Anemia in pigs

Abstract

Anemia, as a multifactorial syndrome, is often registered in farm animals' pathology, especially with nutritional origin and less often with different other causes (systemic or organ diseases). It is defined as a decreasing in the number of red blood cells (erythrocytes), the hematocrit and the hemoglobin concentration, respectively. The physiopathological and, respectively, the clinical consequences are directly corelated with the severity of the anemia and the responsible mechanism, expressed by pallor of the mucous membranes, weakness, tachycardia and/or tachypnea and, indirectly, by the reduction of productive and reproductive indices. Nutritional/deficiency anemias are widespread in intensive breeding, with economic repercussions not to be neglected, and the knowledge and application of curative-prophylactic principles at the ages of maximum vulnerability considerably reduce the incidence and the unfavorable economic impact.