EFFECTS OF DIARRHOEA ON WATER CONSUMPTION OF PIGLETS WEANED ON THE FIRST DAY AFTER BIRm

Baranyiova Eva, A. Holub: Effects of Diarrhoea on Water Consumption of Piglets Weaned on the First Day after Birth. Acta vet. Bmo, 62, 1993: 27-32. Twenty-three Large White x Landrace piglets weaned on the first day after birth and kept individually in cages in a thermoneutral environment were offered a liquid diet similar in its macronutrient content to sow's milk at 2 h intervals nine times a day. They were divided into two groups: clinically healthy piglets and diarrhoeic animals. After each feeding the diarrhoeic piglets were offered in addition ' camomile tea. Water consumption at individual feedings was measured 514 times in diarrhoeic piglets and 441 times in the controls from 3 1010 days after birth. The intake of the offered diet changed with age as was repeatedly described in our previous studies. The diarrhoeic piglets supplemented their water consumption by intake of camomile tea only in 83 (16.1 %) cases. Therd'ore their mean water consumption was lower than that of the controls: by 15.8% per animal and by '9.2% and by 9.4% per live body mass unit and per metabolic mass unit, respectively. The difference in actual water ingestion was significant on dtYs 5, 6, 9 and 10. Relative 'water consumption per live body mass of diarrhoeic piglets was significantly lower on day 5 and 6, but higher on day 4 and 8; that per metabolic mass unit was lower on day 5, 6, and 10, but higher on day 4 and 8. Diarrhoeic piglets lose more water than clinically healthy animals during the postnatal period. In our experiments they could make up for their water defidency by increasing the intake of the diet and by additional consumption of camomile tea only relatively (expressed per live body mass and per metabolic mass) lInd for a limited length of time (only on 2 out of 8 days). Diarrhoeic piglets therefore increase their water turnover by oral ingestion, thus contributing relatively to the compensation of water loss in a partial way, but not attaining full compensation for the loss due to diarrhoea. Sucking, liquid diet, camomile tea, postnatal development, functional ontogeny Piglets kept with the sows show a higher water intake during the early postnatal period (Aumaitre 1964, 1965; Mount and Ingram 1971; Bauer et al. 1978; Bauer 1983). Their daily water intake from milk sucking or supplementary feeding or directly from drinking and su·,. Iementary feeding amounts to 23% of their live body mass or almost to 29% of their metabolic mass (Holub 1988, 1990). The water intake of early-weaned piglets is even higher, amounting to 27 % of their live body mass and to more than 40% of their metabolic mass (Holub and PoniZilova 1964; Holub. 1988, 1990, 1991; Holub and Dolezel in press). Under these rearing practices piglets are often affected with secretory and malabsorption diarrhoea (Leece 1986; Larsen I!Dd Schwartz 1987; Schmid and Walser 1991; Baranyiova and Holub in press), in consequence of which they utilize diet less efficiently and lose more water (Kelly et al. 1990). These adverse effects of diarrhoea are augmented by the fact that • diarrhoeic piglets we unable to compensate for them by consuming a larger quantity of diet