The trial was carried out at a commercial pig farm in Bukit Pelanduk, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The objective of the study was to assess the efficacy of supplemental
iron in
drinking water and
iron in
paste form in comparison with the
iron dextran injection. A total of 12 litters were used divided into three treatments :
iron dextran injection (ID), Fedexx" -
iron in
paste form (IP) and Opti-
iron" -
iron in
drinking water (IW).
Hemoglobin level and growth performance parameters were monitored weekly over a period of 28 days. ID piglets had significantly higher (p < 0.05)
body weight and weekly
weight gain compared with IW piglets at 21 and 28 days of age whereas no significant different (p > 0.05) results were found between IP and IW piglets.
Hemoglobin level from days 0 to 28 showed statistical difference (p > 0.05) between piglets in IP and IW groups. Mild
anemia was found in IP piglets but not for ID and IW piglets compared with normal value (> 9 g/dL).
Hemoglobin (Hb) levels were positively correlated (p < 0.05,
r = .47) with
body weight at 28 days of age. In conclusion, pigs supplemented with
iron in
paste form and
drinking water had poorer growth performance than
iron dextran injection piglets. Piglets given
iron in
paste form had mild
anemia. It is advisable to give multiple doses of oral
iron to piglets in order to prevent
iron deficiency anemia. During the first 4 weeks of life, the
body weights of the piglets increased by up to 5-fold. The dietary requirement for
iron during this period is 7 mg per day but only 1 mg per day can be supplied by the sow's milk (Cunha, 1977; Miller and Ullrey, 1997; Roberts, 1998). The need to provide the piglets with an adequate amount of
iron before weaning is therefore imperative because sow's milk alone will not meet the
iron requirements of rapid growth and expanding blood volume (Hannan, 1971). Several different methods can be used to offer
iron to preweaning piglets. The most common administration method for
iron in piglets is through an
intramuscular injection of
iron dextran complex at 3 days of age. A single dose of 200 mg/ml
iron-
dextran is effective against
iron deficiency anemia. However, the method is very stressful to the piglets. They will suffer more
pain if a greater dosage of
iron is given intramuscularly. Furthermore, poor
iron injection techniques may cause considerable
trauma to the muscles, staining of hams or create
abscesses and lead to downgrading of the carcasses (Roberts, 1998). Since there are several drawbacks to the
iron injection, alternative methods need to be considered in intensive farming i.e. supply
iron orally (Miller and Ullrey, 1997). The
oral administration of
iron has two advantages: cost and the fact that absorption is regulated by the intestinal mucosae. However,
oral administration requires multiple doses. This is because a single dose may not be sufficient to protect the piglets from
iron deficiency anemia for the first 4 weeks post-partum. The
iron bioavailability in oral
iron depends greatly on
iron status of animals (
Amine et al., 1972; Susan and Wright, 1985). In addition, dietary factors such as
amino acids and
protein sources (Martinez et al., 1981),
pectin content,
phytate (Morris and Ellis, 1982) and the other minerals (Elvehjem and Hart, 1932; Hedges and Kornegay, 1973; Suttle and Mills, 1966) may also influence the bioavailability of
iron. Oral
iron can be given as
paste or
drinking water. Early administration of oral
iron within the first few days of life will meet the
iron needs of the suckling pig. However, it is critical to administer early before gut closure to large molecules (Harmon et al., 1974; Thoren-Tolling, 1975). This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of
iron supplementation in
drinking water or
paste form in comparison with the injection of
iron compounds in suckling pigs.