Effects of oxytocin on critical blood variables from dystocic sows

Abstract

THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO MONITOR THE SOW MATERNAL RESPONSE TO A LOW OXITOCIN DOSE IN AN ADVANCED PARTURITION STAGE IN EUTOCIC AND MATERNAL-FOETAL DYSTOCIA. SIXTY YORK × LANDRACE SOWS, 30 WITH EUTOCIC FARROWING AND 30 WITH MATERNAL-FOETAL DYSTOCIA WERE ASSIGNED INTO TWO DIFFERENT GROUPS: 15 RECEIVED 0.083 IU/KG OF OXYTOCIN AFTER THE EXPULSION OF THE FIFTH PIGLET, AND 15 RECEIVED NO TREATMENT AT ALL. BLOOD SAMPLES FROM EVERY SOW IN TRIAL WERE TAKEN FROM THE EAR VEIN AT THREE DIFFERENT TIMES: IMMEDIATELY AFTER MEMBRANE RUPTURE, AFTER THE FIFTH PIGLET WAS BORN, AND AT THE END OF THE FARROWING. A THIRD GENERATION BLOOD GAS ANALYZER WAS USED. RESULTS SHOW THAT WHEN PARTURITION WAS RESUMED, SOWS WITH MATERNAL-FOETAL DYSTOCIA HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER LACTATE, PCO2 AND EAR TEMPERATURE (P < 0.001), COMPARED WITH THE EUTOCIC SOW GROUP. RESULTS FROM PHYSIOLOGICAL VARIABLES AND NEONATAL TRAITS MONITORED IN THIS EXPERIMENT SHOW EVIDENCE THAT OXYTOCIN SHOULD NOT BE USED IN NORMAL PARTURITION WITHOUT STILLBIRTHS, SINCE OXYTOCIN IN THIS CASE HAD ADVERSE EFFECTS ON SOW PERFORMANCE. OXYTOCIN ADMINISTERED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND HALF OF PARTURITION DECREASED 50% THE NUMBER OF BORN ALIVE WITH ASPHYXIA IN EUTOCIC AND DYSTOCIC SOWS, AND ON THE OTHER HAND, DECREASED 50% THE NUMBER OF INTRA-PARTUM STILLBIRTHS IN THE DYSTOCIC GROUP. THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY DESCRIBING THE CRITICAL BLOOD VARIABLES IN DYSTOCIC SOWS (PH, PCO2, PO2, GLUCOSE, LACTATE AND HCO3), USING A THIRD GENERATION GASOMETRY DEVICE.