Alison McLain

Biology 1615
Tamara Nef
November 5, 2015
Summary
Introduction
Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is becoming more common as pigs are
giving birth to larger litters. There are diferent levels of IUGR a piglet can
encounter, however there is still a gray area as to what scientists need to do in
order to help the piglets with a lower survival rate because of IUGR. Scientists have
discovered that piglets exposed to IUGR intake a lower amount of colostrum
compared to normal piglets. Scientists have also found that piglets with IUGR
have a dolphin-like shaped head. Piglets exposed to IUGR have less placenta
available to them, therefore brain development is what is focused on when the
piglet is developing. With the brain being the main organ the piglets body is
focusing on developing, its other organs are compromised. It has been
hypothesized that the IUGR piglets intake less colostrum due to their stomachs
being smaller. The stomach is one of the many organs that is compromised in
growth in an IUGR piglet.
Material and Methods
The litters were video recorded continuously from 2 days before birth to 24
hours after birth. Scientists gave each piglet a vitality score based on the movement
of the piglet after birth. The piglets weight and length were recorded after they were

cleaned, tagged, and the umbilical cord was cut. A visual IUGR score was also given
to the piglets. The IUGR scale is normal, mildly, and severe. Some of the
characteristics that were obvious in an IUGR piglet were dolphin-like shaped head,
bulging eyes, and wrinkles by the mouth. Piglets that had none of these
characteristics were labeled as normal and used as the control group. Among
those, scientists also drew blood from the first born and there every odd numbered
tagged piglet. They were measuring glucose and lactate levels, as well as the
electrolyte levels for potassium, sodium, calcium, and chloride. Twenty-four hours
after birth, even numbered tagged piglets had aforementioned tests conducted on
them. The middle piglet of the litter was sacrificed so scientists could weigh their
organs and test blood metabolites. Liver samples were also taken. The piglet
received a score for its stomach, based on what was inside of it.
Results
It was discovered that normal piglets are more common than piglets exposed
to some degree of IUGR. However, that doesnt mean that there is a small amount
of piglets with IUGR. Normal piglets scored the highest on vitality scores, and
were recorded to weigh more. Normal piglets also had a greater intake of
colostrum and had heavier weighing organs. IUGR piglets had a larger brain-to-heart
ratio, due to the fact that the brain is the prioritized organ. Glucose levels were
stable within the first twenty-four hours of birth in IUGR piglets, but climbed steadily
in normal piglets. Scientists recorded that potassium was higher after twenty-four
hours in normal piglets, calcium was higher after twenty-four hours in all piglet
categories, and chloride remained steady in normal piglets but was higher in IUGR
piglets.

Discussion
IUGR piglets do not weigh the same as a normal piglet. However, that alone
cannot be a determining factor of whether the piglet was exposed to IUGR or not.
More nutrients are used for brain development in IUGR piglets as a mechanism for
the lack of placenta, therefore IUGR piglets brains weighed more. Piglets can also
be built just small, that also is not a determining factor of a piglet being exposed to
IUGR. Small piglets have the potential to reach a normal weight and size, whereas
IUGR piglets do not. Ingesting of colostrum is important for the piglet and about
200 g are required for normal growth and development. Though the IUGR piglets
had full stomachs does not mean that they ingested the full 200 g. Colostrum is
important because it takes place of the milk before the piglet is born. Without
medical assistance, the piglets that did not ingest enough colostrum will most likely
die. With the less intake of colostrum, IUGR piglets glycogen levels are noticeably
less than normal piglets. By identifying piglets based on their head shape, it gives
farmers a good idea of which piglets need help in order to ensure their survival.

Works Cited
Intrauterine growth restricted piglets defined by their head shape ingest
insufficient amounts of
colostrum. American Society of Animal Science.
American Society of Animal Science, 14 Nov
2014. Web. 5 November 2015.