Introduction
Welcome to this blog where we talk about the interesting physiological stressors that pigs must deal with in the farming community. We will look at ways that heat stress can affect not only their overall health but the reproductive challenges that come with it. Understanding these effects can help animal lovers and farmers alike implement proper care actions to ensure a better lifer for these animals. Lets dive into and learn more about what heat stress can do to pigs.
Physiology
Heat stress occurs when pigs are exposed to high temperatures that their bodies struggle to cope with. Just like humans, pigs must limit their bodies thermoregulation. Pigs experience heat stress when natural cooling systems can’t regulate this. When experiencing this stress, it is very difficult for an animal to “maintain” it’s organs reproductive abilities (Ross et al., 2017). Mammals have metabolic heat, generated through many different actions, and it can get rid of heat if it is maintaining under a certain heat regulatory zone. This heat regulatory zone is in any mammal and if it is within sufficient boundaries the mammal will perform excellently. When pigs are faced with long-term or short-term stress it can trigger a response to maintain other areas of its body somewhere else to help maintain its homeostasis and not send energy toward reproductive areas (Ross et al., 2017).
Figure 1 sows the connections and response to heat stress within animals (modified from Ross et al., 2017 )
Conclusion
Heat stress poses a significant threat to the health and well-being of pigs, and their reproductive systems. The issues that can spawn from heat stress can decrease production in pigs. It is very important for farmers and care givers to take into account the management of heat stress in these animals, especially during the hot summer months. By understanding these physiological issues implementation of better practices in the pig industry can take place.
Source:
Ross, J. W., Hale, B. J., Seibert, J. T., Romoser, M. R., Adur, M. K., Keating, A. F., & Baumgard, L. H. (2017). Physiological mechanisms through which heat stress compromises reproduction in pigs. Molecular Reproduction and Development, 84(9), 934–945. https://doi.org/10.1002/mrd.22859