Causes And How To Handle Difficult Sow Births 100% Standard

Handling difficult sows is extremely important, because during the sensitive birthing period, if not timely, it will directly affect livestock productivity, affect the profits of farmers and even leave extremely serious consequences for the mother pig. Returning to the content of today's shared article, Goovet brings you all the important information from the cause to the best way to handle difficult sows.

Causes of difficult birthing in sows

Difficulty in giving birth in sows usually comes from two main causes: the mother pig herself or the fetus developing abnormally

Due to the mother pig

• Letting gilts breed early is also the reason why sows have difficulty giving birth, at this time the pelvis of the pig is not yet complete, the body is not fully developed
• Age is also the reason why sows have difficulty giving birth, when sows are too old, their health is not guaranteed, their hormones are unbalanced, their health is unstable, making it difficult to give birth as desired
• The condition of sows having difficulty giving birth also comes from the cause of premature rupture of amniotic fluid causing the birth canal to dry
• The cervix cannot open
• The cervix is ​​twisted in the last pregnancy period
• The mother pig is not given adequate nutritional care, in addition, during pregnancy, there is little movement leading to difficult birth
• During pregnancy, sows get infectious diseases that affect their health and physical condition.

Due to the fetus

• During pregnancy, the mother sow is over-nourished, leading to it being too large and not suitable for the pelvic cavity and reproductive tract
• The position of the fetus in the uterus is abnormal
• The fetus is deformed

Note: There are many other causes of difficult birth for pigs, cases that can be combined together such as large fetus + unfavorable head position, legs not stretched out straight...

Signs of difficult birth of sows

• Difficult birth of sows has many typical causes such as fatigue, lying down tired, vaginal discharge of brown, gray, foul-smelling, pushing more than 15 times without giving birth, not pushing to give birth, biting the piglets. In addition, the mother pig also increases body temperature, breathes quickly and strongly.
• Difficult birth of sows has contractions, with each contraction the animal turns towards the abdomen.
• The pig is restless, anxious, urinates frequently, and cannot stand or lie still due to increased abdominal pressure
• The pig's water breaks but the piglet does not come out after 5-6 hours.

How to handle difficult sow birth

To deal with a sow having difficulty giving birth, the first thing you need to do is understand the cause of this, whether it is the mother pig or the piglets, in order to have a solution. According to experts' recommendations, if the mother pig has not yet ruptured the uterus and is not yet open, you should not use labor-inducing drugs

Step 1: Check the position of the fetus

When checking the position of the fetus, you need to wear clean gloves, lubricate your hands, then put them in the vagina to open the mother pig's uterus according to the contraction rhythm to see if the fetus is in the right position?

• If the mother pig's water breaks too early, leading to dryness, you need to apply Vaseline, then clean the sow's vulva, and use your hands to pull each fetus out according to the pig's pushing rhythm
• If the pig has difficulty giving birth due to weak health, lack of care, or no pushing, you can stimulate pushing naturally by rubbing the sow's udder and stimulating the sow's vagina. In addition, you can use the solution of letting newborn piglets suckle to stimulate pushing. When the sow successfully gives birth, farmers need to use diluted salt water to wash the pig's vagina.
• When applying the above methods without effectiveness, farmers can perform a cesarean section, but during the surgery, it is especially important to understand the technique.
• If the sow has difficulty giving birth due to anal stenosis, farmers need to widen the vagina using surgical techniques and then pull the fetus out.
• If the position and direction of the fetus are abnormal, the fetus must be adjusted to a normal position. If the fetus is too large, it is necessary to review the condition of the fetus, intervene manually or perform a cesarean section to save both mother and child.

How to prevent difficult births in sows

In the process of selecting replacement pigs, special attention should be paid to their appearance, do not use deformed pigs, small pigs, do not choose pigs that are too young or too old and weak.

• In the process of raising sows, it is necessary to supplement adequate nutrients to ensure that the pigs are always healthy and do not suffer from infectious diseases. At each stage of pregnancy, farmers need to pay attention to appropriate care and raising methods and let the pigs exercise to give birth most conveniently and easily.
• Sows need to be quiet to avoid stress, in addition, the barn needs to be kept clean.
• When the pig starts to give birth, absolutely do not make noise, and help the pig give birth properly. In case you do not have much experience, you need to find a veterinarian to ensure that the pig is in good condition.