut pH and stimulating the secretion of digestive enzymes, acids can improve protein digestibility and overall feed efficiency as well. Unfortunately, research results to date have been inconsistent.

Botanicals. Herbal remedies were used thousands of years ago to treat infectious diseases, making use of an individual herb's natural antibacterial properties. Some herbs are thought to promote growth by preventing or limiting pathogenic bacteria in the digestive system, just like a conventional antimicrobial. Advancements in science and technology eventually replaced these natural remedies with man-made products, as scientists learned more and more from the compounds found in herbs.

Now we are, in essence, working our way back. To date, research results with botanicals in pigs have been inconclusive. Although some experiments have shown positive results, there is generally very little information available on specific compounds and their effects. This may be because it is unusual to find a commercial feed additive that uses only one herb. Natural growth promoters seem to lend themselves more to synergies of action, where a number of components come together, in a recipe of sorts, to create the desired effect.

Immune modulators. As weaning age has decreased over the past 10 to 15 years, the industry has been dealing with piglets with less-developed immune and digestive systems. Immune modulators, like egg yolk antibodies, may enhance the action of the immune system and may promote disease resistance during the vulnerable weaning period by improving diet palatability, preventing pathogens from binding to the intestine and providing immunity against disease. As is the case with all the compounds under consideration, further research is necessary to define the effectiveness of immune modulators as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters.

Minerals. Copper and zinc have been used extensively as growth promoters, but there is concern about the high rate of excretion of these elements into the environment. In Canada, the federal Feeds Act limits the level of copper and zinc in the diet to a maximum of 125 ppm and 500 ppm respectively, unless it is prescribed by a veterinarian.

In some countries, like the Netherlands, growth-promoting levels of copper and zinc are no longer allowed in finisher pig diets due to the impact on the environment. As a result, there is growing interest in the use of organic minerals which are more biologically active and bioavailable. These minerals can be fed at a lower level in the feed without compromising performance and are utilized more efficiently so less is excreted into the environment.

Table 1. Potential alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters.
Compound Function Examples
Antibiotics Suppress or inhibit the growth of micro-organisms. At subtherapeutic levels in feed, used to promote growth, improve feed efficiency, reduce mortality and morbidity. The standard against which to measure any alternative. Refer to the Compendium of Medicated Ingredient Brochures, available through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, for a complete list of approved antibiotics.
Acidifiers Can enhance performance in early-weaned pigs, although the specific mechanism is not understood. Propionic, formic, fumaric, citric, acetic, lactic or phosphoric acid
Botanicals Contain bioactive compounds that can demonstrate specific medicinal effects. May improve feed intake by improving palatability. Garlic, echinacea, peppermint, oregano, radish
Carcass modifiers Improve growth performance and carcass composition by increasing lean percentage of growing-finishing pigs. Not all compounds are approved for use in Canada. agonists (e.g. ractopamine), chromium picolinate, betaine, carnitine, conjugated linoleic acid
Enzymes Enhance the digestibility of a particular component of the ration, therefore making it more available to the pig. Phytase, cellulase, protease, amylase
Immune modulators May enhance immune system or promote disease resistance during weaning by improving palatability, preventing pathogens from binding to the intestine and providing immunity against disease Spray-dried plasma, egg yolk antibodies, conjugated linoleic acid
Minerals High levels promote growth, feed intake and improve feed efficiency, especially in young pigs. Zinc, copper
Probiotics Thought to increase the population of desirable micro-organisms instead of killing or inhibiting undesirable organisms. Products containing Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Saccharomyces and/or Bacillus organisms
References:
Close, W.C. 2000. Producing Pigs without Antibiotic Growth Promoters. Advances in Pork Production, Volume 11.
Close, W.C. Alternatives to Antibiotic Feed Additives for Pigs: The European Experience.
National Pork Board. 2003. Non-Antimicrobial Production Enhancers: A Review.
Swine News. 2005. Alternatives to Antibiotic Growth Promoters. North Carolina State University.

Prebiotics. These are indigestible carbohydrates that can enhance animal performance by stimulating growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria. Most prebiotics cannot be digested by the intestinal enzymes, but they can be fermented by the bacteria in the pig's gut. As a readily available nutrient source, the prebiotics allow the resident gut bacteria to thrive in the intestinal tract, where they can help prevent disease and may even provide additional nutrients for the pig. However, the research results are variable. Sanitation on the farm appears to contribute to the impact of prebiotics. If the animals are stressed, prebiotics may have a greater effect. Prebiotics can also be fed in concert with probiotics, as treatments known as synbiotics.

Probiotics and competitive exclusion. Probiotics introduce live beneficial bacteria into the intestinal tract to increase the population of desirable microorganisms, instead of killing or inhibiting undesirable organisms. The most common microbes included in probiotic products are already normal residents of the digestive tract of healthy animals. By encouraging the proliferation of these bacteria in the intestinal tract, it is possible to improve animal performance by competing against pathogenic bacteria for nutrients in the gut and binding sites on the intestinal wall, producing compounds that are toxic to pathogens and stimulating the immune system so it is ready to fight invading pathogens.

However, research results to date have been mixed. Experiments carried out under controlled conditions have shown little response when probiotics are added to feed. Experiments conducted under field conditions have shown that they can be beneficial, but generally only when high-stress conditions exist (disease challenge or diet change especially during the early post-weaning period).

Feed ingredients. Feed composition will likely play an even greater role in the absence of antibiotic growth promoters. There will likely be increased emphasis on the use of ingredients that are very digestible, free of anti-nutritional factors and promote gut health. We may also see restricted (rather than ad libitum) feeding, especially in the period immediately post-weaning, in order to allow and encourage a new microbial balance to establish in the gut. In addition, research has shown that liquid feeding and fermented liquid feeding have certain advantages over dry feeding.

Management and husbandry techniques. Good management is always important, but it may become even more vital in a production system without antibiotic growth promoters. We may need to reconsider weaning age, all-in/all-out systems, environmental conditions, ventilation rates, air quality, pen design, space allowances, water quality and quantity, cleaning regimens, biosecurity and feeding programs throughout the production system in order to optimize growth.

There is plenty left to learn about the specific mode of action of these alternative feed additives, so research is ongoing. Based on the information available today, it is doubtful that the potential alternatives will be as effective at improving growth as antibiotics. From the experience gained in Sweden and Denmark, it is obvious that some reduction in performance can be expected if growth-promoting antibiotics are no longer available.

No matter what the situation, it is important to realize that feed additives, whether antibiotic or otherwise, cannot compensate for poor management or housing conditions, so good management practices remain a key ingredient in a successful production system. Jim Pettigrew, a swine nutritionist at the University of Illinois, suggests that it is more likely that pork producers will rely on a combination of technologies and physiologically active feed ingredients to maintain pig health and performance if antibiotic growth promoters disappear from the landscape. BP

Janice Murphy is swine nutritionist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food in Fergus. E-mail janice.murphy@omaf.gov.on.ca

© copyright 2005 AgMedia Inc..


back













































Better Pork - December 2005

How well managed is your farrowing room?

Meeting the diverse heat needs of sows and litters, but it can pay back in increased numbers weaned, weaning weights, better health and improved sow condition
by RON MacDONALD
One route to improved profits is producing and keeping more piglets alive. The environment in farrowing rooms plays a critical role towards your target of pigs weaned per sow.

The sow and litter are very close to each other for feeding and mothering. Yet the environmental needs are totally opposite. The sow requires a temperature of 65 F or cooler for thermal comfort, maximum feed intake and optimal milk production. Inches away, newborn piglets require 32.2 C to keep warm. It is a challenge to meet the diverse thermal needs of the sows and their litters, but it can pay back in increased numbers weaned, weaning weights, better health and improved sow condition.

Most managers keep farrowing rooms too warm in an attempt to overcome ventilation system deficiencies (see below). Warmer temperatures tend to make sows uncomfortable and decrease feed intake. This affects milk production and sow conditioning.

So maintain the farrowing room as close to the breeding/gestation room temperature as possible. One producer reduced farrowing room temperature from 72 F to 65 F and had a 20 per cent sow feed intake increase, resulting in increased wean weights as well.

In the summer, consider snout coolers and/or drippers to provide relief for the sows during hot weather. Feed intake improvements of 20 per cent have been documented with the use of a dripper system. Sow weight loss, post-lactation, also decreased by 30 pounds. To use the dripper system to its optimum, be sure to buy a programmable controller and manage it properly. The sow must be dried off completely before starting each new drip sequences.

Ensure drafts on the sow do not reach excessive levels. This can cause sickness as well as discomfort.

Drafts are a major issue for newborn pigs. Verify that the inlets are installed and set up properly. Monitor them with smoke pencils regularly. Drafts that you cannot detect, even with bare skin at speeds of less than 30 ft per minute, can cause chilled piglets, resulting in scouring and other health risks. A new air inlet system, properly designed, installed and managed, can pay dividends in performance. One producer showed an increase of one pig per litter from a new air inlet system. Weaning weights and health also improved.

Use water bowls, ensuring that they are kept clean, or set nipples to drip so as to encourage water consumption. Dehydration and poor water consumption will depress feed intake. If pigs easily find their water source and use it in the farrowing crate, they will adapt more easily to the nursery water nipples post weaning.

Each method of creep heating system requires proper management. If piglets lie around the perimeter of where a heat lamp shines, this indicates it is too warm. Use diodes or dimmer switches to reduce heat output to comfortable levels. This saves 25 per cent in heat lamp energy costs and reduces the risk of piglets sleeping where the sow could crush them.

Another method of saving energy that will also result in greater comfort to sows and litters is the use of a thermostat on the creep heat system. Set the thermostat to turn heat off in the creep when temperatures exceed 80 F. At more than that, the surrounding building and penning surfaces warm up as well, reducing radiation heat losses from the piglets. The thermostat will automatically turn on the heat system once the room cools down in the evening.

Use heat lamps at the back of sows during farrowing and try to keep the birth area as dry and clean as possible. Another light or heat lamp should also be kept on for a day or two at the desired creep area, with electric heat pads or hot water floors.

Always use a solid mat for the creep area. Never let manure get within six inches of the bottom of slats. Gases from the manure, such as ammonia and hydrogen sulphide, can poison and scar a pig's lungs for life. This means reduced performance all the way to market weight.

Tight management of the farrowing room environment is necessary to ensure higher weaned pig numbers. So be sure your heat, inlet, control and fan systems are properly installed, maintained and managed. BP


Ron MacDonald, P.Eng., is an agricultural engineer with Agviro Inc. in Guelph.

© copyright 2005 AgMedia Inc..


back













































Better Pork - December 2005

Reducing the risk of deadly fires in pig barns

The insurance industry is working with safety authorities to test ways of cutting down the number of barn fires, especially those caused by methane ignition
by MIKE MULHERN
A farmer watches in horror as a fireball rolls across the ceiling of a large pig barn. He races from the building just as it bursts into flame, trapping 1,000 pigs inside. In seconds, the barn is an inferno soon reduced to ashes.

This could be the opening scene of a rural thriller, but it's actually what happened to a Southwestern Ontario pig farmer and people in the industry are looking for ways to prevent it happening again.

Randy Drysdale, a loss prevention officer with Farm Mutual Reinsurance Plan, Cambridge, says his industry is looking for ways to reduce the number of pig barn fires, including those caused by methane ignition.

"We're interested because, obviously, we don't want barns to burn. In a lot of cases, it is hard to figure out what caused the fire because, when they burn, they tend to burn completely," Drysdale notes, adding that electrical fires are still the most common.

Of nine big hog barn fires last year, he says, "five were electrical or unknown and the remaining ones were other causes of loss, one of them methane." He says the methane fire was the one involving the fireball but he refuses to name the farm or say exactly where it was except to say it was in the London-Chatham area.

Robert Chambers, an engineer with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, based in Fergus is working with the insurance industry, the pork industry and regulators to come up with recommendations that will prevent such fires. "We want to get a better grip on just how bad methane ignition is, and which barns seem to be prone to it," he says.

"It may boil down to what management steps we can take, what physical things we can do such as extra ventilation that can't be shut off, either a chimney or fan system," he says. Open-flame heaters, he believes, may have to be removed from barns and replaced with heaters that send warm air from outside the barn.

Chambers says he has discussed three options with Raphael Sumabat, a professional engineer with the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA), Toronto, a public safety services provider. Chambers says he hopes to test the three approaches in barns in time to have a report ready by January, 2006.

One solution could be the addition of a purge switch that would ensure any gases are removed before other systems are fired up. Sumabat, says purge switches are used in industrial applications such as paint ovens where combustible solvents are involved.

Another is minimum ventilation, natural or mechanical, and the third is changing the heater design to eliminate open-flame heaters from the barns. Sumabat cites other industries where typically fan switches are wired into a purge timer, which is also wired into a furnace. "Until the timer expired, the furnace wouldn't fire," he explains.

Chambers hopes to test systems in barns between now and January to come up with a fix for the problem. Solutions would be communicated to farmers and the TSSA would alert installers and operators about any new requirements.

Sam Bradshaw, environment communications specialist with Ontario Pork, says discussions have been held with TSSA about the issue. He likes the purge switch idea because these events usually happen when a barn has been idle and is being put back into service.

"The barn has been sitting idle, we fire things up and the heater says, 'Oh gee, it's cold we'd better fire it up.' Well the fan should fire up first," Bradshaw says. "Once we get that done, that would solve a lot of issues."

Drysdale says gas detectors and thermal imaging cameras are a couple of the technical tools the insurance industry is hoping will help them reduce the risk of fires in pig barns. He says that risk assessment specialists could use gas monitors, "not to isolate the farm as being bad, but to say to the farmer that, as we're walking through here, we're getting large levels of hydrogen cyanide or hydrogen sulfide or whatever, and we're getting higher levels of methane gas."

He says thermal imaging cameras can detect hot spots, such as overheated motors and electrical circuits. "When we're looking at an electrical panel, we can pinpoint potential breakers that are operating far hotter than they should be or pig barns where motors are operating with bad bearings with the potential to catch on fire or shut down." BP




© copyright 2005 AgMedia Inc..


back