The Effect of Combined Iron-Selenium Treatment on Erythropoiesis and Weight Gain of Piglets

Abstract

Ten sows were during their last month of gestation and first 4 weeks of lactation kept on a low Se ratio (0.014 ppm Se). Their 1-3 days old piglets (n = 108) were divided in 2 groups, the experimental and the control group. Blood samples were taken from the piglets before the age of 3 days. Each of the piglets of the experimental group (n = 54) was treated subcutaneously in connection with the blood sampling with 200 mg Fe+3 as iron dextran and 0,30 mg Se44 as sodium selenite (Pigfer-Se, Orion Corporation Ltd., Orion Pharmaceutics Espoo, Finland). The piglets of the control group (n = 54) were correspondingly treated with 200 Fe+3 as iron dextran. Blood samples were again taken 7, 14 and 28 days after the first sample. The results showed that the mean increase in the number of erythrocytes during the first 7 days was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (p = 0.006). No significant differences between the whole groups could be found in the later blood samples. When some haematological parameters of those of the piglets of the experimental and the control group, which before the age of 3 days had the whole blood Se ^ 55 μg/1 were compared (n = 16 and n = 22 respectively) the mean increase in the number of erythrocytes was found to be significantly higher both at 7 days and 14 days in the low Se piglets of the experimental group than the corresponding means of the control group (p = 0.005 and p = 0.016 respectively). At 28 days the difference between the means was not significant. The weekly mean weight gains of the low Se piglets of the experimental group were consistently higher at the successive weekly weighings than the corresponding means of the control group.