Thin Sow Syndrome

• This is a sporadic condition that is most often seen when the cyclical pig industry is in an economic trough.
• It is associated with, but not caused by, Oesophagostomum.
• It is primarily a nutritional problem leading to the following sequence of events:
  • if quantity of feed offered is inadequate for batch-fed sows, hungry individuals are more vulnerable to infection and likely to eat bedding (and infective larvae)
  • acquire large worm burdens
  • intestinal damage and large numbers of eggs excreted
  • larger numbers of L3 in bedding
  • downward spiral: more and more intestinal damage
  • excessive loss of weight during lactation
  • the thin sow syndrome.