[Levels of some minerals, glucose and vitamin A in the blood serum of sows during puerperium under large-scale breeding conditions].

A partial chemical analysis of the blood serum of 293 suckling sows kept under typical large-scale production conditions were performed; the sows were divided into groups according to the individual days of puerperium. The calcium content was 8.23 +/- 1.53 mg per 100 ml of serum on the first day post partum, later on it increased slightly and it was highest on the 16th and 22nd day p. p., i.e. 10.22 +/- 1.80 and 9.77 +/- 1.51 mg per 100 ml, respectively. The increase was statistically significant on the 18th day p.p., and later on it was slightly statistically significant (P less than 0.1). Since the second week, the phosphorus content had dropped from the value of 4.10 +/- 0.63 mg per 100 ml on the 1st day p. p., and it mostly ranged below 4 mg per 100 ml, the average being 3.86 mg per 100 ml; the differences were not statistically significant (P greater than 0.1). The magnesium content raised from 1.75 +/- 0.43 mg per 100 ml on the first day p. p. to 2.50 +/- 0.56 mg per 100 ml on the fifth day; it remained higher for the whole puerperium. The differences were statistically highly to slightly significant (P less than 0.01 - P less than 0.01). The changes of the glucose content were irregular, within a relatively small range (86.52 +/- 16.79 to 115.92 +/- 26.70 mg per 100 ml of serum). The average value was 97.76 mg per 100 ml of serum and the differences obtained were statistically insignificant (P greater than 0.01). The vitamin A content amounted to 29.57 +/- 10.16 mcg per 100 ml on the first day; later on it increased up to 47.51 +/- 15.19 mcg per 100 ml on the 22nd day p.p. The increase since the 10th day and later on was statistically significant (P less than 0.05--P greater than 0.01).