Thin Sow Syndrome

Description

Thin sow syndrome is a multifactorial condition in which sows loose a large proportion of their body weight during lactation and early pregnancy and fail to restore their condition post weaning. The weight loss is progressive leading to emaciation, poor fertility and death. The ethical and economical consequences are serious.

Signalment

The condition is usually sporadic but may also affect an unacceptionally high proportion of the herd. The cause is multifactorial, involving poor husbandry, inadequate feeding, parasites, and intestinal malabsorption which may be due to damage by parasites or another clinical disease.

The condition is associated with the gastrointestinal parasites Oesophagostomum and Hyostrongylus rubidis.

Outdoor reared pigs may be at increased risk due to the lower environmental temperatures which mean that they require 200kg more feed per sow per year than indoor reared pigs.

Diagnosis

Clinical Signs

• Progressive weight loss
• Body condition score of 1 (out of 5)
• Pale mucosa
• Hypothermia
• Poor appetite
• Low conception rates
• Infertility

A full clinical exam should be carried out to rule out other conditions. A faecal egg count should also be performed to determine whether parasites are part of the cause.

Treatment

Once the weight loss is severe and the lack of body fat has forced the sow into a catatonic state treatment is not usually successful. Sows should be fed high qualily, high energy feed ad lib and kept warm in suitable housing. Culling affected animals and replacing stock is preferable inmany cases.

Focus should be on preventing the condition by adopting good management practices with individual feeding regimes, regular weight and condtion monitoring and effective parasite control.

References

• Jackson, G.G. and Cockcroft, P.D. (2007) Handbook of Pig Medicine Saunders Elsevier
• Merck & Co (2008) The Merck Veterinary Manual (Eighth Edition) Merial
• Taylor, D.J. (2006) Pig Diseases (Eighth edition) St Edmunsdbury Press ltd