Analysis of the Course of Birth and the Early Postpartal Period in Pigs After Hormonal Partus Induction with Special Consideration of Complication Rate

Abstract

The aim of this field study was to analyse the course of parturition in sows, differentiated by eutocia and dystocia, after previous partus synchronisation. The study included 1,975 sows of a closed herd divided into 5 groups: Sows having farrowed until or on day 114 post conception served as controls (A; n = 710). Sows in which parturition did not commence until or during day 114 were treated with a PGF 2α -analogue (cloprostenol 175 µg IM). Sows which started to farrow within 24 hours post injection were assigned to group B (n = 719). Sows which did not start giving birth within 24 hrs post injection were treated with IM injection of either oxytocin (20 I. E.; group C; n = 180) or carbetocin in two different dosages (70 µg: group D, n = 175; or 35 µg: group E, n = 191). Sows were monitored continuously during the trial period. According to the results of analysis, time until beginning of the expulsion stage (II) was significantly shortened after partial partus induction in sows with eutocia in groups C, D, and E compared to group B (P ≤ 0.001). A statistically significant prolongation (P < 0,0001) was observed in sows with dystocia. The dystocia rates were: control group (A) 11.5%, group B 19.5%, group C 18.3%, group D 11.4%, and group E 13.6%. After partus induction, percentage of stillborn piglets (eutocia) showed an overall significant decrease (P < 0.002 -0.05) in correlation to reduction of duration of parturition.

Defining “Normal” in Pig Parturition

“…Current working definitions of dystocia in the sow rely heavily on a handful of accounts (summarised in Table 1 ). Even within the few publications on this topic, classifications are highly variable, with some suggesting a focus on inter-piglet intervals [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ], whereas others suggest a total farrowing duration [ 26 , 27 ] or a combination of these and other factors. Notably, the figure of a 45–60 min inter-piglet interval is common across several publications ( Table 1 ), but it is unclear from where this figure is derived.…”

Intrinsic challenges of neonatal adaptation in swine

“…The asphyxia leads to an oxygen deficit at birth, which increases the debt to be overcome in the first adaptation processes. An additional effect of contraction strength was seen in the higher mortality of piglets when uterotonics are used (Zaremba et al, 2019). Higher individual birth intervals are related to stillborn piglets, but it remains unclear as to whether they die sub partu or ante partum (Devillers et al, 2011).…”