Optimizing swine water line management: A study of hydration status during water medication events and best practices for water line antimicrobial use
Date
2024-12
Authors
Walthart, Becca
Major Professor
Advisor
Karriker, Locke A.
Brown, Justin T.
Johnson, Anna K.
Committee Member
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Abstract
This thesis is comprised of five chapters, with the first being a general introduction and the last being a final conclusion. The second chapter summarizes the findings from a systematic literature review on swine water medication systems and improvement opportunities. The third and fourth chapters discuss original research aimed to assess the water distribution systems of pigs in the Midwest production region and the impacts they have on the production system.
The objective of chapter 2, the literature review, was to summarize the content provided within the peer-reviewed literature regarding commercial wean-to-finish swine farm water distribution systems and the knowledge behind the hydration status of pigs. This resulted in 519 total research articles on the correlation of drinking water and disappearance changing when water medications are applied. There was very little evidence about the dehydration status of animals when water medications are delivered through a water medicator, and antibiotics or vaccines are administered. Anecdotal evidence indicated reduced water consumption during a water medication event due to a range of factors occurring simultaneously.
The objectives of chapter 3 were to develop an understanding of what the average swine waterline system in the Midwest swine production region looked like and how it operated. This chapter aimed to identify an average waterline system to ultimately create a “Best Practices for Water Line Antimicrobial Administration” within the swine industry. A 36-question survey was developed and distributed to 5 different production companies within the Midwest and presented at the 2023 James D. McKean Swine Disease Conference. The survey consisted of 3 sections of questions, demographics (7), farm details (4), and water line system details (25). This questionnaire resulted in 50 participants revealing significant variability in WS design, including differences in water medicators, pipe diameter, and drinker types. Despite the limited sample size, the findings highlight critical opportunities to enhance waterline systems, particularly in reducing flow rate through the medicator, which may have implications for swine health and welfare. Further research, particularly in major pork-producing states, is needed to address these concerns.
The objectives of chapter 4 were to compare the hydration rates of finishing pigs before and during a water medication event. During the administration of anything through a water medicator, the average flow rate decreases from approximately 38.1mm – 50.8 mm diameter PVC down to a 25.4 mm diameter hose. It is then pushed through a medicator with a 6.35 mm diameter hose and submerged into an open bucket that has a mixture of antibiotic, vaccine, electrolytes, etc. The water is then pushed back out into the 38.1 mm – 50.8 mm diameter PVC and further reduced to a 12.7 mm diameter PVC when entering into the barn. As this pathway continually gets reduced it is noticeably more difficult to provide all pigs with the sufficient amount of water needed. A total of two hundred and twenty-four 17-week-old healthy pigs of random sex were enrolled into two groups. Cohort 1 consisted of 112 pigs that were sampled for 3 consecutive days prior to connecting the water medicator to the main water line. This resulted in a baseline hydration status for commercial finishing pigs. At the end of the third day of sampling, a water medicator was connected to the main water line that supplied the study pigs’ water. The water medicator was connected and a 44-gallon trash can was filled with water to represent the “stock solution”. By running only water through the medicator we reduced the range of factors that can cause a decrease in water consumption during a medication event, including taste, smell, etc. The water medicator ran for two days before any animals were sampled again and continued to run for 3 more consecutive days to total 5 consecutive days of a water medication event. Cohort 1 was then sampled consecutively on the last three days of the water medication event. Cohort 2 consisted of an additional 112 pigs that were sampled only on the final day of the study. This sampling time point helped us compare if a possible dehydration event were to occur, was it due to 3 consecutive sampling time points or the decrease in water flow rate. The results showed a significant increase in PPC by 0.065 units after the water medicator was connected, while PCV decreased by 1.94 units. These findings, which align with previous research on PPC during reduced water availability highlight the need for further investigation into how water flow rates and hydration strategies affect physiological systems and overall pig health.
Limitations of the research chapter 4 include using our team at the Swine Medicine Education Center to determine the hematocrit packed cell volume and plasma protein concentration of each individual animal for 6 days manually, instead of using the diagnostic laboratory and their machinery to determine our results. Additionally, this study was performed on a commercial finishing site in north-central Iowa. It might be more difficult to value the results in a wean-to-finish operation or a nursery housing smaller pigs, due to the increased likelihood of administering a vaccine or antibiotic during the beginning phase of production.
The objectives for chapter 5, the general conclusion, were to develop “best practices” for swine production water line systems with the information gathered from my original research. The best practices for swine production water line systems outlines the many current protocols happening within the systems today and has created new “Best Practice” protocols to apply to water line systems of the average commercial production swine farm. The goal of this chapter is to utilize these protocols within the commercial swine production system and increase the knowledge and understanding of water line systems through the industry.
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