Current physiological aspects of fetal growth and parturition in the pig

Wähner, M.; Fisher, Kathleen

doi:10.2298/bah0506135w

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…LBW is also becoming a common occurrence in commercially housed pigs. This is a result of sows producing increasingly large litters (Rutherford et al 2013) and being unable to provide sufficient oxygen and nutrients for proper development of all of the fetuses (Père and Etienne 2000; Wähner and Fischer 2005). The resulting intra-uterine growth restriction is very comparable to how LBW develops in humans (Cox and Marton 2009; Gayatri et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discrimination learning and judgment bias in low birth weight pigs

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Low birth weight (LBW) is a risk factor for cognitive and emotional impairments in humans. In pigs, LBW is a common occurrence, but its effects on cognition and emotion have received only limited scientific attention. To assess whether LBW pigs suffer from impaired cognitive and emotional development, we trained and tested 21 LBW and 21 normal birth weight (NBW) pigs in a judgment bias task. Judgment bias is a measure of emotional state which reflects the influence of emotion on an animal’s interpretation of ambiguous stimuli. Pigs were trained to perform a specific behavioral response to two auditory stimuli, predicting either a positive or negative outcome. Once pigs successfully discriminated between these stimuli, they were presented with intermediate, ambiguous stimuli. The pigs’ responses to ambiguous stimuli were scored as optimistic (performance of ‘positive’ response) or pessimistic (performance of ‘negative’ response). Optimistic or pessimistic interpretation of an ambiguous stimulus is indicative of a positive or negative emotional state, respectively. We found LBW pigs to require more discrimination training sessions than NBW pigs to reach criterion performance, suggesting that LBW causes a mild cognitive impairment in pigs. No effects of LBW on judgment bias were found, suggesting a similar emotional state for LBW and NBW pigs. This was supported by comparable salivary and hair cortisol concentrations for both groups. It is possible the enriched housing conditions and social grouping applied during our study influenced these results.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discrimination learning and judgment bias in low birth weight pigs

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This is a result of selection for increased sow fecundity, leading to larger litters. With increasing litter size, sows may be unable to provide sufficient nutrients and oxygen for the optimal development of all fetuses ( 1 , 2 ). This explains the more frequent occurrence of LBW piglets in larger litters ( 3 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low Birth Weight Impairs Acquisition of Spatial Memory Task in Pigs

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In commercial pig farming, an increasing number of low birth weight (LBW) piglets are born, due to selection for large litter sizes. While LBW piglets have a higher risk of pre-weaning mortality, a considerable number of these piglets survive to slaughter age. In humans, LBW is a risk factor for long-term cognitive impairments. In pigs, studies examining the post-weaning effects of LBW on cognition have reported contradictory results. Therefore, the current study aimed to assess the effects of LBW on cognitive development in pigs using an improved study design, by (1) testing a larger sample size than previous studies, (2) assessing acute and chronic stress responses to account for a potential altered stress response in LBW pigs, and (3) testing both female and male pigs to account for potential confounding effects of sex. Learning and memory of 20 LBW pigs and 20 normal birth weight (NBW) pigs, both groups consisting of 10 females and 10 males, were compared using a spatial holeboard task. In this task, pigs had to learn and remember the locations of hidden food rewards. After a pig had successfully acquired the task, it was presented with two successive reversal phases during which it was presented with a new configuration of reward locations. The holeboard allows for simultaneous assessment of working and reference memory, as well as measures of motivation, exploration, and behavioral flexibility. Mixed model ANOVAs revealed a transiently impaired reference memory performance of LBW pigs, implying they had more difficulty learning their reward configuration in the holeboard. Also, LBW piglets showed increased pre-weaning hair cortisol concentrations compared to their NBW siblings. No other effects of LBW were found. Sex had no direct or interaction effects on any measures of holeboard performance or stress. It is possible that the enriched housing conditions applied during our study had an ameliorating effect on our pigs' cognitive development. Overall, our results suggest LBW has a negative effect on post-weaning cognitive performance in pigs. This could have welfare consequences as cognitive skills are required for pigs to learn how to correctly respond to their environment.

show abstract

“…These larger litter sizes frequently result in the potential for increased numbers of stillborn piglets and lower piglet vitality, due to a variety of factors including, but not limited to, a reduction in exchange of blood flow and oxygen between the mother and the fetuses during the long process of farrowing ( Prunier et al, 2010 ; Kemp et al, 2018 ; Udomchanya et al, 2019 ; van den Bosch, 2019a , b ). In addition, larger litter sizes have been shown to result in higher levels of circulating cortisol during late pregnancy and parturition ( Wähner et al, 2005 ; Roelofs et al, 2019 ). This higher level of circulating cortisol in sows with larger litters may further impinge uterine blood flow due to cortisol increasing vascular sensitivity and vasoconstriction from epinephrine and norepinephrine, which also increase dramatically immediately before and during parturition ( Eliot et al, 1981 ; Roelofs et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of calcium nitrate supplementation on the oxygen-carrying capacity of lactating sows and their offspring

Ligt

Saddoris-Clemons²,

Norton³

et al. 2021

Translational Animal Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Calcium nitrate supplementation has recently been suggested to provide potential benefits to sows and, in particular, their offspring when administered at a level of 1,200 ppm in feed shortly before farrowing through lactation. More specifically, nitrate supplementation has been suggested as one opportunity for improved placental and/or fetal blood flow and has been hypothesized in previous work to be important to the swine industry in light of the global trend toward larger litter sizes. The benefit is likely manifested through exposure to the nitrate moiety, but interestingly, nitrate has historically been considered a compound of concern for swine. High levels of nitrate once metabolized to nitrite can interfere with the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin, resulting in increased methemoglobin and, subsequently, methemoglobinemia (MetHb) if the animal is deprived of significant amounts of oxygen; however, the level of nitrate exposure necessary to induce MetHb in sows is not clearly defined. This work was undertaken to examine methemoglobin levels in sows and piglets exposed to the potentially beneficial levels of 1,200 and 6,000 ppm nitrate added to their diets over the course of the periparturient period. Other oxygen capacity blood variables were evaluated (e.g., hemoglobin, hematocrit, and various measures of hemoglobin and red blood cell volumes and concentrations), as well as performance endpoints (weight changes and feed intake) and general observations over the 27-day period. No evidence of treatment-related toxicity manifestation was observed at these supplemental levels. Nearly all oxygen-related variables were affected by time (independent of treatment), indicating adaptive general effects of farrowing. These findings support the hypothesis that MetHb is not a concern up to at least 6,000 ppm supplemental nitrate exposure, even in combination with additional nitrate in the sow’s daily diet. This work is important to help swine producers understand that consideration of nitrate benefit should outweigh concern for risk of nitrate-induced toxicity.

show abstract

Current physiological aspects of fetal growth and parturition in the pig

Abstract: nema

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Discrimination learning and judgment bias in low birth weight pigs

Discrimination learning and judgment bias in low birth weight pigs

Low Birth Weight Impairs Acquisition of Spatial Memory Task in Pigs

Impact of calcium nitrate supplementation on the oxygen-carrying capacity of lactating sows and their offspring

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About