Diarrhea in piglets and pigs: causes and treatment

Breeding pigs is a profitable business, but troublesome. The state of health of young animals and adults has to be constantly monitored, because these animals are prone to various diseases. A common problem faced by farmers is diarrhea in piglets and adult pigs.

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

Possible Causes of Diarrhea in Piglets and Adult Pigs

Diarrhea is frequent, unformed stools that can be both an independent disease and a symptom indicating more serious health problems. Before you start treating diarrhea in pigs, you should find out the cause of this disease.

Diarrhea in pigs of different ages can be provoked by such factors:

1. Conditions for keeping pigs that do not meet sanitary standards. If it is too cold in the barn, the immunity of adults, and even more so, of small piglets, quickly decreases. This leads to the fact that the body of pigs is attacked by various infections, including intestinal ones. Infrequent or poor-quality cleaning in the barn can also cause diarrhea in piglets. Indeed, in just a few hours, a million bacteria and dangerous microbes develop in hay soiled with pig feces. Floor mats should be changed regularly as they get dirty.
2. Unfit for drinking water also provokes diarrhea in piglets and pigs. It is strongly not recommended to water the entire herd, and especially small piglets, with water from an unverified source.
3. Intestinal parasites are especially dangerous for babies. Usually, piglets become infected with helminths on the run, 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 can hide very well. When conventional remedies for diarrhea do not work, it is urgent to donate feces of piglets for analysis for helminths. Pigs two to four months old can easily die due to worms, because parasites are very toxic, they greatly poison the weak body of a piglet.
4. Infectious diseases do not appear out of nowhere. When piglets younger than 2 months are vilified, a latent illness in the mother can be suspected. A pig infected with an infectious disease late in pregnancy transmits the infection to piglets before they are born. Since the mother’s immunity could not cope with the infection, the sow’s body did not develop antibodies – the babies are defenseless against the disease. If the treatment of diarrhea in the piglets themselves does not work, it is necessary to take care of the health of the sow or wean the babies from the mother, because along with the milk they receive a new dose of infection every day.
5. Pigs can have the same diseases of the internal organs as humans. In the case of diarrhea in an adult animal or in three-four-month-old piglets, one can suspect intestinal inflammation, problems with the liver, bile or stomach. Usually, such diseases can be identified by the appearance of feces (undigested food fragments, the presence of mucus, streaks of blood in the feces, discoloration). Pigs that have just been born occasionally have congenital defects of internal organs, which are manifested, first of all, by diarrhea. Treatment in such cases does not help, alas.
6. An unbalanced diet also causes diarrhea in pigs. Piglets that are only being switched 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 – you need 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 pig’s digestion returns to normal immediately after nutritional correction.
7. Poisoning in pigs and piglets (bacterial diarrhea) is not uncommon. Pigs often eat everything that is under their snout. Therefore, the farmer must keep order in the barn, clean the feeders from sour feed in time, 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 item. It is necessary to ensure that there are no poisons, fertilizers, chemicals and medicines in the barn with piglets or on the paddock. Small piglets can even be poisoned by old paint, which is why it is not recommended to paint and varnish the boards on the floor and fence of the barn.

It is necessary to start treating pigs and piglets for diarrhea immediately, without wasting precious time. The sooner the animal receives competent help, the more chances the farmer has to get it out.

What is the danger of diarrhea in piglets and pigs

It is necessary to treat diarrhea in a piglet, this is not a problem that will go away without a trace. Diarrhea is a dangerous condition that can, in some cases, lead to the death of not only young animals, but the entire population of adult pigs.

Diarrhea is very insidious, because in just a few hours it can lead to the death of a little piglet. This condition is the more dangerous, the smaller the mass of the animal: babies die very quickly. To save an adult and strong pig from diarrhea, the farmer, as a rule, has several days.

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

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

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. The symptoms of diarrhea are considered to be:

1. Loose loose stool. In healthy piglets, feces are usually of medium density. In individuals with diarrhea, defecation can even occur spontaneously, since the feces are very liquid, sometimes like water.
2. Bowel movements more than five times a day are no longer the norm.
3. Under the tail of a pig with diarrhea, it is always wet – you need to literally look under the tails of the kids so as not to miss the problem.
4. A pig with diarrhea becomes weaker quickly, looks lethargic, refuses to eat, or eats less than usual. As a rule, the animal with diarrhea lies on its side and breathes heavily.
5. Chronic diarrhea caused by improper functioning of the digestive system leads to the depletion of the pig, a sharp decrease in the weight of the animal. Piglet of a sick piglet is pale, the skin is dirty and untidy.

Newborn piglets vilify: causes and what to do

Suckling pigs, feeding only on their mother’s milk, can also swear. Moreover, in practice this often happens. Among farmers, there is even a saying: “To avoid trouble, look under the tail of pigs 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 the age of one month may be vilified due to factors such as:

• mastitis in a sow, which sometimes does not show external signs;
• hunting that began in a pig on the 7-10th day after farrowing increases the nervousness of the mother, 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;
• milk deficiency in a pig or its insufficient nutrition;
• overfeeding the sow can also provoke 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 the normalization of the condition of the sow. The floor in the barn is covered with a thick bedding of dry hay, a lamp is turned on for additional heating of the room. The farmer must monitor the quality and quantity of feed for the allowed pig, pay attention to the mother’s condition and her health.

It is very difficult to treat diarrhea in small piglets at home, because every minute counts! If newborn babies have severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever, urgent action must be taken. First of all, you will have to take the babies from the sow in order to cut off access to food. Then, an electrolyte solution should be poured into the mouth of each piglet: “Regidron”, “Smektu”. In extreme cases, boiled water with the addition of lemon juice is suitable for the primary treatment of diarrhea. After that, you need to call the veterinarian. The doctor will determine the dosage and give the piglets injections for diarrhea: probiotic + sulfanilamide.

Growing piglets have diarrhea: causes and how to treat

Weaned piglets are easier to cure from diarrhea, because they have already gained weight and are a little stronger. In mild cases, the farmer will be able to cope on his own, without the help of a veterinarian.

Preparations for the treatment of diarrhea in piglets 2-5 months use the same. It is only necessary to take into account the different weight 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 every half hour a little solution is poured into the pig’s mouth);
• 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 2 mg of salts can be given per day to a pig for 4-100 months;
• infusions of medicinal herbs such as chamomile, nettle, oak bark.

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

The medicine for diarrhea in piglets should be selected by a veterinarian. Usually, pigs for 2-5 months are prescribed the following medications:

1. With infectious diarrhea, Akolan is used. They need to treat 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 medicine per day.
2. “Brovaseptol” is an antibiotic, so they are treated with bacterial diarrhea and complex poisoning in piglets. The drug is sold in the form of powder or injections. The powder must 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 piglet disappear, but not longer than five days.
3. The combined preparation “Biovit” contains an antibiotic of the tetracycline group, minerals and vitamins necessary for the piglet 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 to effectively treat diarrhea.
4. “Amoxicillin” is recommended to be given to piglets in the most severe cases. A strong antibiotic is administered intramuscularly. They are treated for diarrhea, 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 individuals. Therefore, here it is not necessary to treat the pig at random: the exact cause of the diseased 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, trying to cure a pig with proven medicines or folk remedies. If an adult has diarrhea, first of all, you need to consider her bowel movements – sometimes this helps to establish the cause of the disease. So:

1. A very liquid consistency of feces or the presence of undigested fragments of food in it indicate a malfunction in the digestive system. In such cases, pigs are treated with probiotics. You can try to change the food, remove fresh grass from the animal’s diet.
2. Foam in a puddle of stool and a pronounced putrid odor are evidence of a bacterial infection. This means that the pig was poisoned or ate stale feed. This diarrhea needs to be treated with antibiotics.
3. An upset gastrointestinal tract can cause gray, yellow or green stools, its fat content. Sometimes this is treated by changing the diet or revising the size of the “servings”.
4. Too light color of pig feces indicates a malfunction in the liver or an insufficient amount of bile. Then the diseased organs of the animal are treated, calling for help from a veterinarian.
5. Red and dark brown feces – an alarm! It will not be possible to do without a specialist, since the pig has internal bleeding – an operation is necessary.
6. If vomiting is added to diarrhea in a pig, and the skin and mucous membranes of the animal are abnormally dry, the disease is most likely caused by parasites. In such cases, treatment consists in the use of anthelmintic drugs. They give medicines to the whole livestock, for the purpose of prevention.

Pigs are treated with the same drugs as piglets 2-5 months old. It is not necessary to solder adults, it is enough to ensure that animals with diarrhea have constant access to fresh clean water.

Treatment of diarrhea in piglets and pigs with folk methods

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

1. Alcoholic coniferous tincture. This tool is an extract from pine needles, which has a pronounced astringent effect. Piglets 2-6 months old are recommended to be treated with 2 ml of tincture three times a day. It is convenient to give medicine to pigs with a syringe without a needle.
2. From birth, piglets can be treated with decoctions with an enveloping effect. Such funds 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 “fasten” the intestines of a sick piglet. They are prepared from pharmaceutical herbs: chamomile, oak bark, chicory, stinging nettle, calendula, sea buckthorn. For the best effect, you can treat the mumps with decoctions of several herbs. In a bucket of boiling water, a glass of crushed collection is steamed, be sure to filter and give the pig to drink instead of water.

Regardless of the method chosen, the treatment of diarrhea in pigs must begin with a strict diet. On the first day, feed is not given at all, starting from the second day of treatment, piglets are offered half the usual portion at least 5-6 times a day. If the pig refuses to eat for several days, this is not a reason to panic. On the contrary, it will be easier for the body to cleanse itself of toxins and bacteria.

Preventive 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. It’s easy 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;
• prophylactically treat five-day-old piglets with iron preparations (“Ferroglyukin”, “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;
• prevent pigs of all ages from being deficient in vitamin A, which is responsible for digestion (feed with carrots, peas, grass);
• introduce new feeds into the diet of pigs gradually;
• food for piglets should not contain large fragments, it must be crushed;
• feed with mold, bad smell, sour mixtures, food waste should not be given to pigs;
• twice a year, the entire herd should be given prophylaxis with anthelmintic drugs;
• Wash feeders and drinkers regularly.

Pigs do not have to be treated if they are properly managed. The body of these animals is very similar to the human. We can say that an adult pig is a two-year-old child, she will “pick up” an infection with the same ease and earn herself diarrhea.

Conclusion

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