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The Sandy Pig Magazine - Issue #12 Spring 2025
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Vet Chat - Louise Blenkhorn
Louise Blenkhorn, BSc(Hons), BVM&S, MRCVS, is an independent pig veterinary consultant and a pig farmers daughter. Louise's private life is just as busy. Amother of two to Emma andAva. Louise and her husband Neil, run a successful herd of Limousin beef cattle.
Enteric Health of the Weaner
The recent ‘zinc ban’i.e. the removal of Zinc from creep feeds, has led to a rise in the incidence of post weaning diarrhoea (PWD).
This is often seen as a watery yellow brown scour seen in the first week after weaning. Piglets often run off and become dehydrated. Mortality is dependant on the severity of disease, challenge and other health and management factors. The most common cause of the scour is E.coli.This can be easily (and cheaply) confirmed by taking a faecal sample from an untreated piglet and submitting it for culture and sensitivity via your vet.
Understanding and controlling the risk factors for PWD is key to control Firstly, we need to remember that piglets are susceptible to E.coli proliferation in the gut as they transition from sow milk to carbohydrate-based diets. Ensuring that good creep feed intakes are being achieved prior to weaning will greatly prepare the piglets gut and reduce the likelihood of scour. It is worth remembering that if you use more than one creep diet, all changes must be made gradually, with blending food between each creep and follow on diets. Sudden changes in feed should be avoided. Post weaning, creep feed intakes should be encouraged by providing enough trough space for all piglets to eat together at the same time (as they would when suckling). Do not overfill troughs; feed little and often.The physical act of feeding encourages intakes in itself. Store creeps in a cool dry area. Ensure water is clean and freely accessible – pigs which do not drink, will not eat.
I mentioned the word clean above – that not only goes for the water system, but also the housing. Piglets should only enter housing which has been fully cleaned (using a detergent and disinfectant) and allowed to dry prior to filling.This extends to include the feed and water troughs. Ensuring that accommodation is warm and draught free is also important as temperature fluctuations and fast moving air speed are triggers for scour.
