EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENTING FAST-GROWING, LATE-WEANED PIGLETS TWICE WITH 200 mg IRON DEXTRAN INTRA-MUSCULARLY
J. HAUGEGAARD, H. WACHMANN and P.J. KRISTENSEN

Abstract
Objective: To investigate the effect of injecting an additional 200 mg of Iron dextran to fast growing piglets at the age of 20 days, mainly fed with mothers' milk, and who already had 200 mg iron dextran injected at the age of 3 days.

Materials and Methods: 236 piglets were divided into two groups. All piglets were injected intra-muscularly in the neck with 1 ml of 20 % (200 mg) of iron dextran on day 3 post-partum. One group served as control, the other was injected with an additional 200 mg of iron dextran on day 20. The level of haemoglobin in the blood and body-weight were determined again on days 20 and 34 (the day of weaning) and weight was determined on day 50 post-partum.

Results: It was found that piglets given an additional 200 mg of iron dextran on day 20 had a significantly higher growth rate of ~20 gram per day for the first 15 days after weaning. Furthermore, those piglets had a highly significant higher content of haemoglobin at +10 g/l at the day of weaning (day 34).

Implications: On the basis of this trial, it is advised that fast growing, healthy piglets, mainly fed with mothers' milk and weaned at late age, are supplied with more than 200 mg of iron dextran.

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