How can runt pigs break out of their stunted state and return to normal growth?

I. Starvation therapy

For pigs that are finicky about food, once it is confirmed that they have no disease and no parasitic infection, starve them for 2-3 days, providing only drinking water and stomachic medicine. By the time they are fed again, the pigs will be so hungry that they eat anything and feed eagerly. From then on, strictly feed on a fixed schedule and in fixed amounts, giving only 80% of a full meal each time, so that the pigs always maintain a strong appetite.

II. Nutritional therapy

1. For stunted pigs that are in poor body condition, eat voraciously, and have a large belly, give wet mixed feed and increase the dry matter and nutrients in the daily ration. At the same time, reasonably balance the daily ration so that its nutrition is complete, and the pigs can break out of stunting.

2. For stunted pigs that are in good body condition and still able to eat, simply adding more protein-rich feed such as cake-type feed (100-150 grams per pig per day) or fish meal (50-100 grams per pig per day) to the daily ration will quickly bring them out of stunting.

3. For stunted pigs that have suffered from milk-induced stunting, feed-induced stunting, or drug damage since youth, or that have anemia, malnutrition, weak constitution, poor body condition, rough and messy hair, and pale skin due to cold exposure, inject Angelica sinensis injection intramuscularly, one ampoule per day, or inosine plus vitamin B12, one ampoule of each per day, for 5 consecutive days, or inject 1 milliliter of iron dextran intramuscularly, and feed easily digestible, nutrient-rich soft feed, add trace elements, and use a feeding method of small meals given more frequently, and the pigs can break out of stunting.

III. Medical treatment

1. For stunted pigs suffering from asthma and chronic enteritis, feed oxytetracycline for prevention and treatment, 40 milligrams per pig per day, or inject kanamycin intramuscularly until fully recovered.

2. For stunted pigs suffering from ascariasis and lungworm disease, feed trichlorfon at 0.1 grams per kilogram of body weight, once a day, for 4 consecutive days; for those with mild poisoning, inject 1 ampoule of atropine as an antidote. Trichlorfon can expel roundworms, and at large doses it also has considerable efficacy against lungworms; it can also excite the sympathetic nerves, promote contraction of gastrointestinal smooth muscle, regulate gastrointestinal function, and enhance the appetite of stunted pigs.

3. For stunted pigs suffering from stubborn sarcoptic mange or hog lice, feed the pig abamectin at 0.14 grams per kilogram of body weight, then feed it again once after a week, with obvious results. In addition, the pig house and equipment must be sprayed with trichlorfon solution to thoroughly eliminate sarcoptic mange mites and hog lice and prevent recurrence after recovery.

IV. Stomach-strengthening therapy

1. For stunted pigs that have been dewormed several times but still grow slowly, have thick dense hair, dry bound stool, are spirited but do not eat much, add wheat bran or stomachic medicine to each meal of complete feed until the feces become loose. In the initial stage, feed mainly thin feed or green succulent feed to increase the volume of the gastrointestinal tract; once the pig's feces are normal and its appetite is strong, switch to wet mixed feed.

2. For stunted pigs that have already been dewormed but still grow slowly, have rough and messy hair, sometimes dry and sometimes loose stool, are spirited but do not eat much, feed compound artificial salt, whose composition is: artificial salt 70%, charred Three Immortals 20% (charred hawthorn 30%, charred malt 40%, charred medicated leaven 30%), fish meal 10%. The stomach-strengthening dose is 5-10 grams per pig per time, and the diarrhea dose is 30-50 grams, given orally once. This method brings stunted pigs out of stunting by strengthening the stomach, causing diarrhea, and enhancing nutrition.

V. Chinese herbal medicine therapy

All types of stunted pigs are caused by low metabolic function and insufficient intake of nutrients, and Chinese medicines that strengthen the spleen and stomach and nourish the blood can all bring them out of stunting. Use Chinese yam, Scutellaria baicalensis, Angelica sinensis, Ligusticum chuanxiong, Dryopteris crassirhizoma, bitter orange, and magnolia bark, crush and sieve them, mix evenly, mix into the feed and use for 7 consecutive days, then use again for 5 days after half a month, and the weight gain rate can be significantly increased.

VI. Methods to prevent the occurrence of stunted pigs

In production practice, to eliminate stunted pigs, avoid inbreeding and using boars and sows too early, strengthen the feeding and management of sows, especially pregnant sows, and prevent them from developing diseases before and after farrowing, so as to prevent the occurrence of stunted pigs caused by congenital factors. Second, according to the physiological characteristics of young piglets at different stages, provide correct feeding, management, and care, and effectively carry out work such as freeze prevention and warmth keeping for newborn piglets, iron supplementation, colostrum feeding, and the "grasp three feeds, pass three hurdles" for suckling piglets, and the "three transitions" for weaned piglets. Third, do a good job of cleaning and hygiene for the pigs' bodies and pig houses, prevent cold and heat, and carry out regular deworming work to ensure the healthy growth of the pigs. Persist in the production and operation mode of self-breeding and self-raising and scientific feeding and management, do a good job in epidemic prevention and disease elimination, and improve the survival rate, growth rate, and feed utilization rate of piglets, so as to completely eliminate the appearance of stunted pigs.