Nutritional Deficiency Disorders in Pigs

Vitamin Deficiencies

1. Vitamin A

• Poor growth rate
• Lack of coordination and paralysis of hind limbs
• Blindness
• Degeneration of epithelial tissues, especially in reproductive organs
• Reduced fertility and resorption of fetuses

2. Vitamin D

• Rickets in young pigs and osteomalacia in adults
• Swollen joints and lameness
• Muscle tetany
• Fractures in ribs and vertebrae

3. Vitamin E and Selenium

• Mulberry heart disease
• Hepatosis dietetica (liver damage)
• White muscle disease
• Degenerative changes in blood vessels

4. Vitamin K

• Bleeding in newborn piglets, especially from the umbilical cord
• Internal hemorrhages
• Sudden death

5. Biotin

• Hair loss and skin lesions
• Dermatitis and discharge around the eyes
• Cracks in hooves
• Hind limb stiffness and scaly skin

6. Choline

• Reduced reproductive performance
• Splay leg condition
• Rough hair coat
• Fat accumulation in liver and kidneys

7. Folic Acid

• Slow growth
• Loss of hair pigmentation
• Bone marrow enlargement
• Anaemia

8. Niacin

• Intestinal lesions
• Ulcerative inflammation of the stomach
• Severe diarrhea
• Rough coat and hair loss

9. Pantothenic Acid

• Abnormal hind limb movement (“goose stepping”)
• Reduced growth
• Diarrhea and loss of appetite

10. Riboflavin

• Poor growth
• Skin disorders (seborrhea)
• Cataracts
• Stiff walking and hair loss
• Low conception rates

11. Thiamine

• Reduced appetite
• Poor weight gain
• Sudden death
• Enlargement of heart muscles

12. Pyridoxine

• Decreased appetite and growth
• Eye discharges
• Nervous signs like convulsions, ataxia, and seizures
• Coma and death in severe cases
• Anaemia and fatty liver

13. Vitamin B12

• Reduced growth and appetite
• Irritability and hypersensitivity
• Rough skin and coat
• Poor coordination of hind limbs

14. Vitamin C

• Small pinpoint hemorrhages (petechiae) throughout the body

Mineral Deficiencies

15. Calcium and Phosphorus

• Poor growth and weak bones
• Rickets in young pigs, osteomalacia in adults
• Rib beading, lameness, tetany
• Paralysis of hind limbs

16. Sodium and Chlorine

• Loss of appetite
• Poor growth and unthrifty condition

17. Magnesium

• Nervousness and irritability
• Muscle twitching
• Difficulty in standing
• Weak limbs and loss of balance
• Tetany

18. Potassium

• Loss of appetite
• Poor body condition and rough coat
• Weight loss (emaciation)
• Lack of coordination and heart problems

19. Copper

• Poor utilization of iron
• Defective blood formation
• Poor development of connective tissues
• Anaemia
• Bone deformities and fractures
• Cardiovascular disorders

20. Iodine

• Stunted growth
• Lethargy
• Enlarged thyroid gland
• Weak or hairless piglets at birth
• Myxedema

21. Iron

• Anaemia
• Poor growth and weakness
• Rough coat and wrinkled skin
• Pale mucous membranes
• Labored breathing (“thumps”)
• Enlarged fatty liver and fluid accumulation (ascites)

22. Manganese

• Abnormal bone development
• Increased fat deposition
• Irregular or absent estrus
• Fetal resorption
• Weak piglets at birth
• Reduced milk production

23. Selenium

• Sudden death
• Mulberry heart disease
• White muscle disease
• Liver degeneration
• Poor reproduction and milk production
• Weak immune response

24. Zinc

• Poor growth and reduced appetite
• Skin disorder (parakeratosis)
• Delayed development of testes