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Protect piglets from post-weaning diarrhea
Post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) affects 54% of pig farmers worldwide, costing an average of over €5 ($8 CAD) per pig.
Primarily caused by E. coli, dietary shifts, and environmental stress, PWD severely impacts piglet health, growth rates, and overall farm productivity.
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What causes post-weaning diarrhea?
Post-weaning diarrhea is often caused by a combination of factors, including dietary changes, stress from weaning, environmental shifts, and exposure to pathogens. The abrupt change in diet from highly digestible milk to less digestible solid feed can disrupt the gut flora, leading to diarrhea.
Several bacterial pathogens can contribute to post-weaning diarrhea, with Escherichia coli (E. coli) being one of the most common. These bacteria produce toxins that irritate the intestinal lining of piglets, causing diarrhea. Moreover, when piglets switch to solid feed, they no longer benefit from the protective antibodies in their mother's milk.
How is post-weaning diarrhea transmitted?
The most common way to spread for pathogens involved in post-weaning diarrhea (such as E. coli) is to spread through the fecal-oral route. Piglets can ingest these pathogens by coming into contact with:
- Contaminated feces
- Contaminated feed
- Contaminated water
- Contamination in the environment
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What are the symptoms of post-weaning diarrhea?
You can recognize post-weaning diarrhea by a number of symptoms.
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- Watery diarrhea
- Dehydration
- Poor growth
- Lethargy & weakness
- Reduced appetite
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How can you prevent post-weaning diarrhea?
Effective strategies to prevent PWD include maintaining optimal hygiene, clean water, ensuring proper nutrition, reducing stress during weaning, and implementing strategic vaccination programs.
Using probiotics, prebiotics and organic acids to stabilize gut flora, and by carefully managing dietary changes you can further reduces the risk of Post-weaning diarrhea.
The 5 steps to prevent post-weaning diarrhea
Prioritizing piglet health while minimizing antibiotic reliance is essential for modern, responsible swine production. Because post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) is such a widespread challenge, proactive prevention is critical to maintaining growth performance and animal welfare. In this guide, we outline five essential steps to effectively prevent PWD and safeguard your herd.:format(webp))
Start with proper personal hygiene
To prevent pathogens from entering your facility, strict biosecurity and personal hygiene protocols are essential. Every person entering the pig farm, including staff, veterinarians, and visitors, must thoroughly shower and change into clean, farm-specific clothing and boots before entering animal housing areas.:format(webp))
No more cross-contamination between barns
Using dedicated colors for tools, equipment, and clothing in each barn or production phase prevents E. coli cross-contamination. If a pathogen is detected in one area, color coding keeps it contained to that specific room or building, making isolation and sanitation fast and effective.:format(webp))
A clean and germ-free living environment
A strict cleaning and disinfection routine between groups ensures incoming piglets are not exposed to pathogens left behind by the previous herd. Always apply a high-quality foam cleaner before disinfecting; this removes organic matter and breaks down biofilm, ensuring your disinfectant can work at maximum efficiency.:format(webp))
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