Title: Farm Health Online – Animal Health and Welfare Knowledge Hub – Piglet Diarrhea
Headings: 
Pig Diseases
Piglet Diarrhea
Also known as: Scours. Including Post-weaning Diarrhea
What Causes Piglet Diarrhea?
Pre-Weaning in Piglets
Post-Weaning Diarrhea in Piglets
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv)
Control and Prevention of Piglet Diarrhea
Maintenance of Disease Resistance
Maintenance of disease resistance can be enhanced in two ways:
Reducing Exposure of Piglets to Infection
Good Sow and Piglet Feeding Practice
Treating Piglet Diarrhea
Piglet Diarrhea and Welfare
Good Practice Based on Current Knowledge

Content: Isolation and provision of rehydrating, glucose-based fluids can be helpful in weaned piglets. Also combined antimicrobials may be effective in addressing a number of potential infections, but their efficacy cannot be guaranteed ( Cowart, 1995; Taylor, 1995 ). Reference should be made to treatment measures for specific causes of diarrhea: Clostridial infections
Coccidiosis
E. coli
Salmonellosis
Transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE)
Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDv)
The demonstrated positive effect of zinc supplementation on diarrhea in weaned piglets may be due to zinc reducing the intestinal mucosal susceptibility to secretagogues that activate chloride secretion ( Carlson et al., 2004 ). Piglet Diarrhea and Welfare
Early weaning should be avoided as it is likely to increase risk for post-weaning scours. Maternally derived passive immunity does not prevent infection, but does prevent expression of clinical disease while active immune defences are being formed in later weaned animals ( Fangman and Tubbs, 1997 ). If a unit has a serious E. coli problem, the situation should be improved with a combination of husbandry and hygiene changes and vaccination of sows/gilts. Good Practice Based on Current Knowledge
In order to control piglet diarrhea, the situation on the farm needs to be assessed in order to decide whether a disease reduction plan needs to be developed.