Department of Veterinary Research and Development, Pig Research Centre, Danish Agriculture & Food Council, Vinkelvej 11 - 13, P,O, Box 50, DK-8620 Kjellerup, Denmark.
Acta Vet Scand. 2013 Feb 15;55(1):12. doi: 10.1186/1751-0147-55-12.
Shoulder ulcers can have a significant impact on the welfare of sows. In Denmark, rubber mats are used for treatment of shoulder ulcers. The objective of the study was to compare a treatment consisting of a combination of rubber mats and zinc ointment with the effect of local antibiotic spray (chlortetracycline) on shoulder ulcers.
A total of 304 sows with shoulder ulcers were observed shortly after farrowing (day 1) and on days 14 and 21 after the first observation. The sows were paired according to the grade of the shoulder ulcer using the official Danish scoring system. From each pair of sows, one sow was allocated to mat group (M) and the other to an antibiotic group (A) in a random way. In the M group, rubber mats were placed on the floor, and the ulcers were treated with zinc ointment once a day. In the A group, sows were treated with antibiotic spray daily. The size of the shoulder ulcer was measured manually on a continuous scale on days 1, 14 and 21. The data were analysed by use of two multivariable models where the response was the area of the shoulder ulcer on day 14 and day 21, respectively. Explanatory variables were treatment, herd, parity, body condition and size of ulcer on day 1. If a sow had an ulcer on both shoulders, the shoulder with the largest ulcer was selected.
The treatment consisting of mats and zinc ointment had a statistical significant effect on the size of the shoulder ulcer on day 14 and day 21 compared to daily treatment with antibiotic spray. For lean sows that were kept on rubber mats and zinc ointment, the average shoulder ulcer was significantly smaller on day 14 (3.8 cm(2) versus 9.5 cm(2) when antibiotic spray was used) and day 21 (3.4 cm(2) versus 6.6 cm(2)) compared to lean sows that were only treated with antibiotic spray. For fat sows this was also the case when using the lesion on day 21 as the response (2.0 cm(2) versus 5.7 cm(2)) but not on day 14. Moreover, the size of the lesion on day 1 was statistically associated with the size of the lesion on day 14 and on day 21. The treatment was equally effective in the three herds.
Rubber mats and daily smearing with zinc ointment slow progression and contribute to the healing of shoulder ulcers compared with housing on slats and daily spraying with antibiotics. It is recommended to place a rubber mat in the farrowing crate at the first sign of shoulder ulcers.
肩部溃疡会对母猪的福利产生重大影响。在丹麦，橡胶垫用于治疗肩部溃疡。本研究的目的是比较橡胶垫和锌软膏的组合治疗与局部抗生素喷雾（金霉素）对肩部溃疡的疗效。
共有 304 头分娩后不久（第 1 天）出现肩部溃疡的母猪和首次观察后第 14 天和第 21 天进行了观察。根据官方丹麦评分系统，根据肩部溃疡的严重程度对母猪进行配对。每对母猪随机分配到垫料组（M）和抗生素组（A）。在 M 组中，将橡胶垫放置在地板上，每天用锌软膏治疗溃疡。在 A 组中，每天用抗生素喷雾治疗。在第 1、14 和 21 天，连续测量肩部溃疡的大小。使用两个多变量模型分析数据，响应分别为第 14 天和第 21 天的肩部溃疡面积。解释变量为治疗、畜群、胎次、体况和第 1 天的溃疡大小。如果母猪的两个肩部都有溃疡，则选择溃疡最大的肩部。
与每天使用抗生素喷雾相比，由橡胶垫和锌软膏组成的治疗方法对第 14 天和第 21 天肩部溃疡的大小具有统计学显著影响。对于保持在橡胶垫和锌软膏上的瘦母猪，第 14 天（使用抗生素喷雾时为 3.8 cm² 对 9.5 cm²）和第 21 天（3.4 cm² 对 6.6 cm²）肩部溃疡平均明显较小）与仅使用抗生素喷雾治疗的瘦母猪相比。对于胖母猪，在使用第 21 天的病变作为反应时也是如此（2.0 cm² 对 5.7 cm²），但在第 14 天则不然。此外，第 1 天的病变大小与第 14 天和第 21 天的病变大小具有统计学关联。该治疗方法在三个畜群中同样有效。
与使用板条和每天喷洒抗生素相比，橡胶垫和每天涂抹锌软膏可减缓肩部溃疡的进展并有助于溃疡愈合。建议在肩部溃疡出现的第一时间在产仔箱中放置橡胶垫。
