causes of mastitis on sow
Forum: Mastitis in sows
Anyone knows what are the most common causes for mastitis? What treatment should I start on affected sows? Is it a bad milk for the piglets? Thanks for helping.
Roberta
Most of the time I have had mastitis is when I have overfed the sows right before farrowing. You should restrict their feed for 2-3 days before they farrow. I just use penicillin and I put some bigger pigs on her so they can suck the milk out of her.
Roy
When you identify sows with mastitis, the first thing you need to do is treat the sow with dexamethasome. One treatment of 20cc will do the trick. You can also, after injecting dex, put big pigs on the sow or gilt for one day. For example, if you identify mastitis on a sow in the morning give her 20cc dex, and find a big litter to swap for the day. Before going home, swap the litter back. I hope that answers your question.
Never give dexamethasome to sows with mastitis unless you are absolutely sure that there is no infection of the udder present (im most cases there will be!), or that the infection will definitely be eliminated by antibiotics that you are giving simultaneously. For practical advice on the causes and treatment of mastitis treatment see the new on-farm manual:
"Pig Production Problems" by John Gadd
http://www.pigjournal.co.uk/books/Gadd.htm
I discovered mastitis in my sow. What can I do?
