[The development of plasma iron concentration and hemoglobin content in piglets in the first three days of life and the significance of prenatal anemia].

In a short-term investigation the postnatal values and the development of the concentrations of transferrin-bound PI and haemoglobin and of the weight gain of piglets was determined in the first three days of life without iron treatment (n = 17) and following different methods of early postnatal iron application (n = 65). The Hb and Pl values at birth were widely scattered. About 40% of the piglets showed a latent or overt iron deficiency. The Hb level at birth was positively correlated with weight gain. In the group not supplemented with iron, the Hb concentration declined by 27% and the Pl level by 61% of the value at birth. After the early postnatal iron administration the transferrin-bound Pl rose proportional to the extent of iron resorption from the different preparations. The decrease of the Hb concentration could not be influenced by early iron administration, but the iron treated piglets tended to show higher values than the untreated group on day 3. A study of the incidence of diarrhoea in the whole group (n = 82) showed less enteritis signs in early iron supplemented piglets.