Prevalence of constipation and its influence on post-parturient disorders in tropical sows.

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of constipation and its influence on farrowing duration and the evidence of post-parturient disorders in tropical sows and to evaluate the efficacy of a laxative supplementation during gestation and around farrowing on the incidence of constipation. Two experiments were performed in a commercial swine herd in Thailand. In experiment 1, the prevalence of constipation was determined in 96 gestating sows. Subsequently, 62 of them (64.6&#xa0;%), with a severe to moderate degree of constipation, received 20&#xa0;ml of a laxative for 3&#xa0;days during gestation. In experiment 2, constipation score was determined in sows before, during, and after farrowing. A total of 98 sows were randomly allocated to one of two groups: the treatment group (n&#x2009;=&#x2009;48) received 20&#xa0;ml of a laxative for 3&#xa0;days before farrowing, and the control group (n&#x2009;=&#x2009;50) did not receive any laxative. Rectal temperature, appetite score, incidence of postpartum dysgalactia syndrome (PDS), and vaginal discharge score was determined for 4&#xa0;days. In experiment 1, supplementation of laxative reduced the proportion of sows with moderate to severe constipation (P&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05). In experiment 2, sows with moderate to very severe constipation had a 28-min longer duration of farrowing than sows with normal faeces. Constipation in sows on the day of farrowing resulted in reduced appetite on day 1 postpartum (P&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.008). The incidence of sows with fever on day 1 postpartum was two times higher in sows with constipation than in sows with normal faeces (36.2 and 16.7&#xa0;%, respectively; P&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.041).