Detailed Explanation of Postpartum Care Measures and Technical Points for Sows

During farrowing, the sow's reproductive organs undergo drastic changes, and the body's resistance drops markedly. Therefore, proper postpartum care should be given to the sow so that she can recover her health as quickly as possible and return to normal production. After farrowing, the sow should be observed at all times for changes in feed intake and body temperature, and attention should be paid to whether there is heavy bleeding, postpartum mastitis, paralysis, postpartum agalactia, and other such conditions. For sows that required manual assistance during farrowing, the birth canal should be cleaned and anti-inflammatory medication given. From 2-5 days after farrowing, gradually increase the feed amount, reaching the maximum amount after 1 week, and feed as much as she will eat. 2-3 days before weaning, appropriately reduce the feed according to the sow's body condition and control water intake.

Check the afterbirth

Check whether the afterbirth has been completely expelled, and whether the number of placental pieces or umbilical cords is consistent with the number of piglets born. If the afterbirth is retained, inject 10 mg of diethylstilbestrol intramuscularly; after the cervix dilates, inject 30 international units of oxytocin intramuscularly every 30 minutes, for 2 to 3 consecutive times. After confirming that the afterbirth has been completely expelled, place 800,000 to 1,600,000 international units of penicillin deep into the birth canal.

Adopt appropriate anti-inflammatory methods

For first-litter sows, or sows with oversized or too many fetuses, or sows with dystocia, the uterus is easily damaged; anti-inflammatory treatment should be given in a 7-day course, with each dose based on 30,000 units of penicillin per kg of body weight injected intramuscularly, twice a day. At the same time, a warm 0.1% potassium permanganate solution can be infused deep into the birth canal until normal condition is restored. For multiparous sows with a history of postpartum illness, use the same method and medication as above. For multiparous sows with normal unassisted farrowing, each dose should be based on 20,000 units of penicillin per kg of body weight, twice a day, for 20 consecutive days.

For sows that still discharge pus from the birth canal 1 week after anti-inflammatory treatment, the treatment is as follows: first infuse 200-300 ml of lukewarm 0.1% potassium permanganate solution into the uterus, and at the same time inject 5 mg of diethylstilbestrol intramuscularly to dilate the cervix; after about 30 minutes, inject 30 international units of oxytocin intramuscularly, once every 30 minutes, for 2 consecutive times. At the same time, inject a mixed solution of penicillin and streptomycin intramuscularly, combined with dexamethasone phosphate injection for systemic treatment. Alternatively, place 100 ml of a mixture of 10% glucose saline + 800,000 to 1,600,000 units of penicillin deep into the birth canal, once a day, for 3 consecutive days; the effect is excellent.

For postpartum anti-inflammatory treatment, removing blood stasis and resolving stagnation, and retained afterbirth in sows, Chinese herbal medicine can also be mixed into the feed and given orally. Take 0.25 kg of fresh motherwort + 1000 ml of water, boil down to 300-400 ml, and after it cools to lukewarm, add 0.2 kg of brown sugar, mix into the feed and administer in the morning and evening, for 3 consecutive days; the effect is relatively good.

Feeding aspects

Farrowing consumes a great deal of physical strength and causes much loss of body fluids, so the sow shows fatigue and thirst; therefore, sufficient warm 1% salt water should be prepared for the sow to drink. Within 8 hours after farrowing, the sow should not be fed, but warm water should be guaranteed; on the morning of the 2nd day, give liquid feed, because the digestive function of the sow after farrowing is very weak, and the feeding amount should be restored gradually. If the sow's digestive capacity recovers well and there are many piglets, the feeding amount can be restored to the pre-farrowing level after 2 days. If the sow has little or no milk, measures must be taken immediately to save the piglets; first prepare some milk-stimulating gruel-type feeds, such as millet gruel, soup made by boiling small fish and small shrimp, soybean milk, milk, etc., and feed 3 times a day; after the milk yield increases, gradually reduce and then stop feeding. If it still does not work, medication can be used to promote lactation. Lactation-promoting formula: 40 g of cowherb seed, 30 g of akebia stem, 50 g of motherwort, 40 g of medicated leaven, 30 g of common burreed rhizome, 20 g of red peony root, 50 g of fried malt, 30 g of safflower, mix these 8 herbs, add water and boil into a decoction, 1 dose per day, administered in 2 portions, for 2-3 consecutive days.

Management aspects

After the sow finishes farrowing, promptly remove contaminants, wipe the walls, floor, and railings clean, then spray 2% lysol for disinfection, creating a hygienic, quiet, and fresh-air environment for the sow. Carefully observe the behavior of the sow and piglets after farrowing. After farrowing, the sow's uterus and birth canal are damaged to varying degrees, and pathogenic microorganisms can easily invade and multiply, bringing harm to the body. For common diseases such as metritis, postpartum fever, mastitis, and piglet diarrhea, they should be detected and treated early to prevent infection of the whole litter of piglets. For example, if one sow is found to be listless, have reduced appetite, leave leftover feed, and so on, the cause should be identified promptly; if it is caused by uterine inflammation, continuous injection of penicillin for 2 days can cure it, and generally it will not affect nursing the piglets. If piglet diarrhea is found, the source of infection should be eliminated immediately and treatment given promptly. Three days after farrowing, the sow can be released into a exercise yard to move freely, so that she can be exposed to sunlight, recover her strength, and promote digestion, which is very beneficial for increasing milk yield. However, the activity time must not be too long, to prevent catching cold and being startled. In the author's survey of sow production conditions in this county, it was found that the vast number of rural specialized sow-raising households generally do not pay attention to sanitary measures for postpartum sows, which very easily causes many common obstetric diseases in sows after farrowing, such as postpartum metritis, mastitis, agalactia syndrome, postpartum fever, tetanus, and postpartum anorexia, thereby affecting reproductive function and even leading to culling. Paying attention to postpartum hygiene for sows can greatly reduce the occurrence of many postpartum diseases.