A3 pigs

Question 1

newborn suckling piglet time period

Answer 1

0-28 days

Question 2

newborn piglet weight

Answer 2

1,5kg

Question 3

weight at day 28

Answer 3

8 kg

Question 4

body weight doubles every week for

Answer 4

first 3 weeks of life.

due to high biological value of sow milk.

Question 5

Sow colostrum VS milk

Answer 5

larger DM than sow milk
and 3 x more protein
less fat and lactose than milk

Question 6

E requirement of piglet from

Answer 6

milk fat and lactose

Question 7

Lactose fermented by

Answer 7

Lactobacilli and bifidobacteria

in the stomach to lactic acid (80-90%) and other organic acids.

Question 8

any lactose unfermented in the stomach

Answer 8

digested in the small intestine by lactase.

Question 9

in the first weeks of life which enzyme prod is insignificant ?

Answer 9

maltase and sucrase

Question 10

after how much time is the prod. of intestinal saccharase and maltase efficient

Answer 10

after week 6-8

Question 11

Pancreatic amylase is not efficient for how long ?

Answer 11

first 3 to 4 weeks

Question 12

As a result of these enzyme deficiencies in the first weeks of life the diet should

Answer 12

not contain starch !

This starch will remain mostly undigested until reaching the large intestine.
At this point it will be fermented by the local microflora leading to organic acid production.
This drastically decreases the pH and results in dysbacteriosis as well as osmotic diarrhoea.

Question 13

HCl secretion does not begin properly until around

Answer 13

5 to 7 weeks

Question 14

The stomach pH at 10 days of age is around

Answer 14

PH 5,2-5,3 = achlorydia
then
Lactobacilli colonize the stomach and decrease
pH to around 3.5 to 5.0.

The relatively high pH of the stomach at this early age means that pepsin activity is negligible.

Question 15

The relatively high pH of the stomach at this early age means that

Answer 15

pepsin activity is negligible.

Question 16

Casein denatured by

and digested by

Answer 16

rennin
chymotrypsin
during first 3 to 4 weeks of life
protein dig. at about 95 %

Question 17

Chymotrypsin and trypsin activity changes from Birth

Answer 17

Chymotrypsin activity gradually increases from birth

but trypsin only starts increasing after the first month
(after weaning).

Question 18

pH optimum for casein

Answer 18

PH 3,6

Question 19

Lipid digestion in piglets

Answer 19

Sow milk is rich in lipids (60% of piglet energy content comes from here)

but pancreatic lipase production is only efficient after the 3 rd week of life.
Non-milk fat digestion of suckling piglets is poor.
This remains to be the case even after weaning.

Question 20

Umbilical cord nutrient passage

Answer 20

Water-soluble nutrients are transferred faster

than fat soluble nutrients.

Question 21

What is extremely low in a newborn piglet

Answer 21

The levels of fat,
fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K),
Se,
and Fe

Question 22

Main E source for the foists is

Answer 22

glucose

fat is not used efficiently

Question 23

Foetuses at the ends of the uterine horns

Answer 23

grow slower than those on the central part of

the horn.

Question 24

Can amino acids cross the placenta freely ?

Answer 24

yas bitch.

These are used to build tissues and muscles.

Question 25

Any deficiency in amino acids during dvp results in

Answer 25

retarded growth and less mature cells by the
time of birth.
Post-natal slower growth can also be seen.

Question 26

Piglet E balance

Answer 26

Piglets have a Negative Energy Balance (NEB) until regular nursing.
The high energy demands of the growing piglet are completely supported by the colostrum,
and then the milk.

Question 27

Insufficient uptake of colostrum can be caused by

Answer 27

cold stress,
perinatal hypoxia,
or limited production by the sow.

Question 28

Why do we need extra heating for the piglets ?

Answer 28

Extra heating is required to increase colostrum uptake and to maintain thermoregulation.
The larger the litter, the smaller the piglets and therefore the surface to volume ratio is larger.
This results in greater heat losses so we use an
infrared lamp or heat mat to support the thermoregulatory requirements in piglets.

Question 29

antibodies in piglet

Answer 29

There is no specific antibody production in the piglet.
The only means of acquiring antibodies is through passive immunity via the colostrum.
This must be done rapidly since the amount of Igs in the milk decreases drastically after 48 hours.

Question 30

How does the amount of Igs in the milk change

Answer 30

amount of Igs in the milk decreases drastically after 48 hours.

Question 31

Intestinal closure occurs within

Answer 31

24-36 hours.

Question 32

How does the amount of Igs in the colostrum change

Answer 32

IgG content of the

colostrum decreases by half after the first 6 hours.

Question 33

Why need to add water

Answer 33

Milk is not a sufficient source of hydration.

Question 34

Colostrum vitamin and mineral content

Answer 34

Colostrum has a higher 
vitamin A 
and Beta-carotene content.
 It also has higher
vitamin D, E, C, and B content. 
Fe, Cu, Zn, Co, I content is also higher.

Question 35

Mulberry heart disease.

Answer 35

Vitamin E or Se deficiency
is fairly common in swine farms.
more likely to occur in neonates, weaning pigs, and
during the reproductive period.

Question 36

main source of vitamin E in the new-born piglet

Answer 36

colostrum.

transplacental supply is lacking.

Question 37

Why supply Sow with Se ?

Answer 37

Selenium can be transferred through the placenta. Therefore, if the sow is
supplemented with Se, the serum concentration of Se in the piglet also increases.

Since Se is then obtained by the piglet through the milk, earlier weaning systems
will result in less Se retention and therefore piglets that are weaned earlier are
more likely to suffer from a Se deficiency.

Question 38

Fe in newborn piglets

Answer 38

Piglets are born Fe deficient.
In the wild, piglets may obtain Fe from the soil but in
farms direct supplementation must be given either parenterally or per orally since
the Fe content of the sow milk is so low (1-2mg per l).

Question 39

Fe in newborn piglets

Answer 39

Piglets are born Fe deficient.
In the wild, piglets may obtain Fe from the soil but in
farms direct supplementation must be given either parenterally or per orally since
the Fe content of the sow milk is so low (1-2mg per l).

Question 40

advantage of parenteral administration of iron

Answer 40

decreased work load and it’s
a sure-fire way to get Fe into the piglets.
There is however a risk of overload.

Question 41

advantage of oral administration of iron

Answer 41

a risk of underdose and the workload is
significantly higher due to the need for repeated administration (7 th , 10 th , 15 th day).
There is a tendency for some piglets to remain anaemic but there is no risk of
overdose whatsoever.

Fe is also oxidative, therefore if given orally it may damage Igs.
Moreover, by the 3 rd administration Fe absorption has decreased significantly due to a block in
absorption at the enterocyte level.

Question 42

advantage of oral administration of iron

Answer 42

a risk of underdose and the workload is
significantly higher due to the need for repeated administration (7 th , 10 th , 15 th day).
There is a tendency for some piglets to remain anaemic but there is no risk of
overdose whatsoever.

Question 43

Fe toxicosis

Answer 43

Kills the piglet within 6 hours.
3 forms:
1. General and local muscle degeneration leading to hyperkalaemia and death.
2. Decreased immunoprotection leading to E. coli enteritis.
3. Calcium mobilization leading to death via cardiac arrest.

Question 44

what can increase the risk of Fe toxicosis

Answer 44

Vitamin E/Se deficiencies increase the risk of Fe toxicosis.

Question 45

Piglet diet description

Answer 45

Live weight at birth: 1-2kg

 Days 0 to 10: Only mother milk is given
(1 st three days = colostrum).

 Days 11 to 28: Mother milk + pre-starter (ad lib.) is given. Four to six meals a day
ensures that the piglet receives around 1kg of feed by the end of the weaning.

 Live weight at weaning is around 7-9kg