How to Treat Scours in Baby Pigs

Scours, or diarrhea, is one of the most common diseases to affect piglets that are less than a few weeks old. Scours can be caused by viruses, bacteria or parasites, but it is usually a symptom of the bacterial disease E. coli. Directly after birth, when the piglets' immune systems are not yet fully developed, the disease can take hold in them and cause scours. Scours may have no symptoms at all, but diseased piglets are usually listless; they shiver; and they have a foul-smelling discharge. Scours is often fatal, but with treatment piglets can recover to full health.

Things You'll Need

  • Amoxycillin, ampicillin
  • Electrolytes
  • Straw, shavings, sawdust
  • Chalk, kaolin, bentonite, activated attapulgite
  • Heat source
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Instructions

    • 1

      Give the piglets antibiotics such as amoxycillin or ampicillin as soon as possible. For piglets less than a week old, administer the antibiotics by mouth. Inject piglets that are more than a week old. If the scours is bacteria-based, antibiotics could cure the disease; if not, the antibiotics will do nothing. However, no way exists, at time of publication, to tell if the scours is bacteria-based or from another cause without first trying the antibiotics. Also give antibiotics to the sow to reduce the amount of bacteria that is produced in her waste, which could contaminate the piglets. Give the antibiotics once or twice a day to the entire litter.

    • 2

      Put electrolyte solutions in the piglets' drinking water to replenish the electrolytes that they lose in their diarrhea. Provide the baby pigs with plenty of water. They will instinctively drink large amounts of water so that they can replenish the fluid that they have lost.

    • 3

      If the piglets are weaned, restrict their food intake for 12 hours to give their digestive systems time to heal. If they are 2 to 3 weeks of age, restrict the sow's feed by 30 percent for a short time.

    • 4

      Mix a binding agent such as chalk, kaolin, bentonite or activated attapulgite into the piglets' food. A binding agent will absorb the toxins in the piglets' digestive systems and protect the tissues. Binding agents have little to no taste, and they will not affect the piglets' desire to eat their food. If the piglets refuse to eat, they are very ill.

    • 5

      If the pigs' pen is contaminated with diarrhea, clean the pen. Cover the bottom of the pen with shavings, straw or sawdust so that they do not stand in their own filth and to make cleaning easier. Move the pigs to a new pen if the contamination is very bad.

    • 6

      Supply the pigs with a heat source such as a heat lamp. Warmth will help the piglets recover from scours.