Diarrhea in piglets and pigs: causes and treatment

Raising pigs is a profitable but troublesome business. The health of young animals and adults must be constantly monitored, because these animals are prone to various diseases. A common problem that farmers face is diarrhea in piglets and adult pigs.

Do not underestimate a disease such as diarrhea, because it can cause the death of an animal. As a rule, all pigs on a farm are kept in a common room - because of this, the death of livestock from diarrhea can become widespread.

Possible causes of diarrhea in piglets and adult pigs

Diarrhea is frequent, unformed bowel movements that can be either an independent disease or a symptom indicating more serious health problems. Before you begin treating diarrhea in pigs, you should find out the cause of this disease.

Diarrhea in pigs of different ages can be caused by the following factors:

1. Conditions for keeping pigs that do not meet sanitary standards.If the barn is too cold, the immunity of adults, and even more so of small piglets, quickly decreases. This leads to the fact that the pigs’ body is attacked by various infections, including intestinal ones. Infrequent or poor-quality cleaning of the barn can also cause diarrhea in piglets. After all, in just a few hours, a million bacteria and dangerous microbes develop in hay stained with pig feces. The bedding on the floor should be changed regularly as it gets dirty.
2. Unfit for drinking water also causes diarrhea in piglets and pigs. It is strictly not recommended to water the entire herd, and especially small piglets, with water from an unverified source.
3. Intestinal parasites are especially dangerous for children. Usually, piglets become infected with helminths while walking, so it is necessary to monitor the cleanliness not only in the barn, but also in the area of ​​the street accessible to pigs. Diarrhea caused by parasites in pigs is not so easy to treat: helminths still need to be identified, and they are very good at hiding. When conventional anti-diarrhea treatments do not have an effect, piglets' feces should be immediately submitted for analysis for helminths. Pigs two to four months old can easily die due to worms, because the parasites are very toxic, they greatly poison the weak body of the piglet.
4. Infectious diseases do not appear out of nowhere. When piglets under 2 months are born, a hidden illness in the mother can be suspected. A pig that becomes infected with an infectious disease late in pregnancy transmits the infection to its piglets before they are born. Since the mother’s immunity could not cope with the infection, the sow’s body did not produce antibodies - the babies are defenseless against the disease.If treatment of diarrhea in the piglets themselves does not bring results, it is necessary to take care of the health of the sow or separate the babies from their mother, because along with the milk they receive a new dose of infection every day.
5. Pigs can have the same internal diseases as humans. In the case of diarrhea in an adult animal or in three to four month old piglets, intestinal inflammation, problems with the liver, gall or stomach can be suspected. Usually, such diseases can be determined by the appearance of the stool (undigested food fragments, the presence of mucus, streaks of blood in the stool, discoloration). Newly born piglets rarely have congenital defects of internal organs, which manifest themselves primarily as diarrhea. Treatment in such cases does not help, unfortunately.
6. An unbalanced diet also causes diarrhea in pigs. Piglets that are just introduced to roughage often react with diarrhea. Both freshly cut grass and new food can cause stomach upset in older young animals. Do not forget that adult pigs are prone to overeating - it is necessary to constantly monitor the size of the “portions”. Diarrhea from an unbalanced diet is not particularly dangerous. As a rule, such diarrhea does not need to be treated - the piglet’s digestion returns to normal immediately after correcting the diet.
7. Poisoning in pigs and piglets (bacterial diarrhea) is not uncommon. Pigs often eat everything that is under their nose. Therefore, the farmer must keep order in the barn, promptly clean the feeders from sour feed, and regularly change the water. Poisoning leads to intoxication, and this condition is especially dangerous for small piglets - without treatment, they can quickly die from diarrhea.
8. Toxic and poisonous substances are the rarest, but very dangerous, cause of diarrhea in piglets. Pigs are curious; they immediately taste any new object. It is necessary to ensure that there are no poisons, fertilizers, chemicals or drugs in the shed with piglets or on the run. Small piglets can be poisoned even by old paint, which is why it is not recommended to paint or varnish the boards on the floor and fencing of the barn.

You need to start treating pigs and piglets for diarrhea immediately, without wasting precious time. The sooner the animal receives competent help, the greater the farmer’s chances of releasing it.

Why is diarrhea dangerous in piglets and pigs?

It is necessary to treat diarrhea in a piglet; this is not a problem that will go away on its own. Diarrhea is a dangerous condition that can, in some cases, lead to the death of not only young animals, but also the entire population of adult pigs.

Diarrhea is very insidious, because in just a few hours it can lead to the death of a small piglet. The smaller the animal's weight, the more dangerous this condition is: babies die very quickly. A farmer usually has several days to save an adult and strong pig from diarrhea.

Severe diarrhea, aggravated by vomiting and high fever, leads to rapid removal of fluid from the body.Together with water, the piglet’s body leaves valuable salts and minerals, without which the functioning of vital organs (heart, nervous system, brain) is impossible.

It is dehydration, coupled with intoxication, that causes mass deaths of pigs. Treatment of diarrhea in the first stages should be aimed at restoring the salt and alkaline balance in the piglet’s body.

Symptoms of diarrhea in piglets and pigs

It is not difficult to identify a pig suffering from diarrhea - such individuals are immediately visible in the herd. Signs of diarrhea are considered to be:

1. Liquid, unformed stool. In healthy piglets, feces are usually of medium thickness. In individuals with diarrhea, defecation can even occur spontaneously, since the feces are very liquid, sometimes like water.
2. Having bowel movements more than five times a day is no longer the norm.
3. There is always wet under the tail of a pig with diarrhea - you need to literally look under the kids' tails so as not to miss the problem.
4. A pig with diarrhea quickly becomes weak, appears lethargic, refuses to eat, or eats less than usual. Typically, an animal with diarrhea lies on its side and breathes heavily.
5. Chronic diarrhea, caused by improper functioning of the digestive system, leads to exhaustion of the pig and a sharp decrease in the animal’s weight. The sick piglet's snout is pale, the skin is dirty and untidy.

Newborn piglets diarrhea: reasons and what to do

Suckling piglets that feed only on their mother's milk can also diarrhea. Moreover, in practice this happens quite often.There is even a well-known saying among farmers: “To avoid trouble, look under the pigs’ tail more often.” It is clear that in such cases the cause of diarrhea lies in the condition of the sow.

Newborn piglets and babies under one month of age may diarrhea due to factors such as:

• mastitis in the sow, which sometimes does not manifest itself by external signs;
• when the pig begins to hunt 7-10 days after farrowing, it increases the mother’s nervousness, makes her wander around the barn, dig hay, lie down less, leads to a decrease in the amount of milk and a decrease in its fat content;
• deficiency of milk in a pig or insufficient nutrition;
• Overfeeding a sow can also cause diarrhea in piglets;
• Even low barn temperatures can affect the health of the sow and cause diarrhea in newborn piglets.

Treatment of diarrhea in suckling piglets sometimes comes down to normalizing the condition of the sow. The floor in the barn is covered with a thick bedding of dry hay, and a lamp is turned on for additional heating of the room. The farmer must monitor the quality and quantity of feed for the mature pig and pay attention to the condition of the mother and her health.

Treating diarrhea in small piglets at home is very difficult, because every minute counts! If newborn babies experience severe diarrhea, vomiting, or fever, immediate action must be taken. First of all, you will have to take the babies away from the sow to cut off access to food. Then an electrolyte solution should be poured into the mouth of each piglet: “Regidron”, “Smecta”. As a last resort, boiled water with the addition of lemon juice is suitable for the primary treatment of diarrhea. After this, you need to call a veterinarian.The doctor will determine the dosage and give the piglets injections for diarrhea: probiotic + sulfonamide.

Diarrhea in growing piglets: causes and how to treat

Piglets weaned from their mother are easier to cure for diarrhea, because they have already gained weight and become a little stronger. In mild cases, the farmer can cope on his own, without the help of a veterinarian.

The same drugs are used to treat diarrhea in piglets for 2-5 months. You just need to take into account the different weights of the babies and calculate the dosage of the medicine in accordance with the instructions.

As in the case of newborns, they immediately begin to solder teenage piglets. For this you can use:

• “human” medicines, such as “Smecta”, “Regidron” and other electrolytes (powders are diluted with water and the solution is gradually poured into the pig’s mouth every half hour);
• self-prepared solutions of salts and minerals (dissolve a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of sugar in a glass of water);
• potassium chloride or 0.9% sodium chloride solution - no more than 100 mg of salts can be given per day to a piglet 2-4 months old;
• infusions of medicinal herbs such as chamomile, nettle, oak bark.

In addition to medications, piglets need plenty of fluids to drink. If babies, in addition to diarrhea, have vomiting, water will have to be poured into the mouth in small portions every 15-20 minutes. For desoldering, it is better to use boiled, slightly warm water.

Medicine for diarrhea in piglets should be selected by a veterinarian. Typically, 2-5 month old pigs are prescribed the following medications:

1. For infectious diarrhea, Akolan is used. They need to treat the piglets for five days, choosing a dosage based on 1 g of the drug per 10 kg of weight. You will need two doses of medication per day.
2. "Brovaseptol" is an antibiotic, so it is used to treat bacterial diarrhea and complex poisoning in piglets. The drug is sold in powder or injection form. The powder should be added to the feed in accordance with the weight of the pig (1 g per 10 kg of animal weight). Treatment is continued until the symptoms of diarrhea in the pig disappear, but not longer than five days.
3. The combined drug "Biovit" contains an antibiotic of the tetracycline group, minerals and vitamins necessary for the pig to recover from diarrhea. The amount of medicine depends on the age of the “patient”. Newborn piglets are prescribed 0.75 g per day, babies up to one month - 1.5 g, pigs from 1 to 3 months are treated with 3 g of Biovit per day. Piglets 5-6 months old will need about 7-7.5 g for effective treatment of diarrhea.
4. Amoxicillin is recommended to be given to piglets in the most severe cases. A strong antibiotic is administered intramuscularly. They treat diarrhea in both small and adult pigs.

What to do if pigs have diarrhea

Adult pigs also suffer from diarrhea. If you need to act very quickly with piglets, then the farmer has several days to treat mature piglets. Therefore, there is no need to treat the pig at random: the exact cause of the painful condition should be established. Ideally, tests (blood and feces) are taken from an animal with diarrhea, the results of which will reliably indicate the causative agent of the disease.

In practice, farmers rarely turn to veterinarians for help when trying to cure a pig with proven medications or folk remedies. If an adult has diarrhea, first of all, you need to examine its feces - sometimes this helps to determine the cause of the disease. So:

1. A very thin consistency of stool or the presence of undigested food fragments in it indicate problems with the digestive system. In such cases, pigs are treated with probiotics. You can try changing the food, removing fresh grass from the animal’s diet.
2. Foam on a puddle of feces and a pronounced putrid odor are evidence of a bacterial infection. This means that the pig was poisoned or ate stale food. Such diarrhea must be treated with antibiotics.
3. A disorder of the gastrointestinal tract can cause gray, yellow or green stool and its fat content. Sometimes this can be treated by changing the diet or reviewing the size of “portions.”
4. If the color of a pig's stool is too light, it indicates a problem with the liver or an insufficient amount of bile. Then they treat the animal’s diseased organs, calling a veterinarian for help.
5. Red and dark brown feces are an alarm! It will not be possible to do without a specialist, since the pig has internal bleeding - surgery is necessary.
6. If a pig's diarrhea is accompanied by vomiting, and the animal's skin and mucous membranes are abnormally dry, the disease is most likely caused by parasites. In such cases, treatment consists of using anthelmintic drugs. Medicines are given to the entire livestock for the purpose of prevention.

Pigs are treated with the same medications as piglets for 2-5 months.There is no need to water off adult animals; it is enough to ensure that animals with diarrhea have constant access to fresh, clean water.

Treatment of diarrhea in piglets and pigs using traditional methods

In mild cases of poisoning or minor problems with the gastrointestinal tract in pigs, you can do without the help of medications. Diarrhea in piglets lasts 2-5 months and in adults can be treated with folk remedies. Effective and proven methods:

1. Alcohol pine tincture. This product is an extract from pine needles, which has a pronounced astringent effect. It is recommended to treat piglets 2-6 months old with 2 ml of tincture three times a day. It is convenient to give medicine to pigs using a syringe without a needle.
2. From birth, piglets can be treated with decoctions with an enveloping effect. Such remedies will not save you from complex diarrhea, but they will protect the walls of the stomach and prevent inflammatory processes. You can prepare a decoction from flax seeds, rice, oats.
3. Herbal infusions will also help “strengthen” the intestines of a sick piglet. They are prepared from pharmaceutical herbs: chamomile, oak bark, chicory, stinging nettle, calendula, sea buckthorn. For better results, you can treat mumps with decoctions of several herbs. A glass of the crushed collection is steamed in a bucket of boiling water, be sure to filter it and give the pig to drink instead of water.

Regardless of the method chosen, treatment of diarrhea in pigs should begin with a strict diet. On the first day, no food is given at all; starting from the second day of treatment, the piglets are offered half the usual portion at least 5-6 times a day. If a pig refuses to eat for several days, this is not a reason to panic.On the contrary, this will make it easier for the body to cleanse itself of toxins and bacteria.

Prevention measures

A good owner is one whose pigs do not get sick. In order not to miss the first signs of the disease and not to lose part of the livestock, it is better to prevent diarrhea in animals. This is not difficult to do - all you need to do is:

• keep the barn clean, provide the herd with warmth and good nutrition;
• make sure that the pigs do not overeat and do not suffer from hunger;
• preventively treat five-day-old piglets with iron preparations (Ferroglukin, Ferrodex), which will protect them from diarrhea and anemia;
• strengthen the immunity of livestock with vitamin complexes for pigs or give animals fish oil and vitamin B12;
• Avoid vitamin A deficiency in pigs of all ages, which is responsible for digestion (feed carrots, peas, grass);
• introduce new foods into the pigs’ diet gradually;
• food for piglets should not contain large fragments, it must be crushed;
• feed with mold, bad odor, sour mixtures, food waste should not be given to pigs;
• twice a year, the entire herd is given prophylaxis with anthelmintic drugs;
• Wash feeders and drinkers regularly.

Pigs do not need to be treated if they are managed correctly. The body of these animals is very similar to humans. We can say that an adult pig is like a two-year-old child; she can just as easily “catch” an infection and get diarrhea.

Conclusion

Treating diarrhea in piglets is not an easy task. Sometimes you just can’t do without a specialist. There are cases when, due to such a banal reason, a farmer loses most of his herd. To prevent trouble, you need to keep pigs clean, feed them quality food, and follow recommendations for the prevention of diarrhea.If the piglets are already sick, treatment must be started immediately. Anti-diarrhea medications and their dosage are selected only taking into account the age and weight of the animals.

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