What causes low body temperature and loss of appetite in pigs
Pigs are an essential meat food in China. They are raised in every part of the country, and pork consumption in China is now the largest among all meat products each year. Strong market demand has driven the expansion of breeding areas. However, although pig farming has a long history, many problems still arise during pig raising. Low body temperature and loss of appetite in pigs is one of them. So what causes low body temperature and loss of appetite in pigs? Let's take a look below!
1. Nutritional causes
Many pig farmers now feed very poor-quality feed in a single-minded effort to improve breeding efficiency and reduce breeding costs, and many pig farmers also process feed themselves. This leads to an imbalance in feed nutrition, whether it is a lack of energy or insufficient vitamins. Common nutritional deficiencies cause abnormalities in the pig's body functions and metabolism. Naturally, this also causes pigs to develop low body temperature and loss of appetite, and if pigs are unable to get exposure to sunlight inside the barn for a long time, they become deficient in vitamin D3. A deficiency of vitamin D3 affects the absorption of calcium ions in pigs. This leads to weak myocardial contraction and poor blood circulation, resulting in the low temperature phenomenon.
2. Management aspects
The floors of many pig farms are paved with cement, and cement floors are very cold. When washed with water, the floor becomes even colder, so the temperature inside the pig barn never rises and stays in a chilly environment. This is especially obvious in colder seasons such as winter and spring. If pigs grow in this cold, damp environment for a long time, the impact on their growth is very great. Moreover, because of space limitations on pig farms, pigs also get very little exercise. Body metabolism and gastrointestinal activity are hindered, so this can also cause pigs to develop low body temperature and loss of appetite.
3. Improper health care
During the breeding process, pigs should be given appropriate health care. Sometimes, when carrying out health care procedures, improper operation, such as using large amounts of low-quality mold removers, can easily cause various problems. Because low-quality mold removers only have a simple adsorbing effect, they not only absorb the mycotoxins in the feed but also absorb nutrients along with them, causing the loss of feed nutrients. Naturally, pigs will then develop low body temperature and loss of appetite, and sows will also experience postpartum paralysis, while boars will have reduced feed intake and lower semen quality.
4. Other causes
To reduce costs, some farmers do not promptly deal with moldy feed and instead feed it directly to pigs. Moldy feed contains a kind of mycotoxin, and if pigs absorb mycotoxins, poisoning will occur. This damages liver function and causes digestive abnormalities, resulting in low body temperature and loss of appetite. Then there is the use of some antipyretic drugs: because antipyretic drugs can cause a sharp drop in a pig's body temperature, they not only mask the symptoms of fever in pigs, but the metabolic rate also decreases as a result, and ultimately this also leads to low body temperature, loss of appetite, and even death.
That is a brief introduction to the causes of low body temperature and loss of appetite in pigs. When pigs show low body temperature and loss of appetite, be sure to promptly identify the cause and then treat the symptoms accordingly. Do not handle it blindly, otherwise the condition may worsen. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and we hope it can help everyone!