Peroral iron supplementation can be provided to piglets through a milk cup system with results comparable to parenteral iron administration.

The objective of this study was to investigate if iron can be allocated to piglets through sow milk replacer fed in a milk cup system with efficacies comparable to intramuscular (IM) administration of 200 mg gleptoferron. Two hundred and ninety-four piglets from 21 litters were allocated to three different iron treatments (n = 98). The treatments were 1) Control (CON) provided no supplemental iron, 2) Injected iron (II) provided 200 mg gleptoferron IM on day 3 postpartum, and 3) Milk iron (MI) provided sow milk replacer "DanMilk Supreme" added 1 % "Piglet Boozt" ad libitum from day 0 until 21 days postpartum. All piglets had access to dry feed from day 6. Initial and final body weight was registered and hemoglobin (Hb) levels were analyzed on day 0, 3, 7, 10, 17, and 21 after farrowing. In order to correlate drinking pattern with Hb level and growth, video cameras were installed, and drinking pattern was recorded on day 18 postpartum. A blood sample was drawn from piglets from three litters per treatment on day 21 for a complete hematology profile. The results showed that iron treatment had an effect on Hb levels (P < 0.001) that were different between all groups from day 10, resulting in a mean Hb level of 76.2 g/L (CON), 120.9 g/L (II), and 105.4 g/L (MI) on day 21. The mean Hb level for both MI and II was above the anemia threshold of 90 g/L and the Hb level of the II group was above 110 g/L and the piglets thus defined as normal. Treatment had a significant effect on Hb, hematocrit (hct), mean corposcular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), lymphocytes (%), neutrophils (bill/L) (P < 0.05), neutrophils (%) (P < 0.01), with CON being significantly different from MI and II that were similar or tended to differ. Total visits at the cup was not correlated to Hb level (r = 0.08) and growth was not affected by treatment (P = 0.99). It is concluded that iron can be supplemented to piglets through a milk cup system with efficacies comparable to parenteral administration of 200 mg gleptoferron.