Needle-free injection devices versus regular injection techniques for iron supplementation to piglets.

Abstract

Piglets are born with a small supply of iron; therefore they receive an iron injection when they are three days old. A needle-syringe device is commonly used in swine industry. Over the last years, the interest in newer techniques, like needle- free injection devices, has increased because of risk of disease transmission. There are no studies on the efficiency of needle-free injection with compressed gas. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of needle free injection of iron in newborn piglets. Nine piglets were selected. Randomly 3 piglets were assigned to each of the three groups. In every litter there were three groups. At three days of age, the first group received an iron injection with a syringe- injection device. The second group received an iron injection with a Needle-free device (MS Pulse©). The third group did not receive an iron injection.

The results show that hemoglobin and hematocrit values are similar for syringe injection device group and the needle-free group. This is also seen with Fe concentration in the blood. The body weight of the piglets that did not receive iron was lower compared to the bodyweight of the other piglets.

The present results show that there is no difference between the syringe-injection device and the needle-free device. The piglets that did not receive an iron injection have lower hematological and iron parameters compared to the other piglets. Their body weight was also lower. Not enough iron is available in the environment in the first 26 days, to increase the iron concentration in the blood. This paper suggests that Needle-free devices are as effective as syringe-injection devices with respect to iron administration in preventing anemia.