PSI-16 Too Late to Catch up? Parity Order and Baseline Overall Claw Quality Impact on the Responsiveness of Sows to Mineral-Amino Acid-Complex Supplementation: A Case Study

Abstract

Abstract Poor claw quality can predispose sows to lameness, which may be counteracted by mineral-amino acid-complex (ZPM) supplementation. The objective was to investigate the effects of parity order (PO) and baseline overall claw quality (BCW) on the time required to achieve optimal response to ZPM in sows. A total of 15,500 sows (PO 1-6) supplemented with ZPM for different periods of time (months) were randomly selected and scored from 0 (no lesions) to 3 (severe lesions) for claw lesions: heel overgrowth and erosion, heel-sole crack, separation along the white line, horizontal and vertical wall cracks, and overgrown toes, or dewclaws. A lesion index (L-Index) was calculated as the sum of the greater scores from each lesion, per animal. Sows were grouped by similarity (BCW) in claw lesions in two clusters (C1 and C2). The effects of cluster and PO were investigated. A quadratic response plateau (QRP) model was fitted to assess the interrelationships between the change in L-Index and the duration of ZPM supplementation within parity and cluster. Sows from C1 had greater L-Index compared with C2 sows (6.57 vs. 2.55; SEM = 0.08; P < 0.05). Sows from PO4 (4.12), 5 (4.23), and 6 (4.34) had greater L-Index compared with sows from PO1 (3.44) and 2 (3.71), with PO3 being intermediate (3.94; SEM = 0.15; P < 0.05). Sows from PO1-C1, PO1-C2, PO2-C1, and PO2-C2 had breakpoints (duration of ZPM supplementation) of 10.36 ± 3.83, 12.41 ± 2.77, 14.85 ± 4.28, and 16.02 ± 3.85 months, respectively (P < 0.05). The breakpoints for PO3, 4, 5, and 6 from C2 were 15.02 ± 4.24, 14.08 ± 4.87, 14.28 ± 4.58, and 10.50 ± 4.30, respectively (P < 0.05). There was no breakpoint achieved for PO3, 4, 5, and 6 from C1 (P > 0.05). Our results indicate that ZPM supplementation should start early (PO1 and PO2) as the potentially negative aging effects on healing capacity may decrease the ability of sows to optimally respond to the supplementation.