PSIII-3 Effect of Type of Desiccant Used to Dry Piglets at Birth on Postnatal Changes in Rectal Temperature
Abstract All piglets experience hypothermia immediately after birth, which can be a predisposing factor for pre-weaning mortality. Drying piglets at birth with a desiccant reduces the extent and duration of postnatal temperature decline. This study compared the effectiveness of different types of commercially-available desiccant products using a CRD with four treatments (applied at birth): Control (piglets not dried) and 3 Desiccant Product treatments [dried with a Mineral-based, Cellulose-based, or Mixed (mineral and cellulose-based) desiccant]. Sows (40) and litters (546 piglets) were randomly allotted to a treatment at the birth of the first piglet. Sows were housed in individual farrowing crates within pens; a heat lamp was suspended over one side of each pen. Room temperature was set at 22.8°C throughout farrowing. Piglets were weighed at birth, those on the Desiccant Product treatments were coated with desiccant until completely dry, and then returned to the pen. Piglet rectal temperatures were measured at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60 and 120 min after birth. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED of SAS (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC). The model included the fixed effects of treatment, measurement time (repeated measure), and the interaction. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of treatment on rectal temperatures at birth. At all other measurement times, piglets on the Control treatment had lower (P < 0.05) rectal temperatures than those on the 3 Desiccant Product treatments, which had similar (P > 0.05) rectal temperatures. These results suggest that the 3 commercial desiccant products evaluated were equally effective at minimizing the extent and duration of piglet rectal temperature decline in the early postnatal period.