Immature piglets require special attention; when transported to a new place, the babies experience stress and do not immediately get used to other conditions. A sharp change in diet and drinking water provokes the development of intestinal disorders, and if you don’t know how to treat piglets for diarrhea at home, you can be left without young animals. In animals less than a month old, the disease is very severe; in the absence of timely help, weakened babies die.
Causes of stomach upset in pigs
Both small cubs and large animals suffer from diarrhea, which occurs when the functioning of the intestines is disrupted. When diarrhea is accompanied by a rise in temperature and vomiting, salts and components leave the body along with feces, without which the brain, nerves, and heart muscle cease to function. Within a few hours after the onset of diarrhea, it is necessary to find out the cause of this condition and begin treatment.
In adults
Diarrhea in pigs occurs when infected with an infectious disease, when eating moldy food or rotten products. Provoke the disorder:
- dirty water;
- sudden change of food;
- swallowing solid objects;
- poisoning by toxins.
Gray stools appear when the stomach is not working properly, whitish stools appear when the liver is damaged. Diarrhea with yellow liquid stool indicates problems with intestinal motility. Diarrhea with red clots in pigs is observed when there is bleeding in the digestive organs.
In piglets
Diarrhea in small animals occurs when kept in a damp and dirty room, where bacteria and pathogenic fungi quickly multiply. Promotes the appearance of diarrhea:
- weaning young animals from the sow's milk;
- deficiency of microelements and vitamins in feed;
- overeating or starvation;
- improper care.
In sucklings, indigestion develops when the sow's mammary glands become inflamed. In 10-day-old cubs, diarrhea occurs when the female feeding them begins to become attracted to a male.
Grown-up piglets suffer from infections when they get infected with food and waste, when they eat fresh grass that is poorly digested by the intestines, when they are switched to new food, or when they have an unbalanced diet. Young animals must be constantly supervised. If the piglets are swamped, immediate action should be taken.
Additional symptoms
In case of indigestion, feces in animals acquire a liquid consistency and randomly flow from the anus. The condition of the active pig worsens, it stops moving and lies on its side, becomes lethargic, and loses its appetite. In case of poisoning in a pig, in addition to the appearance of diarrhea:
- eyes turn red;
- temperature rises;
- secretion is released from the ears.
Diarrhea is caused by helminths. When infested with worms, the animal coughs, wheezes, does not gain weight, and sometimes behaves aggressively.
Diagnostic measures
If there is an upset stomach, the owner of piglets can independently determine the cause of diarrhea by the smell and color of the feces, and the presence of additional symptoms. Watery discharge appears when there are problems in the digestive organs; if it foams, the biological material must be submitted for examination, the results of which will help the veterinarian determine the type of contagious disease.
Basic methods of treating diarrhea
Indigestion in pigs very rarely goes away on its own, and only if it is associated with overeating or a change in diet. If diarrhea occurs in piglets, dehydration should not be allowed. Before the veterinarian arrives, it is necessary to give the animals a drink of Regidron solution. A packet of powder is poured into a liter of slightly heated water and the liquid is given to the piglets 200 ml at least 5 times.
If there is no medicine at home, put 1 tsp in a glass. table salt and sugar, pour cooled boiling water over it. Potassium chloride is given to young animals before each feeding, which is done up to 3 times a day.
Pharmacy drugs
After providing first aid and identifying pathogenic microorganisms in the biomaterial, the veterinarian recommends treating the young animals with antibiotics. Usually they advise:
- Combine “Brovafarm” with liquid or porridge, take 20 g of powder per 1 kg of weight, feed 2 times a day.
- "Akolan" must be administered orally according to a similar scheme.
- "Biovit" should be given to babies from a month on 50 mg, from 2 to 6 - 3 g, for adult pigs the dosage should be increased by 2.5 times.
Together with medications, activated charcoal or Smecta is used to eliminate diarrhea. Sorbents cleanse toxins and accumulated food.
"Brovaseptol" and "Amoxicillin" are more often used in injections that are given intramuscularly. The course of antibacterial therapy lasts from 3 to 5 days.
For infectious diarrhea in Vietnamese piglets, other antibiotics are used. “Furazolidone” is given to animals in a dosage calculated per 1 kg of weight, 3 g, “Tetracycline” - 40 g. “Farmazin” is injected intramuscularly into young animals. Spasms in animals are relieved by enemas with water to which potassium permanganate is added, warm compresses are made, and warming is done with a Sollux lamp.
Folk remedies
If a pig is diarrhea not due to an infectious disease, but due to overeating or switching to new food, the animal is given decoctions or infusions of natural remedies. Oak bark relieves inflammation, eliminates vomiting, and has an astringent property. The medicinal composition can be made from 100 g of dry plant matter and 4 glasses of water. The liquid is given to the piglet to drink before feeding.
Chamomile flowers, linden flowers, and nettle leaves kill microbes, cleanse the stomach and intestines of toxins and undigested foods. To prepare the infusion 4 tbsp. l. The vegetable mixture is combined with a liter of water, the container is covered with a lid and left for 3–4 hours.
The medicinal liquid is poured into the piglet’s mouth before feeding. For 1 kg of weight of young animals, take 2 tsp. facilities.For green diarrhea, add 5 ml of pine needle tincture in alcohol, which contains useful components, to the animal’s food. If blood clots appear in liquid stool, prepare rice water, which gives an enveloping effect.
Sick cubs are kept separately from healthy pigs, transferred to a warm room, and placed on dry bedding, which is changed at least twice a day. When diarrhea appears, the pig is not given food, given water, and when the condition improves - rice water, to which a few drops of cod oil, medicines containing iron, and vitamins are added.
Prevention of diarrhea in piglets
It is easier to prevent the occurrence of diarrhea in young animals than to eliminate such a problem. Sows need to be promptly administered vaccines to prevent intestinal diseases. Newborn babies should be given a weak and warm solution of potassium permanganate, kept in a warm and dry room, and vaccinated against worms.
To avoid diarrhea:
- Piglets need to be fed according to time.
- Add new fresh foods carefully.
- Give food in crushed form.
- Make sure that the young animals do not overeat.
Animals' diets should contain both vitamins and minerals. The pigsty needs to be regularly cleaned, ventilated, the kids should be walked in the fresh air, and the drinking bowls and feeders should be kept clean.
