COMPLICATIONS
by Mette Lybeck Ruelokke (Mette the Vette)
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What is Normal?
A sow should never lose appetite after littering, as it can be a sign of complications and will soon cause toxaemia. After having licked the newborn babies carefully and cleaned herself, she should allow the babies to suck. The first look into a hutch of a sow who has recently littered should reveal her sitting in a comer with all her babies gathered around her, dry and clean, some of whom will be having a drink of milk. There should be no or little blood in the bedding, and perhaps a couple of placentas, which she hasn't managed to eat After a normal birth, the sow should be hungry and aware, and nurse the babies with great affection. The babies will be running around shortly after birth, and will start eating solid food within the first 48 hours. This is the idyllic picture of mother and babies all fanciers like to see, as it is a sign of a successful and uncomplicated birth.
It is normal that babies lose a little weight in the first 3 or 4 days, but then they start gaining weight quickly, reaching birth weight no later than the age of one week. They must remain bright eyed and must not become skinny, hunched up or bristling in coat.
The sow will bleed a little from the vagina the first couple of days, hereafter the vaginal membrane will close. It is normal that she will lose weight especially with large litters, but as long as she remains bright and eats well, she will soon regain weight after weaning the babies.
Rejected Babies
Sometimes the sow refuses to nurse and feed her babies. It is more common in sows having their first litter, as they might find it difficult suddenly find themselves a mother. Such sows must be left on their own with their babies in peaceful surroundings. If that doesn't help within 6-8 hours, a small dark box, with not too much room for running around in panic, may be the solution. As soon as she allows the babies to suck and she starts to nurse them, she adopted her mother's role, and everything will be all right. The babies will not get really hungry during the first 12 hours, but if she continues to reject them they must be hand reared or a foster mum must be found for them. Don't let them starve to death I Most sows will be better prepared next time they litter, and will nurse their babies as they should, but a sow who also rejects her next litter should not be bred from again, as her lack of maternal qualities may be passed onto any babies which manage to survive. Alter-natively, a mild sedation of the sow may be used until she accepts the babies, but for the aforementioned reasons, this should only be done once, as poor mothers shouldn't be bred from.
Sore Nipples
Are occasionally seen in sows, especially with large litters. The sow feel uncomfortable whilst suckling, and there may be extensive skin lesions. Rinse the wounds and surrounding area with lush camomile tea or a weak disinfecting solution and rub a mild soothing ointment into the skin. Beware not to use anything harmful, which can be ingested by the babies. A preparation made for sore nipples in humans can be used safely. If the skin on and around the nipples gets infected, it can spread through the mammary canal and cause Mastitis.
Mastitis This is an infection in the mammary gland. The gland becomes red, warm, hard and swollen. The milk becomes thicker and may change into a more yellowish colour. Most sows will eat and look reasonably OK, but sometimes they get fever and lose appetite. Evacuation of milk is a necessary part of the treatment. That must be done by squeezing the nipple gently by hand several times a day, followed by a gentle wash with warm soapy water on a piece of cotton, and finally rinsing in clean water. This treatment combined with a gentle massage of the skin enlarges blood flow in the area and promotes healing. If the sow loses appetite or the condition doesn't clear up within a few days, a vet must be consulted for further treatment, which may involve antibiotics. In severe cases or when mastitis is a common problem within stock, a microbiological test with culturing is advisable to determine which antibiotics have the best effect. In case of poor hygiene in the shed, improvements should be made to eliminate problems in the future.
Lack of Milk
The babies will soon become weakly, and some or all may die. The condition may be due to stress or mastitis, and if the milk doesn't return the babies must be hand reared or get a foster mum. But try first to leave the mother with the babies in peaceful surroundings with lots of juicy greens and the best quality hay available. The problem often resolves itself within 24 hours. In the case of mastitis however, treatment must be as described above.
Coat & Skin trouble
After littering, sows may lose some coat due to hormonal influences during birth. Coat loss is quite commonly seen symmetrically around the rump, and there may be a raw patch as well. In cases of breaks in skin, rinse with a weak disinfectant solution daily. Don't panic: re growth of the coat usually starts within a week or two.
A special sort of broken back can also occur after birth. It is probably due to insufficient feeding, and this must be corrected to avoid further problems. The lesion must be washed and rubbed with a soothing ointment daily until it has resolved itself. In case of infection a vet must be consulted.
On one occasion I've seen a baby losing all its coat in a few days after birth. It remained bright and healthy, and within 4 weeks the coat looked perfectly normal again.
Mette Lybek Ruelokke