PS-1 - An evaluation of sodium salicylate in the periparturient management of the sow

Abstract: Mortality continues to trend higher in highly prolific sows in the U.S., with the periparturient period being the time of highest loss (Eckberg, 2021). Sodium salicylate (NaSal) is a nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) similar to aspirin, which is used to manage preeclampsia-related pregnancy complications in humans (Roberge et al. 2017). The objectives of this experiment were: 1) Collect farrowing data for scoring periparturient health; and 2) Evaluate the impact of NaSal periparturient health and inflammation. A total of 47 parity 1 and 2 females (PIC 1050) were utilized with a starting body weight (BW) of 214.3kg ± 14.7 SD. Sows were blocked by BW on d 105 gestation and parity and randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. The treatments were: control (CON) n = 23; or treatment (TRT) n = 24. TRT consisted of NaSal (Oral-Pro, Aurora Pharmaceutical, Northfield, MN) administered via water 3 d pre-farrow to 5 d post-farrow, with a target dose of 50 mg NaSal/kg BW. At d 106 of gestation and weaning, BW, back fat (BF), and body condition by caliper (BCS) were measured. Sows were assigned a farrowing ease score of 1-4 (1 - easy to 4 - extremely difficult) based on duration, restless activity, savaging, and assistance required. Data were analyzed using the GLM procedure in SAS, with sow serving as the experimental unit and LSMeans testing for differences among means. Average farrowing duration for both groups was 335.5 min ± 144.2 SD. Farrowing ease score for all sows was assessed as a mean of 2.28 with 47% scored as difficult (Score 3 - 4). Treatment improved farrowing ease score (TRT avg: 1.9; CON avg 2.7; P < 0.01) and reduced savaging severity and frequency (TRT: 5 sows, 1 severe; CON: 8 sows, 7 severe; P < 0.05). TRT sows (24/24) successfully weaned litters compared to CON sows (20/23). All sows assigned a 1 or 2 score (25/25) weaned litters compared to sows assigned 3 or 4 (19/22). In conclusion, farrowing difficulty contributes to the need for greater care of highly prolific sows. Supplementation of NaSal during the periparturient period may improve farrowing ease and health outcomes.