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COPYRIGHT -  THE NATIONAL BOARD OF SWINE -DANISH SLAUGHTERHOUSES

IRON PASTE AND LIQUID IRON FOR SUCKING PIGS

Body:                        The National Board for Swine, the Rolling Testing                        Pages:                    4

Type:                        Announcement                        No:                      413

Author:                        Mr. Gunner Sorensen                        Date: 1999-02-11

Key words

Trade area:                        Nutrition

Animal group:                        Sucking pigs

Others:                        Iron paste; iron 

SUMMARY

A comparative examination has been conducted on the effects of one iron paste product and one liquid iron product as a source of iron supplement for sucking pigs. The examined products were FeDEXX from NutriScan A/S and FeVit from ScanVet Animal Health A/S. The products were compared with iron injection. The examination was performed in two sow stocks with pigs from 40 different litters.

The products FeDEXX and FeVit were administered within the first 24 hours after birth. The suppliers’ instructions were followed and the products were found easy to administer.

On the 21^st day both products resulted on a statistically verified lower content of haemoglobin in the blood of the treated pigs compared to the iron injection. However, this was of no practical consequence since the use of both FeDEXX and FeVit implied that the average content of haemoglobin in the treated pigs proved satisfactory. This fact was confirmed at a visual evaluation of the pigs before the blood samples were taken, and no pale pigs could be observed.

An evaluation of the possible effects of the stabilising substances in the iron paste was not included in this testing.

The testing has proven that the FeDEXX and FeVit products are applicable as a source of iron with more or less the same result as an ordinary iron injection.

BACKGROUND

  During the first 3 weeks after birth the sucking pigs increase their weight by four times, and consequently the sucking pigs need to produce much blood during this period of time. Since the pigs’ daily requirement for iron (approx. 7 mg) is much bigger than the supply from the sow milk (approx. 1 mg) the congenital iron depot (approx. 50 mg) will be exhausted after approximately 1 week.

In order to avoid iron deficiency in the sucking pigs they must be given an additional supplement of iron until the iron consumption can be covered through the feed intake. An iron supplement can be administered by means of an injection or orally. The haemoglobin contents in the blood must reach a level of approx. 90 gram per litre in order not to limit the growth capacity of the pigs.

The market offers several oral iron products for sucking pigs. The primary objective of these products is to provide sucking pigs with iron in the form of chelated iron compounds or iron dextran. In addition, the products contain other nutrients including minerals and vitamins.

The products are supplied ready-mixed. The consistency is either in the form of paste or liquid and the products are administered orally. The advantage of applying these products which are more expensive than injection iron lies in the fact that the sucking pigs are given stabilising substances together with iron including among others vitamin E and lactic bacteria. According to the suppliers the stabilising substances reduce the risk that undesirable pathogeneses will colonise in the intestinal System of the sucking pigs. Furthermore, injection damages are avoided and consequently the infection danger of arthritis will be limited.

Announcement no. 401 from The Rolling Testing revealed that some iron paste products do not provide a similar guarantee that the sucking pigs have their iron requirements fully covered as when they are given iron through injection or alternative well-known oral iron sources.

The purpose of the testing was to study if the application of one iron paste product and one liquid iron product administered in accordance with the suppliers’ guidelines would ensure that the sucking pigs had their iron requirements covered.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

The examination was conducted in two sow stocks in which the sucking pigs were fed with pigs feed on the floor since they were approximately 2 weeks old. The examination covered one iron paste product (FeDEXX) and one liquid iron product (FeVit) which two products were compared with iron injection.

The examination included 20 litters from each stock. After birth nine pigs per litter were selected. They were divided at random in three groups with three pigs in each group. If the litter exceeded nine pigs the remaining pigs were given iron injections. Uniferon 20% was applied as injection preparation.

Group I was given an injection of 200 mg iron dextran whereas the two remaining groups were given iron orally in accordance with the supplier’s guidelines for the related product. The group numbers of the pigs were controlled by means of earmarks. The administration was done by the same person who subsequently also issued a description of the actual administration process and the applicability of the supplied equipment. The time consumption of the treatment was registered. The pigs stayed with the same sow during the-entire nursing period.

On the 21^st day since the pigs were born one blood sample was taken from each pig for the determination of the haemoglobin content.

No production data were collected.

Analyses

The blood samples were dispatched to the National Veterinary Serum Laboratory, dept. of

Biochemistry and Toxicology for analyses of the haemoglobin content.

Statistics

The primary measurement parameter was haemoglobin, which was tested with an analysis of variance by means of the GLM procedure in SAS. Stock, sow and group were applied in the model. There were a total of 40 repetitions.

Announcement 413, February 1999                 2/4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

 

There was no difference in the time consumption applying to the treatment with iron paste or liquid iron and the treatment with iron injection. In terms of workload the iron paste and liquid iron procedures were preferred because the working posture was more comfortable. The user guide was generally user friendly.

 

FeDEXX is a thick paste, which is easy to squeeze out of the tube. The product is quite easily administered to the pigs, as they must be treated within 48 hours after birth at which point their size makes them easy to handle.

 

FeVit is a thin substance, which must be administered to the sucking pigs within 24—48 hours after birth. According to the supplier FeVit will not interfere with the closing of the intestinal wall pores, and the product can be administered at a later stage. The iron substance is very thin, and the administrator must take care that the fluid does not run out of the pig’s mouth. The lid on the bottle has a built-in hand pump, and when in use the bottle must be turned upside down.

 

On account of the fact that the blood samples displayed the same level of haemoglobin in the two stocks the results from both stocks have been combined in table 1.

Table I Haemoglobin in gram per litre (g/l) blood

Product                        Injection                        FeDEXX                        FeVit

Samples/           Number           Average           Number           Average           Number         Average

Haemoglobin

Under70g/l     0                      0                      1                    69                      0                    0

70—80 g/l      0                      0                      4                    78                      1                  71

80—90g/I       1                    85                    14                    85                    16                  87

Over 90 g/l 124            118                    99                 108                    99               108

Total         125               118a                 118               104b                 116             105b

a, b: Significant difference on a 5% level

 

The injection with iron dextran resulted in a significantly higher haemoglobin level compared to both of the examined products. However, this was of no practical consequence since the use of both FeDEXX and FeVit implied that the average content of haemoglobin in the treated pigs proved satisfactory. This fact was confirmed at a visual evaluation of the pigs before the blood samples were taken, and no pale pigs could be observed.

Previous examinations have established that the haemoglobin content must be over 90 gram per litre blood in order that the sucking pigs’ daily growth is not affected. With the application of FeDEXX 84% of the treated pigs had more than 90 g haemoglobin per litre blood. With the application of FeVit 85% of the treated pigs had more than 90 g haemoglobin per litre blood. Viewing both products the major part of the remaining pigs could be found in the 80 — 90 g/l interval. More than 99% of the pigs in the iron infection group had more than 90 g haemoglobin per litre blood.

 

The effect of the stabilising substances of the iron products was not evaluated.

 

REFERENCES

 

The Rolling Testing, Announcement No 203 Iron for sucking pigs, 1991

The Rolling Testing, Announcement No 231 Ferpect to sucking pigs, 1992

The Rolling Testing, Announcement No 340 Super Fermax to sucking pigs, 1996

The Rolling Testing, Announcement No 401 Iron paste to sucking pigs, 1998.

 

 

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