242 Evaluation of Vacasan® administered to sows pre-farrowing on sow mortality and litter performance

Abstract

Sow mortality continues to increase across the swine industry and remains an area of interest. Most of the sow mortality occurs during parturition and lactation. This is not only an animal well-being concern but also has a negative impact on profitability and employee morale. This has led the swine industry to look for viable solutions to reduce sow mortality. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine if the administration of Vacasan® (Tulathromycin) 1-day prior to farrowing would reduce sow mortality and improve litter performance. The study was conducted on a commercial farm that was Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and mycoplasma hyopneumoniae free. The study utilized 1,377 control sows and 1,367 sow receiving Vacasan® (1.1 ml of 100mg/ml per 45kg). Sows were monitored from time of injection and for 30 days after farrowing. Treatment groups were randomly assigned across farrowing groups for each week. Neither group of offspring in this study received any treatment during the study. Total born, born alive, stillborn, mummies, pigs weaned, lactation days, and sow mortality was reported. Data was analyzed using the Welch t-test in R. Parity was balanced between control and treatment sows (1.96 vs. 1.97, P = 0.959) thus was not used as covariant in the model. The Vacasan® treated sows had significantly greater number of pigs weaned (P = 0.001), as well as in lactation for a significantly longer time (P = 0.014). The treated sows also had a significant reduction in sow mortality (P = 0.030). However, no differences were observed in total born, born alive, stillborn, or mummies among the treatment groups (P > 0.10). This study suggests that the administration of Vacasan® 1-day prior to farrowing is a viable solution to reduce sow mortality and improve the number of pigs weaned.