The Benefits of Vitamin C for Pigs

Have Your Pigs Had Their Vitamin C Today?

Jan 15, 2007 12:00 PM,
By David Funderburke and Thomas Shipp,
Cape Fear Consulting, LLC Warsaw, NC

Nutritional interventions show promise in preparing pigs' immune systems to better deal with porcine circovirus-associated disease challenges.

There is considerable debate among nutritionists and veterinarians as to what health, management and nutritional measures are available to maintain pig performance in the presence of porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD).

Outside of vaccination — and the PCV2 vaccines remain in limited supply — there are three plans of attack:

1. Improving management practices, such as stocking rate; all-in, all-out pig flow; ventilation; intensive cleaning/disinfecting, etc.

2. Controlling other swine diseases, such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and salmonella.

3. Modifying nutritional programs, including the feeding of plasma proteins and yeast cell wall products containing mannans and glucans, as well as elevated levels of vitamins and trace minerals.

Improved management practices and the control of secondary diseases would reduce environmental and physiological stressors, which may initiate onset of PCVAD.

Modifying nutritional programs prior to the disease outbreak may improve the pig's ability to deal with a health challenge.

This article will focus primarily on the use of nutritional intervention to better prepare the immune system to deal with a PCVAD challenge.

For full article, go to:

http://nationalhogfarmer.com/mag/farming_pigs_vitamin_today/index1.html

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