Effects of dietary fat and triamcinolone additions during late gestation on the body energy reserves of neonatal pigs.

Two trials involving 21 primiparous sows were conducted to evaluate the effects of fat and triamcinolone additions to the diet of late-term, gravid sows on carbohydrate, protein and fat reserves in nursed and fasted neonatal pigs. Beginning 7 d prepartum, sows were fed daily 1.8 kg (6 Mcal metabolizable energy, ME) of a fortified, corn-soybean meal diet that was supplemented with 4 Mcal ME/sow in the form of starch, soybean oil or soybean oil plus 70 mg/sow of triamcinolone, a synthetic glucocorticoid. After parturition, the sows were fed daily 5 kg (15 Mcal ME) of a 14% protein, corn-soybean meal diet. The addition of soybean oil to the diet of sows during late gestation did not influence (P greater than .1) liver glycogen content, serum glucose levels or carcass protein and fat reserves in nursed or fasted pigs from birth to 6, 12, 24 or 48 h of age. The addition of triamcinolone to the sows' prepartum diet increased (P less than .1) fat deposition in the nursed pigs from birth to 48 h of age. Liver glycogen reached minimal levels by 24 h postpartum in both nursed and fasted pigs, regardless of the sows' prepartum treatment. Serum glucose levels were maintained at 80 to 130 mg/dl in the nursed pigs from birth to 48 h of age, but approached hypoglycemic levels (50 mg/dl) by 24 h in the fasted pigs. Nursed pigs deposited 28 g of body protein and 15 g of fat from birth to 48 h of age; whereas, fasted pigs mobilized only minimal quantities (3 g) of body protein and fat.