Swine obstetrics disease: What to do when a sow has a dead fetus retained in the uterus

[Cause] There are many causes of a dead fetus retained in the uterus, mainly inbreeding, breeding too early, damage to the fetus from falls, running, or catching, accidental ingestion of toxins, or acute infectious diseases, which cause fetal death and retention in the uterus.

[Symptoms] The sick pig is listless, the vulva is red and swollen, a yellowish-brown foul-smelling liquid flows out, the udder is slightly enlarged and can discharge a small amount of colostrum, no fetal movement can be observed for a long time, the pulse is rapid, breathing is rapid, sometimes abdominal pain appears, and then the cervix closes tightly. If the dead fetus cannot be delivered, the sow's condition worsens and may even cause death.

[Diagnosis] It can be confirmed based on clinical symptoms. Formula 1: 7 prepared blister beetles (remove heads and legs), decoct in water and administer orally. Formula 2: Safflower and Chinese clematis root 50 g each, after boiling in water, wash down with rice-washing water and a small amount of wine, administer orally. Formula 3: Garden balsam 200-300 g, boil in water and administer orally. Formula 4: Angelica sinensis, Leonurus japonicus, and Angelica dahurica 50 g each, safflower, Astragalus membranaceus, Radix Paeoniae Rubra, and Pubescent angelica root 15 g each, Platycodon grandiflorus 20 g, 2 bowls of boy's urine, decoct in water and administer orally with wine. Formula 5: Pangolin scales, Euphorbia Pekinensis, and Talc 30 g each, Lygodium japonicum 15 g, after decocting in water add 125 g of raw lard and mix for oral administration. Formula 6: Hemp seed 30 g, Achyranthes aspera 30 g, turmeric root 10 g, after decocting in water use a little rice gruel as a guide and administer orally. Formula 7: Atractylodes lancea 25 g, Magnolia officinalis 25 g, dried tangerine peel 15 g, Glauber's salt 80 g, bitter orange 20 g, licorice 6 g; except for the Glauber's salt, decoct the other medicines in water, remove the residue, wait until warm, then mix in the Glauber's salt and administer orally. Within 4-24 hours after administration, all dead fetuses are expelled. Afterward, give the sow oxytetracycline 1.25 g, yeast tablets 20 tablets, and cod liver oil about 10 mL orally every day for 4 consecutive days (use with caution in weak animals with spleen deficiency). Formula 8: Safflower 10 g, peach kernel 20 g, Ligusticum chuanxiong 20 g, Angelica sinensis 10 g, Achyranthes bidentata 30 g, Leonurus japonicus 30 g, talc 20 g, pangolin scales 15 g, decoct in water and administer orally. Formula 9: Soft-shelled turtle shell 30 g, safflower 25 g, peach kernel 25 g, cattail pollen (fried) 39 g, Angelica sinensis tail 30 g, Radix Paeoniae Rubra 20 g, oak twig tips 40 g, decoct together to make a juice; heat an iron rust rod or piece until red and quench it in the liquid, wait until warm and administer by drenching. This formula, for cases where the due date has passed and a dead fetus in the abdomen has been confirmed, can quickly cause the dead fetus, fetal membranes, and turbid matter in the uterus to be expelled after 1 day following administration. This formula has no adverse effect on the next mating. Formula 10: Glauber's salt 250-500 g, boy's urine 500 mL; first dissolve the Glauber's salt in boiling water, remove impurities, mix in the boy's urine, then mix into the feed or administer by stomach tube; generally 1 dose is effective. Formula 11: Fresh tender oak branch tips 250 g, 6-10 cm long, cut into pieces and mash, add 1 kg of water, decoct the juice in a clay pot, and together with the water and dregs divide into 2-3 portions and mix into the sow's feed to let it eat on its own. If the dead fetus is not expelled 24 hours after 1 dose, give another dose.