urinary system infection in sows
Published: 2020-10-08
Urinary system infection in sows affects reproduction, leading to financial loss. But what are the symptoms of infection, and how can it be avoided?
Typical symptoms include dark yellow and/or reddish urine, more animals with secretion and a higher rate of returners. Sows with secretion often fail to gestate after returning, and have to be culled. It may cause that sows that would normally be culled from the farrowing house because of poor milking ability, poor weaning or too many stillborn piglets will stay in the system to maintain a stable weekly herd.
The solution
In the event of urinary system infection, ensuring that the sows have good access to water is essential. Even though every recommendation concerning water supply is implemented, there can still be sows unable to drink enough because of fever fatigue, or being too low down in the hierarchy. Special attention should be paid to such phenomena with sows in a loose housing system.
In order to deal with urinary system infections, we recommend citric acid treatment, which can be added to the feed via the mineral mix. An intensive course of treatment may be necessary for 2-4 weeks - often according to a vet’s recommendation.
0.5% citric acid is being used more and more often for a short period once/twice per year to clean out sows, and to avoid reproduction problems occurring.
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