Homedes et al. intake has the potential to improve the survival of low-birth-weight piglets and their ongoing growth to weaning. As larger litters can impart higher stress and distress on sows, implementing a low-stress environment leading up to parturition may improve sow overall performance and subsequent survival of piglets. Additionally, treating sows with anti-inflammatory compounds, either diet or pharmacologically, shows some promise for alleviating sow distress and improving piglet survival in larger litters. Understanding that selecting sows for larger litters not only LP-533401 affects piglet survival but the well-being of the sow, the decision to continue selecting for larger litters, regardless of management strategies, LP-533401 remains a topic of honest concern. [96]. As such, it is important to review alternate ways to reduce the stress associated with farrowing confinement for sows rearing larger litters in order to improve farrowing overall performance. Relating to Grandin and Johnson [97], if you cannot give an animal the freedom to act naturally, then you should think about how to satisfy the feelings that motivates the behaviour. If a suitable nesting environment cannot be offered for the sow, there may be another way to satisfy strong nesting desires for limited sows. Baxter et al. found the provision of a comfortable and flexible laying substrate was plenty of to switch off nesting behaviour in sows, including pawing and manipulating surrounding substrate [98]. Damm et al. [99] suggested the sight of a perceived hollow in front of a sows cage is enough to satisfy nesting behaviour. For Rabbit Polyclonal to MBTPS2 crated sows, a change in the surrounding environment may display improvements to sow behaviour, but there is currently little evidence of improvement in early piglet survival [100,101,102,103,104]. 3.5. Provision of Dietary Supplements During late gestation and lactation, the improved metabolic demand within the sow can elevate the concentration of free radicals and, in turn, the levels of oxidative stress [105]. In addition to negative effects on sow well-being [106], elevated levels of oxidative stress round the LP-533401 periparturient period can impair early lactation output and increase risk of stillbirth [105]. As oxidative stress has been found to increase with litter size [107], it may be a particular concern for hyper prolific sows. The use of supplemental oil with LP-533401 antioxidant properties could be a low-cost strategy for reducing oxidative stress. The supplements performance in reducing oxidative stress is affected by oil type, oil quality (i.e., is it oxidized) and dose. A summary of antioxidant-based oil health supplements and their performance on sow overall performance is offered in Table 2. Table 2 Factors influencing the effectiveness of oil health supplements. thead th align=”center” valign=”middle” style=”border-top:solid thin;border-bottom:solid thin” rowspan=”1″ colspan=”1″ Comparison /th th align=”center” valign=”middle” style=”border-top:solid thin;border-bottom:solid thin” rowspan=”1″ colspan=”1″ Observations /th th align=”center” valign=”middle” style=”border-top:solid thin;border-bottom:solid thin” rowspan=”1″ colspan=”1″ Reference /th /thead Oil type (fish oil vs. soybean oil)Fish oil stimulated greater launch of anti-inflammatory compounds and improved rate of pre-weaning survival compared to soybean oilYang et al. [108]Oil type (fish oil vs. olive oil)Olive oil was more effective in reducing oxidative stress, increased milk extra fat content material and improved rate of pre-weaning survival compared to fish oilShen et al. [109]Oil type (echium oil vs. linseed oil vs. Fish oil)Fish oil stimulated greater launch of anti-inflammatory compounds compared to echium and linseed oilsTanghe et al. [110]Product (oregano oil) vs. no supplementOregano oil effectively reduced oxidative stress on the first day time of lactation and improved feed intake of sows three weeks after farrowingTan et al. [111]Oil quality (new vs. oxidized)New corn oil stimulated greater launch of anti-inflammatory providers and more effective reduction in oxidative stress compared to oxidized corn oilSu et al. [112]Dosage of oil supplementIncreasing the dose of fish and LP-533401 linseed oil from 0.5% to 2% stimulated a greater release of anti-inflammatory EPA into sow serumTanghe et al. [113] Open in a separate window Evidently, oils that stimulated higher launch of anti-inflammatory compounds and reduced oxidative stress show a positive effect on sow overall performance [109,111] and improvements to pre-weaning survival [108,109]. Reducing swelling can alleviate distress in the sow and bring down stress associated with farrowing a large litter of piglets in the confinement of a conventional farrowing cage. 3.6. Provision of Anti-Inflammatory Medicines Providing an anti-inflammatory drug to peripartum sows would have a more quick onset of effect.