Impact of gastric ulceration on weight gain in finisher pigs

摘要

Erosion of the non-glandular region of the pig stomach is a common non-infectious condition, caused by a combination of feed processing and intake factors. We examined the effects of a naturally occurring outbreak of erosion/ulceration in a modern pig farm system. Pigs were monitored from 3.5 to 22.5 weeks of age, including a 2-day period of reduced feed intake at 10 weeks of age, due to unintentional inclusion of an unpalatable high salt additive. Pelleted diets supplied to the farm consisted of standard wheat, plant protein and feed additive ingredients, averaging 610 mu m particle size. At 22.5 weeks of age, all remaining study pigs (n = 901) were processed for processing, and the non-glandular stomach region visually scored for erosion/ulceration. The ulcer score for each study animal was correlated to its average daily weight gain, based on the age at weaning (days), age at processing (days), and carcass weight (kg). This correlation indicated a significant reduction in growth rate among growing pigs with severe stomach erosion/ulceration. The economic impact as calculated from the weights at processing, average daily feed intakes and 5-year averages of feed cost and carcass value indicated a significant reduction in likely market income derived from growing and finishing pigs with deeper stomach lesions.