What to Do About Postpartum Paralysis in Sows? Detailed Prevention and Treatment Measures
The sow has postpartum paralysis, what should you do? Prevention and treatment measures must be kept in mind!
Causes of paralysis in sows
First, because roughage makes up a relatively high proportion of the diet or the diet is insufficient in calcium and phosphorus, the sow "borrows" calcium and phosphorus from her bones before and after farrowing, and over time this leads to calcium and phosphorus deficiency in the sow's body. Especially high-yielding sows are more prone to this disease. After 20 days of farrowing, when the sow's milk production reaches its peak, the condition mostly tends to worsen.
Second, the proportion of cereal and legume feeds in the concentrate is too large. The phosphorus in these feeds mostly exists in the form of phytic acid phosphorus, which is not easily utilized by pigs and also hinders the pigs' absorption of calcium. Overfeeding them easily causes severe calcium and phosphorus deficiency in the pig's body, leading to paralysis. The main manifestations are listlessness, reduced appetite, dry and hard feces in small amounts, and later cessation of defecation and urination. In mild cases, standing is difficult and the rear quarters sway when walking. In severe cases, the pig cannot stand, lies on the ground for a long time, and appears in a stuporous state. Milk is scant or absent.
Postpartum paralysis
This disease is a nutritional and metabolic disease that suddenly occurs in sows from several hours to 5 days after farrowing.
Affected pigs show difficulty standing, swaying of the rear quarters, cautious walking, instability of the rear quarters, sensitive pain response in the muscles, sharply reduced appetite or refusal to eat, dry feces or cessation of defecation, reddish-yellow urine, and normal or slightly low body temperature. Lack of milk or no milk.
⟧ Postpartum paralysis in sows is a disease in which the sow's physique is weakened after farrowing, the limbs cannot stand after farrowing, and sensation is reduced, resulting in paralysis. It is also called postpartum wind, and is a common and frequently occurring disease of sows.
⟧ Toxic factors
⟧ There are many toxic factors that cause paralysis of the rear quarters in pigs, such as poor feed quality, long-term feeding or a single large intake of moldy and deteriorated feed, improper feed processing and preparation methods, and failure to detoxify feeds containing toxic and harmful substances such as cottonseed cake, rapeseed cake and potato, or unreasonable feeding methods, all of which can cause poisoning and lead to paralysis of the rear quarters in pigs. Such diseases can usually be preliminarily diagnosed based on history, on-site investigation and clinical manifestations. For example, salt poisoning and distillers' grains poisoning.
⟧ Symptoms of salt poisoning: at the beginning of the disease, extreme thirst, redness of the mucous membranes, swelling of the lips, followed by restlessness, aimless wandering, circling, muscle spasms, a sitting-dog posture, and finally paralysis of the limbs and inability to stand.
⟧ Symptoms of distillers' grains poisoning: elevated body temperature, labored breathing, skin rashes on the body surface, diarrhea, and feces containing mucus and having a foul odor. As for rapeseed cake, cottonseed cake and potato poisoning, they are mostly caused by excessive intake without detoxification because they contain toxic substances.
⟧ Measures to prevent paralysis in sows
⟧ First, feed should be rationally matched, striving for a balanced diet nutrition. According to sow feeding standards, make full use of local natural resources, feed as much green fodder as possible (do not feed too much at one time, to prevent diarrhea) or high-quality hay meal, and supplement mineral feed and additives, etc. For sows in pregnancy and lactation, add 20 grams each of high-quality bone meal and salt per sow per day. If bone meal is not fed, the proportion of feeds rich in phosphorus such as wheat bran and rice bran in the diet can be appropriately increased, and green and roughage rich in calcium such as sweet potato vines can be added. Provide high-quality complete compound feed, pay attention to keeping the sow house warm and dry, and appropriately increase the sow's exercise.
⟧ Preventive measures for postpartum paralysis in sows
⟧ 1. Ordinarily, supplement the pig diet with shell powder, eggshell powder and calcium carbonate. In the late gestation and lactation periods of sows, supplement bone meal, fish meal and mixed bone soup, and in winter and spring rainy seasons supplement high-quality hay meal, legume forage (alfalfa) and green fodder.
⟧ 2. The pig house should be kept clean and dry: after the sow farrows, more straw should be laid in the pig house to prevent cold wind from blowing in, and the pig house should be kept warm, spacious and with sufficient sunlight. During gestation, sows should be exposed to more sunlight; let the sow exercise in the sun for 2 hours to 3 hours every day, and feed easily digestible feed rich in protein, minerals and vitamins, with an appropriate calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.
⟧Symptomatic treatment as early as possibletreatment. Pig bones or other fresh livestock and poultry bones can be dried and crushed, then mixed into the feed to feed the pigs, about 30 grams per pig per day. For severely affected pigs, use 40-80 milliliters of 5%-10% calcium chloride injection, administered intravenously at one time, but intramuscular injection is strictly prohibited, and the medicinal liquid must not be allowed to leak outside the blood vessel. Apply high-proof white liquor or 10% camphor alcohol to the skin and perform manual massage to promote blood circulation in the pig and restore nerve function. While promptly carrying outtreatment, further strengthen feeding management. In winter, pay attention to cold protection and warmth preservation; in summer, pay attention to heatstroke prevention and cooling. Feed easily digestible feed, keep the pig house clean and hygienic, increase the thickness of the bedding, and often help the sow turn over to prevent bedsores; minimize stress factors as much as possible to facilitate the sow's recovery. (Source: Pig Farming)