Given the negative effects that stress, among other factors, can exert on swine gastric mucosa integrity, the presence and the severity of gastric lesions were assessed post mortem on pigs that during their lives had received two different forms of environmental enrichment. To this aim 56 hybrid male pigs (initial average BW: 30 kg) were homogeneously allocated to 2 experimental groups: one half of the animals was provided with hanging chains (HC), whereas the other group had a rack, installed on the pen wall, containing horizontally placed wood logs (WL). WL are supposed to be more attractive and manipulable than hanging chains; these latters are frequently used as enrichment tools for pigs reared on a slatted floor. Animals were kept in collective pens, on a partially slatted floor and fed the same, rationed liquid diet. At slaughter (160 kg BW), all carcasses were assessed for pleurisy, pneumonia, pericarditis, white spots on the liver and gastric lesions. To this aim, stomachs were collected, opened and lesions in the pars oesophagea were observed, classified and scored (on a 0 to 6 scale) as: absent or mild (intact epithelium to mild hyperkeratosis: points 0-1); moderate (hyperkeratosis and mild erosions; points 2-4); or severe (moderate to severe erosion, and/or esophageal ulcers or stenosis; points 5-6). Mann Withney U-test and Chi-squared test were used. The prevalence of pulmonary, hepatic, hearth and gastric lesions did not differ between the experimental groups. Although the absence of significance for overall severity of gastric lesions (3.0 vs. 3.4 points in HC and WL group, respectively; P>0.05), highly significant differences were detected for the different classes of severity (P<0.01). Lesions were, in fact, distributed as follows: in HC group, 35% were classified as mild, 35% as moderate and 30% as severe; in WL group, 20% were classified as mild, 60% as moderate and 20% as severe. The reduced prevalence of severe lesions observed in WL group may indicate a higher welfare and health level that needs to be confirmed by further investigations presently in progress. Although gastric ulcers can represent an additional parameter to detect chronic welfare issues of pigs, it should be noted that, due to hygienic reasons (and contrary to pulmonary, hepatic and hearth lesions), the assessment of gastric lesions needs a dedicated, separate space and it cannot be presently regarded as a routine survey at slaughtering. This research was supported by Progetto AGER, grant n° 2011-0280.
Study on gastric ulcers in heavy pigs receiving different environmental enrichment materials
NANNONI, ELEONORA;VITALI, MARIKA;BASSI, PATRIZIA;SARDI, LUCA;MILITERNO, GIANFRANCO;MARTELLI, GIOVANNA
2014
Abstract
Given the negative effects that stress, among other factors, can exert on swine gastric mucosa integrity, the presence and the severity of gastric lesions were assessed post mortem on pigs that during their lives had received two different forms of environmental enrichment. To this aim 56 hybrid male pigs (initial average BW: 30 kg) were homogeneously allocated to 2 experimental groups: one half of the animals was provided with hanging chains (HC), whereas the other group had a rack, installed on the pen wall, containing horizontally placed wood logs (WL). WL are supposed to be more attractive and manipulable than hanging chains; these latters are frequently used as enrichment tools for pigs reared on a slatted floor. Animals were kept in collective pens, on a partially slatted floor and fed the same, rationed liquid diet. At slaughter (160 kg BW), all carcasses were assessed for pleurisy, pneumonia, pericarditis, white spots on the liver and gastric lesions. To this aim, stomachs were collected, opened and lesions in the pars oesophagea were observed, classified and scored (on a 0 to 6 scale) as: absent or mild (intact epithelium to mild hyperkeratosis: points 0-1); moderate (hyperkeratosis and mild erosions; points 2-4); or severe (moderate to severe erosion, and/or esophageal ulcers or stenosis; points 5-6). Mann Withney U-test and Chi-squared test were used. The prevalence of pulmonary, hepatic, hearth and gastric lesions did not differ between the experimental groups. Although the absence of significance for overall severity of gastric lesions (3.0 vs. 3.4 points in HC and WL group, respectively; P>0.05), highly significant differences were detected for the different classes of severity (P<0.01). Lesions were, in fact, distributed as follows: in HC group, 35% were classified as mild, 35% as moderate and 30% as severe; in WL group, 20% were classified as mild, 60% as moderate and 20% as severe. The reduced prevalence of severe lesions observed in WL group may indicate a higher welfare and health level that needs to be confirmed by further investigations presently in progress. Although gastric ulcers can represent an additional parameter to detect chronic welfare issues of pigs, it should be noted that, due to hygienic reasons (and contrary to pulmonary, hepatic and hearth lesions), the assessment of gastric lesions needs a dedicated, separate space and it cannot be presently regarded as a routine survey at slaughtering. This research was supported by Progetto AGER, grant n° 2011-0280.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
