HERD HEALTH
PIH-34
pork industry handbook
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE • PURDUE UNIVERSITY • WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
Baby Pig Anemia
Authors
Elwyn R. Miller, Michigan State University
Duane E. Ullrey, Michigan State University
Reviewers
Gene White, University of Nebraska
John Ficken, Ionia, Missouri
Introduction
Baby pig anemia has been a potential problem since swine producers first farrowed litters in confinement, denying the nursing pig access to iron in the soil. Iron is a vital component in forming hemoglobin, a protein comprising about one-third the weight of the red blood cell. Hemoglobin within the red blood cell has the unique function of carrying oxygen from the lungs to the tissues of the body in support of cellular metabolism and transporting carbon dioxide resulting from cellular metabolism back to the lungs.

When there is a deficiency of iron, the baby pig cannot synthesize an adequate amount of hemoglobin. A blood sample taken from the iron-deficient, anemic pig will have fewer red blood cells than normal, and these red blood cells will be smaller and lighter in color than normal because of low hemoglobin content (Table 1). Thus, baby pig anemia is a condition of the blood in which the oxygen-carrying capacity is greatly reduced, and this condition is generally due to iron deficiency.

Causes of Iron Deficiency Anemia
Iron deficiency develops rapidly in nursing pigs reared in confinement because of (1) low body storage of iron in
the newborn pig, (2) low iron content of sow’s colostrum and milk, (3) elimination of contact with iron from soil, and (4) the rapid growth rate of the nursing pig. Let's consider the impact of each of these causes of iron deficiency.
Low body storage of iron in the newborn pig. The baby pig is born with a total of about 40 mg. of iron in his body, most of which is present in the form of hemoglobin in blood and storage forms in the liver. With an iron requirement of about 7 mg. daily to maintain blood hemoglobin level in the normally growing baby pig, it is apparent that without supplemental iron, body stores will not last very long. Attempts to increase body iron stores in the fetal pig by administering large amounts of iron to the sow in late gestation, either in her feed or by injection, have not been successful. The data in Table 2 demonstrate the low initial body iron storage and high iron requirement of the pig compared to other domestic animals and man.

Low iron content of sow’s colostrum and milk. Sow's colostrum and milk is a good source of all nutrients the baby pig is known to require, with the exception of iron. The concentration of iron in colostrum is seldom greater than 2 ppm, and in milk is lower, averaging about 1 ppm. Because of the low concentration of iron in sow’s milk, the baby pig cannot obtain more than about 1 mg. of iron daily from this source. This falls far short of his requirement for 7 mg. daily.
Table 1. The typical blood picture of normal and anemic baby pigs.
Measure	Normal	Anemic
Hemoglobin, grams/100 milliliters	12	5
Hematocrit, % RBC (red blood cell) in blood	35	17
RBC count, millions/cubic millimeter	5	3
RBC size, cubic microns	70	55
RBC hemoglobin concentration, %	35	30
Table 2. Body tissue iron of different species.		
	PPM of iron in fat-free body tissue	
Species	Newborn	Adult
Pig	29	90
Cat	55	60
Rabbit	135	60
Human	94	74
Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics. State of Indiana, Purdue University and U. S. Department of Agriculture Cooperating. H. G. Diesslin, Director, West Lafayette, Ind. Issued in furtherance of the Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914. It is the policy of the Cooperative Extension Service of Purdue University that all persons shall have equal opportunity and access to its programs and facilities without regard to race, religion, color, sex or national origin.