Assessment of visceral organ growth in pigs from birth through 150 kg.

Visceral organs (VO) are essential for their role in the metabolism and distribution of consumed nutrients as well as other life functions in animals. Two experiments were conducted to assess the natural longitudinal changes that the VO undergo from birth through 150 kg body weight (BW). In Experiment 1, a total of 96 crossbred pigs were euthanized at birth (pre-suckle), d 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21 (weaning), 22, 23, 24, 26, 28, 42, 49, and 63 of age.

Administration of vitamin D by injection or drinking water alters serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentrations of nursery pigs.

Objective: Two experiments were conducted to evaluate vitamin D administration to nursery pigs by injection or in drinking water on serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD) concentrations.

Methods: At weaning, 51 pigs (27 and 24 pigs in experiments 1 and 2, respectively) were allotted to vitamin D treatments. Treatments in experiment 1 were: i) control (CON), no vitamin administration beyond that in the diet, ii) intramuscular (IM) injection of 40,000 IU of vitamin D at weaning, and iii) water administration, 5,493 IU of vitamin D/L drinking water for 14 d postweaning.

Temporal plasma vitamin concentrations are altered by fat-soluble vitamin administration in suckling pigs.

Piglets are born with purportedly low plasma vitamin D levels. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of fat-soluble vitamin administration, primarily vitamin D, by different administration routes on plasma vitamin concentrations in suckling pigs. A total of 45 pigs from 5 litters were allotted at birth to 3 treatments within each litter.

The Effects of Fat-soluble Vitamin Administration on Plasma Vitamin Status of Nursing Pigs Differ When Provided by Oral Administration or Injection.

Four experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of fat-soluble vitamin administration to sows or newborn pigs on plasma vitamin status. In Exp. 1 and 2, a total of 24 and 43 newborn pigs were allotted to control and vitamin treatments (vitamin D3 with variable addition of vitamins A and E) orally or by i.

Effect of chromium source on tissue concentration of chromium in pigs.

The concentration of Cr in several tissues in response to high-level, short-term supplementation was used to determine the relative bioavailability among 4 organic Cr sources and to assess the relative safety of high levels of supplementation. Crossbred pigs (n = 40; mean BW = 48.1 +/- 0.