Impact of the use of an analogue of oxytocin on farrowing and sow reproduction performance as well as on the health staters of the sow and its litter

The effect of the use of an analogue of oxytocin (carbetocin) in the beginning of farrowing on its duration and on the new born piglets’ characteristics, and later the sow’s breeding performance, is studied from 7 batches. The systematic injection of carbetocin after the birth of the first piglet shortens the duration of farrowing by more than one hour, and the mean birth interval between piglets by 7 minutes. The frequency of long parturitions (>5h) is clearly reduced in the Carbetocin group. The stillbirth rate is not significantly different between both groups. The percentage of piglets making no effort to get up immediately after birth is significantly greater in the Carbetocin group, at 10 %, than in the control group, at 3 %, nevertheless their mortality within 24 hrs after birth is four times as low and their mortality before weaning twice as low as in the control group. Therefore, the treatment has no effect on 0-24h and 0-28 days mortality.Furthermore, average growth rate of piglets in maternity is not different (263 g/d). The use of carbetocin has no effect on the sow’s health staters (rectal temperature after birth, mastitis and metritis frequencies) or on their later breeding performance.