Current studentsExisting staffContact us
 

Effect of Dexamethasone and Route of Administration on Sow Farrowing Behaviours, Piglet Delivery and Litter Performance

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorWard, S.A.
dc.contributor.authorKirkwood, R.N.
dc.contributor.authorSong, Y.
dc.contributor.authorGarg, S.
dc.contributor.authorPlush, K.J.
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractThe inflammatory pain and stress some crated sows experience during farrowing has attendant risks of piglet-directed aggression, reduced teat exposure and hindered post-partum recovery. To counter this, the steroidal anti-inflammatory compound, dexamethasone, can be administered. To measure the potential for mucosal absorption as an alternative to injection, the permeability of porcine vaginal mucosa to dexamethasone was demonstrated using Franz cell diffusion. These studies found dexamethasone treatment diffused through vaginal mucosa at a constant rate, with 52.37 ± 5.54% permeation in 6 h. To examine in vivo effects on farrowing outcomes, dexamethasone was administered to gilts and parity one sows on the day of expected farrowing. We hypothesized that it would provide relief from farrowing discomfort and reduce behaviours threatening piglet survival. Sows were randomly assigned to receive dexamethasone as an intramuscular injection (n = 23); dexamethasone applied topically into the vagina (n = 20), or to receive no dexamethasone (n = 23). Sows (n = 66) and piglets (n = 593) were monitored for performance indicators during farrowing and early lactation. A subset of sows (n = 24) was also video monitored continuously over 24 h for behaviours associated with pain, postural changes and piglet interactions. No differences were observed between treatment for farrowing performance, piglet survival or behavioural changes for sows experiencing their first or second farrowing (p > 0.05), rejecting the hypothesis that corticosteroid administration will improve sow farrowing performance. This investigation did, however, show that dexamethasone can permeate through porcine vaginal mucosa and so can be administered as a non-injectable treatment.
dc.identifier.citationAnimals, 2022; 12(7):1-10
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/ani12070847
dc.identifier.issn2076-2615
dc.identifier.issn2076-2615
dc.identifier.orcidWard, S.A. [0000-0001-6639-168X]
dc.identifier.orcidKirkwood, R.N. [0000-0002-3294-8301]
dc.identifier.orcidGarg, S. [0000-0001-7253-2629]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11541.2/28146
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMDPI AG
dc.rightsCopyright 2022 The Authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070847
dc.subjectdexamethasone
dc.subjectfarrowing
dc.subjectsow behaviour
dc.subjectpiglet performance
dc.titleEffect of Dexamethasone and Route of Administration on Sow Farrowing Behaviours, Piglet Delivery and Litter Performance
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished
ror.fileinfo12243579650001831 13243579640001831 Effect of Dexamethasone and Route of Administration on Sow Farrowing Behaviours, Piglet Delivery and Litter Performance
ror.mmsid9916624343001831

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
Effect of Dexamethasone and Route of Administration on Sow Farrowing Behaviours, Piglet Delivery and Litter Performance.pdf
Size:
1.53 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Published version
Download

Collections