Technical note: a technique for inserting a T-cannula into the distal ileum of pregnant sows.

Abstract

Our objective was to develop a technique for cannulating the terminal ileum in pregnant sows and to evaluate the usefulness of this procedure in digestibility studies in pregnant and lactating sows. A simple T-cannula was inserted into the terminal ileum approximately 15 cm cranial to the ileo-cecal valve in a total of 15 multiparous sows at d 40 (+/- 5 d) of pregnancy. All cannulated sows recovered quickly after the surgery and within 3 d they were eating normally. Elevated body temperatures were not registered in any sows, and clinical problems related to the surgery were not observed. At farrowing, normal litters were born, and number of stillborn pigs, number of live born pigs, and daily litter weight gain were not affected by the cannulations (P > .05). Of the 15 sows originally cannulated, 11 sows were used for collection of digesta during gestation and the following lactating period. Eight sows were rebred after weaning, and five sows were rebred after the second lactation period and kept for another cycle. Blockage of the cannulas never occurred, and no serious problems were associated with digesta collections. The experiment demonstrated that pregnant sows can be prepared with a simple T-cannula in the distal ileum and that the cannula can be maintained in sows throughout the reproductive cycle. Hence, the procedure provides a tool for obtaining digesta from pregnant and lactating sows for nutrition studies.

Amino acid digestibility in rice co-products fed to growing pigs

“…Pigs were surgically fitted with a T-cannula in the distal ileum (Stein et al, 1998) when they had a body weight of approximately 25 kg, and all pigs had been used in a previous experiment before being assigned to this experiment. Animals were allotted to a 7 × 7 Latin square design with 7 diets and 7 periods.…”

Effects of dietary deoxynivalenol and zearalenone on apparent ileal digestibility of amino acids in growing pigs

“…Pigs were surgically fitted with a Tcannula at the distal ileum using procedures described by Stein et al (1998). After the surgery, the pigs were individually housed in pens (2.0 × 2.2 m) that were equipped with a feeder and a nipple drinker.…”

Digestibility of crude protein and amino acids in corn grains from different origins for pigs

“…The nutrient compositions of the 10 diets are provided in Table 4. Ten boars with an initial body weight (BW) of 52.2 ± 9.0 kg were surgically fitted with a T-cannula in the distal ileum following Stein et al (1998) and were allotted to a 10×10 Latin square design with 10 diets and 10 periods (Kim and Kim, 2010). Daily feed allowance was calculated as 2.5 times the energy requirement for maintenance (i.e., 444 kJ of metabolizable energy/kg of BW 0.75 ; NRC, 1998).…”