Diarrhea in piglets

Diarrhea in pigs is an alarming symptom that should not be ignored. In severe cases, it can lead to the death of the entire herd.

Therefore, every farmer should know the symptoms and possible causes of digestive disorders, as well as treatment methods. It is especially dangerous if piglets have diarrhea in the first weeks of life.

Why is diarrhea dangerous in piglets and sows?

It is necessary to treat diarrhea in a piglet, this is not a problem that will disappear without a trace on its own. Diarrhea is a dangerous condition that can, in some cases, lead to the death of not only young animals, but also the entire population of adult pigs.

Important! Diarrhea is not a disease, but only a symptom of some abnormality in the body. Before treating a piglet’s stomach upset, you need to find out its cause.

Diarrhea is very insidious, because in just a few hours it can lead to the death of a small piglet. The condition is more dangerous, the smaller the animal’s weight: babies die very quickly. As a rule, a farmer has several days to save an adult and strong pig from diarrhea.

Severe diarrhea, aggravated by vomiting and high temperature, leads to rapid removal of fluid from the body. Along with water, valuable salts and minerals leave the piglet’s body, without which the functioning of vital organs (heart, nervous system, brain) is impossible.

It is dehydration, coupled with intoxication, that causes mass deaths of pigs. Treatment of diarrhea at the first stages should be aimed at restoring the salt and alkaline balance in the piglet’s body.

Why do they slander?

Diarrhea in piglets is characterized by frequent bowel movements. The feces have a liquid consistency and may contain mucus, foam, blood clots, and inclusions.

Diarrhea can occur in newborns, older individuals, and adult pigs.

Important! If diarrhea occurs in piglets that are constantly fed with the sow’s milk, treatment should be prescribed immediately. As a rule, there are several sick sucklings in a litter.

The main cause of stomach upset in piglets and adult animals can be called nutritional errors, unbalanced, poor-quality diet.

Diarrhea in piglets can also occur with a sudden change in regimen, type of food, or feeding with rotten, low-quality compound feed.

If piglets have diarrhea, possible causes include:

• lack of proper hygiene in the premises where animals are kept;
• poisoning by toxic substances, plant seeds;
• helminthic invasions;
• infectious, non-infectious diseases;
• hypothermia, insufficient temperature conditions in piggeries;
• hypo-, avitaminosis;
• congenital and acquired pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract;
• metabolic disorder.

Diarrhea in piglets often indicates that they are infected with some kind of infection, viral, bacterial, parasitic disease. Diarrhea in pigs can also occur due to overeating, eating poisonous plants.

Newborns

When suckling piglets have diarrhea, they often have intense, watery stools. Since diarrhea in newborns is a relatively rare occurrence, the cause of this condition lies in the nursing sow.

It is possible that she is infected with viruses, bacteria, internal parasites that cause intestinal infections, especially if she is often separated from her brood.

If piglets have diarrhea, this can also be caused by the fact that the diet of the nursing sow consists of a large amount of roughage, hard feed.

Some types of grass and plants that a pig eats can also cause stomach upset in babies. Large amounts of milk often cause diarrhea in sucklings.

At the suckers

In suckling piglets, diarrhea is associated with the following factors:

• Mastitis in a sow, which leads to a change in the quality characteristics of milk. In this case, treatment of the mother is necessary. Symptomatic therapy is carried out for the litter.
• Lack of milk leads to a lack of nutrients and upset stomach.
• Sow heat. After a week, the level of prolactin, a hormone responsible for milk production, may decrease in the mother’s blood. A decrease in its concentration also leads to an increase in sexual desire: the sow becomes restless.
• Increased fat content of milk significantly dilutes piglets’ stool. To normalize the composition, it is necessary to select a special feeding regimen for the mother.
• Cold in the room.

Grown up

Diarrhea is quite common in growing piglets aged 2-3 months. Stomach upset can be caused by a variety of factors.

At the age of several months, babies lead a mobile, active lifestyle. If piglets are let out to walk, they can catch an intestinal infection, diseases from other domestic animals, birds, rodents.

Very often, the cause of diarrhea in piglets are viral and bacterial diseases, which pose a danger not only to the health but also to the life of animals. Infection can occur through contact, alimentary, or erogenous routes.

Mumps can catch the infection from hidden virus carriers. If other side symptoms are noticeable against the background of diarrhea, it is necessary to immediately take appropriate measures and begin treatment.

If diarrhea in small piglets is not a symptom of infections, diseases, stomach upset can be caused by hot weather conditions. Severe overheating, as well as hypothermia, has a very negative effect on the functioning of the digestive tract.

In older piglets, diarrhea can be caused by overeating. Little pigs lead an active lifestyle and if they get very hungry, they start to greedily eat food.

Poorly chopped, coarse feed provokes stomach upset in these animals for several days. A veterinarian will tell you how to treat diarrhea in piglets at home, since therapy and further actions depend on the underlying causes that provoked this condition.

Symptoms of diarrhea

If piglets have diarrhea, the main symptom is frequent, loose stools of a watery, mushy consistency.

The feces, which can flow uncontrollably, often contain mucus, foam, bloody threads, clots, inclusions, and remnants of undigested food.

The main danger of upset stomach in piglets is functional disorders in the gastrointestinal tract, other organs and systems, as well as rapid dehydration of the body.

Against the background of diarrhea, other side symptoms, physiological disorders, and changes in metabolism may develop.

Important! The cause of diarrhea can be determined by the color, consistency, and general appearance of the stool.

White stool indicates liver damage. Foamy diarrhea is a common symptom of helminthic invasions, viral diseases. Black, bloody, brown diarrhea signals possible bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract.

A specific, sharp, putrid smell emanating from feces is a symptom of fermentation in the intestines.

Piglets lose weight, there is no gain in live weight. Animals become weak, become inactive, lie on their sides. A decrease or complete lack of appetite is noted. Vomiting, nausea, increased thirst are possible.

If, in addition to diarrhea, other clinical symptoms are noticeable in piglets, you should immediately contact a veterinarian. After diagnosis, a specialist will select an effective treatment.

Home Treatment

If a piglet has diarrhea, it is necessary to determine the cause of this condition. In order not to provoke serious physiological disorders, the treatment of diarrhea should be comprehensive.

Most often, animals are prescribed drug treatment. However, the advanced stage is much more difficult to treat. In case of diarrhea in piglets, treatment should be carried out on the first day, especially if there is a suspicion of infection.

If diarrhea is not caused by an infection, review your pets’ diet, provide optimal living conditions, and disinfect the premises where the animals are kept.

If diarrhea in suckling piglets is caused by an unbalanced diet of the mother, feed the sow less hard, roughage feed. Make sure that the lactating gilt does not come into contact with other domestic animals.

Piglets are given medicine, medications, the action of which is aimed at reducing intestinal motility, improving, normalizing digestive processes. In case of diarrhea in piglets, treatment is combined with other preventive measures.

Treatment will be effective if the optimal balance of microelements and salts in the animal’s body is maintained. Piglets are given potassium chloride (10%) 3 times a day at 10 mg. It can be replaced with a 1% solution of table salt at a rate of 5 g per 500 ml of water.

Suckling piglets can be given enveloping solutions, probiotics, and enzyme agents. A 0,9% sodium chloride solution can be given, which will help eliminate signs of dehydration.

In addition to the main treatment, enzyme therapy is carried out. This will give a good effect in case of digestive disorders.

Experienced farmers give water acidified with lemon (1 ml per liter of water), Regidron, and other adsorbents.

Important! It is best to give medications to piglets on an empty stomach.

If this does not give positive results, for diarrhea caused by infections and viral diseases, animals are prescribed antibiotics and sulfonamides.

For diarrhea in piglets, the following medications are prescribed:

• Brovaseptol. It is produced in the form of a powder, which is mixed and given together with food at the rate of 3-4 g per kg of feed. Treatment takes five days.
• Browafom. It is a powder that dissolves well in water. It can be added to compound feed (1 kg of medicine per 500 kg of compound feed).
• Biovit. The veterinary drug contains vitamin B12, which is necessary for normal digestion, and the antibiotic tetracycline hydrochloride. The medicine should be given to the piglet once a day. The duration of treatment is 6-7 days. If the age of the piglets is up to 10 days, then the calculation is based on 15 g of the drug per 10 kg of weight. If the babies are from 1 to 2 months old, then they are given 6 g per 1 kg of weight, and 4-month-olds need to be given 15 grams of the drug.
• Akolan. This is a monodrug based on the antibiotic colistin. It is indicated for infectious diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The product is available as a powder for dilution in water. The solution is given to piglets with water or milk at a dose of 1 g / kg of weight twice a day. The therapy continues for 3 days. The active substance is excreted within 24 hours.

In case of suspected helminthic invasions, the following medications are used: Alben; Ivermek; Nilverm. Some medications have a broad spectrum of action, others are effective against certain types of parasites.

Therefore, the drug should only be prescribed by a veterinarian after determining the type of worms.

Folk remedies

You can cure diarrhea in small piglets with folk remedies. However, do not forget to consult a veterinarian to avoid possible complications.

An upset stomach can be relieved by rice porridge, an aqueous-alcoholic infusion of pine needles, a decoction of chamomile, St. John’s wort, oak bark, and succession.

Give the sick pig chicory root (50 g per liter of water), stinging nettle tincture in a 1/1 ratio, and a strong infusion of properly dried hay.

Medicinal plants are used at a rate of 40 g per liter of water. Add to drinking bowls, replacing regular drinking water.

Rice mash is very good for treating piglets’ diarrhea. To prepare it, take 1 kg of rice and boil the grain in 10 liters of water. Drain off excess water. Give the piglets 100 g of mash four times a day.

If the piglet has severe diarrhea, you can buy pine extract in pharmacies. An experienced farmer gives the sick animal 2 ml three times a day.

Pour into the piglet’s throat using a syringe without a needle or a large spoon. If this is not enough, you can increase the dose to 3 ml, but only for older piglets and adult pigs. This tincture will help quickly eliminate stomach upset.

Step-by-step instructions for preparing a home analogue of Regidron:

• Boil 1 liter of water;
• Allow the water to cool to 40-50 °C;
• Add 1 tablespoon of sugar;
• Add 1 tablespoon of salt;
• Stir until the crystals are completely dissolved;

Also, one of the ways to combat diarrhea is to beat raw chicken eggs, the so-called eggnog, which can have a positive effect, but only at the initial stage.

Therapy for suspected poisoning

In case of poisoning, they find out what substance exactly caused the illness. The gastrointestinal tract is washed, an antidote is given – for example, Unitol. This drug is effective against arsenic, bismuth, and other heavy metals. The exception is lead.

Adsorbents, diuretics, and general tonics are used. In case of salt poisoning, intramuscular injections of calcium gluconate are indicated.

Nitrite and nitrate intoxication is treated with a solution of methylene blue and glucose, the drug is administered intravenously.

Vietnamese piglets

In Vietnamese piglets The functioning of the gastrointestinal tract of representatives of this species is somewhat different from other breeds, and therefore diarrhea in small piglets is treated with other drugs:

• Tetracycline or Levomycetin, which are prescribed in a dosage of 35 mg/kg of animal weight;
• Farmazin 50 mg is intended for intramuscular administration;
• Furazolidone is prescribed based on proportions of 3 mg per kilogram of the animal’s weight.

Having considered how to treat diarrhea in small piglets, you can quickly normalize the condition of sick animals. The main thing is to correctly determine the cause of such a condition and begin the appropriate complex treatment as soon as possible.

Preventive measures

Special attention is paid to the nutrition of the youngest members of the herd. New products are introduced into the diet carefully. Then they wait a few days, observing the body’s reaction. Feedings are carried out at the same hours.

To prevent small piglets from having bloody diarrhea, the food is chopped and mixed. This is especially true for Vietnamese pigs, whose gastrointestinal system is not able to digest too coarse food.

If the diet already includes grass, it should not be given immediately after mowing. First, the greens are slightly withered, and only then are they put into the feeders. In this form, the product is better digested and does not lead to digestive disorders.

There should be no poisonous herbs in the yard where pigs are walked. These include:

• milestone poisonous;
• drugs;
• helmet;
• buttercup;
• nightshade;
• mustard.

The feed should always be fresh, without signs of rotting or mold. Wet mash should not be left for longer than 2-3 hours. Before each meal, the feed containers are cleaned of food residues and dirt.

Three times a month, feeders and drinking bowls are doused with boiling water. Immediately after birth, piglets are given warm boiled water to drink. Potassium permanganate is added to it to obtain a pale pink solution.

Decoctions of cereals – oats, rice, and flax seeds – are no less useful. The pigsty is cleaned regularly. Moisture, dirt, and cold contribute to the spread of infectious diseases.

Every year the walls are whitewashed with lime. The pens are disinfected twice a week. The bedding is changed daily. The piglets are periodically given vitamin complexes and fish oil.

To prevent diarrhea and anemia, injections of iron-based preparations are given at five days of age – Ferrodex, Ferroglyukin.