Swine Gut Health Resources

Optimizing Animal Production: The Role of Gut Health in Animal Welfare and Sustainable Practices

In the realm of animal nutrition and production, a profound understanding of the relationship between gut health, animal welfare, and sustainable production is essential. This interconnection is central to advancing the livestock and poultry production industry in a manner that benefits not only animal health, performance, and wellbeing; but also environmental sustainability and industry-wide progress.

READ MORE

Water Quality Management: Addressing an Overlooked Essential Nutrient

If the sanitation of your livestock or poultry drinking water isn’t a priority today, it should be. Kemin sat down with Best Veterinary Solutions (BVS) Water Services Manager Mitch Downs to talk about today’s water-quality challenges — how they affect animal performance and how testing can help mitigate them. Here are some frequently asked questions that Downs answered for us.

READ MORE

The Gut's Role in Defending Animal Health

Gut health has made its stamp on livestock production as the gateway to animal health. We often think the gut's primary job is to digest valuable nutrients. But an immunologist may argue that a more important job of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is to prevent the infiltration of unwanted pathogens that can lead to illness and loss of productivity.

READ MORE

Gastrointestinal Microbiota Balance and Livestock Health

An animal's gastrointestinal (GI) tract is critical to its health and wellbeing. It's obvious that, without it, the animal would be unable to asorb nutrients. However, the role of the GI tract extends far beyond this function.

READ MORE

Eye on 'Biotics: Feeding Your Livestock and Poultry for Optimal Gut Health

The use of prebiotics and probiotics in livestock and poultry diets has become a common practice — and for good reason. Increased attention to and understanding of gut health in humans, pets and livestock have led to more research and effective solutions available on the market. In addition, producers are constantly searching for ways to fight pathogenic bacteria as antibiotic resistance grows.

READ MORE

STAY VIGILANT: Pathogens Pose Risks to Swine Industry

Although there are always a variety of pathogens that threaten the health of swine in the U.S., recent years have been particularly challenging. On top of known threats such as Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv), Classical Swine Fever virus (CSFv or hog cholera) and Foot and Mouth Disease virus (FMDv), new risks are continually emerging. These challenges remind us of the importance for producers to have comprehensive biosecurity plans in place to keep pathogens out, said Scott Dee, DVM, Director of Research for Pipestone Applied Research. Biosecurity protocols include everything from vaccinations to proper ventilation and air filtration systems, and shower in/shower out to truck washes.

READ MORE

Scours and the Impact of Clostridium on Your Swine Herd

As summer comes to an end and we welcome cooler temperatures, increased Clostridium prevalence also lurks around the corner. Clostridium commonly causes scours and can impact your herd in a variety of ways including stifling both growth and efficiency and increasing mortality.

READ MORE

Intestinal Injury Recovery: The Role of Feed Ingredients

All healthy animals’ gastrointestinal tract has one big thing in common: balance. A harmony and equilibrium exist between the microbiota, intestinal epithelial cells which carry out the digestive and absorptive function and the immune cells which carry out disease prevention and protection. Whenever this balance is disturbed, the health and performance of the animal is affected accordingly.

READ MORE

Stress Exposure Early in Life May Lead to Lifelong Negative Health Issues

Gut health is important throughout an animal’s life. But it’s particularly important early in life when gut health contributes to the development of a number of critical systems and functions including the gut itself. Poor gut health — which can be brought on by an array of microbial, social, environmental and physiological stressors — can lead to systemic health problems and reduced performance throughout an animal’s life.

READ MORE

Nine Recommendations for Successful Summer Swine Production

There is never a time in swine production where producers aren’t facing challenges in some form or fashion. Many challenges – whether they are nutritional, health or management related – tend to be seasonal. Fall is typically a favorite season for many producers, lending optimized weather conditions for growth. But, hot summer temperatures bring on a distinct set of obstacles.

READ MORE