Facts: Post-Weaning Stress

What is Post-Weaning Stress?

Weaning is a very stressful period for piglets, and “post-weaning stress" is an umbrella term that involves various stressors posed onto a piglet, which can result in negative health outcomes such as gut inflammation and dysbiosis, pathogenic bacterial overgrowth, diarrhea, impaired weight gain and even death. Post-weaning diarrhea alone has a 20-30% mortality rate, and surviving pigs have severely stunted growth.¹'²

ETEC

Post pigs are exposed to Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) in their early life, whether it passed from their mother or the environment. ETEC is a harmful strain of E. coli that is a common cause of diarrhea, which unfortunately results in a massive loss in pork production annually.³

Industry Resources

Post-Weaning Diarrhea in Pig Farming ↗

Current Solutions ³⁻⁶

Solutions available today are not always safe and effective, prompting the need to alternatives. Promoting a healthy gut microbiome can help aid piglets during this transition, and improve their performance.

Solution	Claims of Use	Limitations
Antibiotic Growth Promoters (APGs)	✔ Antimicrobial ✔ Reduces diarrhea ✔ Promotes weight gain	Human health threat of antimicrobial resistance Disrupts microbiome & metabolism, compromises immunity Prohibited as growth promoter in EU, China, USA & Canada Restricted use as therapeutic in EU, China, USA & Canada
Zinc Oxide	✔ Antimicrobial ✔ Decreases diarrhea ✔ Promotes weight gain	Human health threat of antimicrobial resistance Restricted to low level usage Environmental hazard
Probiotics	✔ Controls ETEC growth ✔ Promotes healthy gut	Inconsistent results Low efficacy in gut inflammation Poor viability and shelf-life due to low regulatory standards
Vaccines	✔ Protects from ETEC	Not protective during first 10-15 days post-immunization
Organic Acids	✔ Antimicrobial through modulating pH ✔ Some are also a nutrient source	Inconsistent results E.g. butyric, propionic, benzoic & fumaric acids

Solution	Claims of Use	Limitations
Antibiotic Growth Promoters (APGs)	✔ Antimicrobial ✔ Reduces diarrhea ✔ Promotes weight gain	Human health threat of antimicrobial resistance Disrupts microbiome & metabolism, compromises immunity Prohibited as growth promoter in EU, China, USA & Canada Restricted use as therapeutic in EU, China, USA & Canada
Zinc Oxide	✔ Antimicrobial ✔ Decreases diarrhea ✔ Promotes weight gain	Human health threat of antimicrobial resistance Restricted to low level usage Environmental hazard
Probiotics	✔ Controls ETEC growth ✔ Promotes healthy gut	Inconsistent results Low efficacy in gut inflammation Poor viability and shelf-life due to low regulatory standards
Vaccines	✔ Protects from ETEC	Not protective during first 10-15 days post-immunization
Organic Acids	✔ Antimicrobial through modulating pH ✔ Some are also a nutrient source	Inconsistent results E.g. butyric, propionic, benzoic & fumaric acids