What symptoms appear after a sow suffers heatstroke?
Recently the weather has been hot, with temperatures staying at a high level. Besides people suffering heatstroke, farmed sows have also been experiencing heatstroke. So what do sow heatstroke symptoms look like? What should be done?
What do sow heatstroke symptoms look like?
A sow with heatstroke will show rapid breathing, accelerated heartbeat, elevated body temperature, weakness in the limbs, and unsteady walking; congestion of the conjunctiva, listlessness, lack of appetite, desire to drink, and frequent vomiting. In severe cases the body temperature rises above 42°C, and if not treated in time it can cause death.
What should be done about sow heatstroke?
When a pig has heatstroke, the affected pig should be moved to a cool place as soon as possible, its head and chest doused with cool water, and if necessary an enema with cool salt water can be given, along with an intramuscular injection of 3 mg of chlorpromazine per kilogram of body weight. For severe cases, each pig can be injected with 0.5 to 2 grams of caffeine sodium benzoate. In addition, the following preventive measures should be taken:
1. Add baking soda to the feed, which can help the pig's body dissipate heat; add soluble VC powder to drinking water or feed, which can clear heat and relieve summerheat, enhance the body's ability to adapt to high temperatures, and help pigs resist heat stress.
2. Use a soft plastic water pipe 2-3 cm in diameter, running from one end above the pig pens in the pig house to the other end of the pig house, supported and fixed in the middle with wire and iron frames; small holes can be pierced all over the pipe wall with a thick injection needle, and the pipe is connected to a pressurized tap water outlet. During the hot season, turn it on once every 3 hours for 30 minutes each time; fine jets of water spray out evenly to form a mist, slightly moistening the pigs' bodies, the floor and the air in the pens, and slowly lowering the temperature. With continued use you will see the pigs' bodies clean and shiny, the floor clean, and little dust in the air; after spraying, the pigs have a strong appetite and can lie down quietly to rest during the hottest time at midday.
3. Set up disinfection pools at the entrances of the pig farm and pig houses, fill them with disinfectant, and disinfect vehicles and outside personnel entering the pig farm and pig houses. The disinfectant in the disinfection pools should be replaced regularly to ensure the disinfection effect.
After spraying the floor with disinfectant, carry out a thorough cleaning, and the removed waste should be treated with manure disinfection; then evenly spray the ceiling, walls, pen rails, doors and windows, feed troughs, floor, tools and the ground at the entrance with disinfectant. In addition, the feeding staff should change clothes when they start work, and enter the site after ultraviolet disinfection in the disinfection room; hands have many opportunities to contact pigs and are a main medium of disease transmission, so hands should be washed frequently with disinfectant.
To prevent sow heatstroke during the hot season, first do a good job of heat prevention and cooling, including sprinkling water and ventilation; secondly, disinfection and eliminating sources of infection are also indispensable.