Newborn pigs (n = 117) were used to provide information on the relationships of degree of asphyxia during delivery, viability at birth, and some striking aspects of postnatal vitality including survival, interval between birth and first udder contact and between birth and first suckling, rectal temperature at 24 h of life (RT24), and growth rate over the first 10 d of life. The degree of asphyxia at birth was estimated from cord blood pCO2, pH, and lactate levels. Onset of respiration, heart rate, skin color, and attempts to stand during the first minute after birth were used to estimate the viability score. Neonatal asphyxia, i.e., decreased blood pH and increased blood pCO2 and lactate, was associated with the production of unusually high levels of catecholamines. The degree of asphyxia increased with late position in the birth order (P < .01) and was higher in piglets born posteriorly (P < 0.5). Further, the average blood pCO2 within a litter increased (P < .05) with litter size. The was an inverse relationship between the degree of asphyxia and the viability score (P < .001). Highly viable piglets reached the udder more rapidly (P < .001) and had a higher RT24 (P < .001) than those of low viability. Plasma glucose concentrations increased with blood pCO2 and plasma epinephrine concentrations (P < .001). Neonatal asphyxia reduced postnatal vitality by delaying the first contact with the udder (P < .03) and was associated with a lower RT24 (P < .05), growth rate (P < .001), and survival over 10 d (P < 0.06). These variables, i.e., interval between birth and first udder contact, RT24, and growth rate, were correlated with birth weight (P < .001); RT24 was also shown to decrease (P < .001) with the time taken to reach the udder. Overall, results suggest that piglet suffering from asphyxia during delivery are less viable at birth and less prone to adapt to extrauterine life.
Asphyxia during delivery is considered a main cause of stillbirth in pigs, but piglets suffering from intermittent asphyxia during delivery are also less viable at birth and less prone to adapt to extrauterine life. In an effort to improve pig viability, one attractive solution would be to increase oxygen supply through oxygen inhalation by the newborn pig. The objective of this study was to test effects of oxygen inhalation immediately after birth on various physiological parameters and piglet survival. The experiment was performed on 252 Piétrain x Large White piglets, half of them reoxygenated immediately after birth. They were maintained during 20 min in a chamber where oxygen concentration was monitored at 40% and were then put back with the sow and the control pigs. Oxygen inhalation affected piglet metabolism. Through stimulation of oxidative metabolism (reduction of circulating levels of lactate) and lowering of the level of postnatal hypothermia (particularly for the lightest pigs), oxygen inhalation increased piglet viability and reduced mortality during the 1st d of life by 75% (2 vs 8%). No additional effects were observed during the following days and overall mortality between birth and weaning at 21 d was reduced from 12 to 8%.
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