Milk Letdown - Oedema

If your sow or gilt is not making enough milk it could that there is excess fluid in the udder tissue. This condition of excess fluid is called oedema. The animal usually has a normal appetite and does not have a fever. The udder gland will feel firm or tight. The pressure of the excess fluid cuts down or off the flow of milk. This can then cause the piglet to get less colostrum and an immune deficiency. Eventually the piglet would waste away.

Signs of  udder oedema would be firmness of the udders detected by palpation. Also, 5 –7 days after farrowing  you may notice some of the piglet physical condition declining.

If  left untreated oedema can lead to mastitis.

Talk to your vet. Typical treatment would be ½ -1 ml oxytocin  every 4-6 hours for 4 times. Also, give an injection of a long lasting antibiotic to combat any mastitis that might be developing.

Some pre-farrow preventative steps would be to make sure the sow gets plenty of water, cut back on the high energy/protein feed and add more fiber. Check for constipation and add more fiber. Use a good gestation diet.